MASCA Day on the Hill

Thank you to those who were able to come and participate in our Day on the Hill on February 26, 2019. We had 24 school counselors and admission counselors attend. The event started with Tyler Tuckey and Brian Poznanski introducing advocacy within the legislative process. Representative Dan Cahill spoke about the important work of school counselors and the House Bill that he has put forth, HD: 3090, which requires a 1:250 ratio of school counselors K–12 in all 26 gateway municipalities. His hope is that we can gather enough data once implemented to then move to a 1:250 ratio across the state. We hope that this House Docket will be picked up by the Joint Commission of Education.
 
I spoke about the significance of calling ourselves school counselors versus guidance counselors and about the importance of sharing our stories and our work with others. After lunch, participants got to meet and speak with legislators and/or their aides, including Sen. Harriette Chandler, Sen. Joanne Comerford, Rep. Mindy Domb, Sen. Cindy Friedman, Rep. Sean Garballey, Rep. Denise Garlick, Sen. Anne Gobi, Sen. Adam Hinds, Sen. Patricia Jehlen, Sen. Edward Kennedy, Rep. Paul Tucker and Secretary of Education James Peyser. Participants were also encouraged to stop by their local representatives’ offices and drop off the “Why School Counselors” handout, shown at the bottom of this page.
 


For those of you who were unable to attend, it is not too late to advocate for HD: 3090. You can send an email to or call your legislator asking for their support and providing more information about the important work of school counselors. Find your local representatives here. One of the most important things that I learned during this event is just how approachable our legislators and their aides are and that they truly want to hear about which issues are important to their constituents. If you are interested in doing some more advocacy, join the MASCA Government Relations and Advocacy Committee by contacting me at amegginson@bridgew.edu.