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Counselor and parent urge board to retain counselors and a valued teacher amid cuts
Summary
A school counselor urged the board to preserve counseling services after budget cuts, providing usage statistics; a parent warned that losing a particular teacher could lead multiple families to leave the district.
Two public commentators urged the board to reconsider reductions that affect student supports and staffing.
Michelle Winton, a school counselor, said cuts to counseling programs have created significant demand: she reported seeing 138 students individually and 235 for brief check‑ins over 18 student contact days and said the district has handled multiple crises and collaborative incidents with the school resource deputy. Winton said those volumes and the Oregon administrative rules around comprehensive school counseling warrant restoring at least one, if not two, full‑time on‑site school counselors so students can receive timely support.
A second speaker (Angela Allen) told the board she had spoken to “six other families with 30 children who will not be returning” if a particular teacher is not retained, arguing that the teacher provides exceptionally strong support and that losing the teacher would further depress enrollment.
The board heard the comments and acknowledged the need to balance budget pressures with student and family impacts as staff finalize proposed changes.
