California Politics Point to Promising Future for School Counselors

Occasionally, a moment stands out in my memory. Several years ago, our student-led conferences let fifth graders convey their academic and college/career goals to their parents. The students would review the contents of their portfolio page by page while the parents were coached to support their child’s dreams and ambitions. On this occasion, a gangly young man, who must have grown six inches in his fifth-grade year, approached me and asked if I would be “his parent.” He clutched his portfolio to his chest as we sat at a table across from each other. His opening remark captured my heart, and the essence of the activity, when he said, “Before I begin, I want you to know, I have a promising future ahead of me.” And he did!

I am full of hope and confidence in the future of school counseling in California. The CASC Board of Directors is equally confident in our future, as demonstrated in the pictures of the most recent new additions to our CASC family, proudly displaying “Future School Counselor” on their onesies.

So, why have hope now?

A recent article, “Newsom’s Budget is a Roadmap – with a Vision and the Right Next Steps,” projects a state budget that pays down the debt and increases reserves, while increasing funding to K–12 education. Although no specific funds are dedicated to school counseling, history teaches us that more money for education increases the school counseling workforce. Currently, California ranks 21st in per-pupil spending, and Governor Newson and other legislators are preparing to change that. The 2019 State Budget Proposal is the largest K–12 education per-pupil expenditure proposed in California’s history. The funding guarantee for K–12 schools and community colleges in 2019–20 is proposed to be $80.7 billion, nearly $5,000 higher per pupil than just seven years ago.

Another hopeful sign: Los Angeles Unified School District is out on strike. In speaking with several LAUSD counselors, this very difficult situation does have a glimmer of hope in the united support of teaching staff for increasing the number of school counselors in LAUSD schools. The media are saturated with stories of the need for school counselors and have been for months. An LA Times article (February 2, 2018) explained, “The problem with counseling is that schools rarely provide enough.”

In her article, CASC President Amy Dauble-Madigan points out that our student-to-school-counselor ratios are at a historic low. According to CA Dataquest, ratios are 622:1 – a number quite unimaginable just a few years ago. The value of counseling cannot be overstated as school counselors are meeting new state accountability measures (Dashboard) in several strategic areas, including chronic attendance, discipline, graduation rates and college/career preparedness.

In years past, legislators required a valiant effort from school counselor leaders to educate them on: 1) we exist, 2) what we do, 3) our value. No longer is that the case. Legislators now contact CASC representatives often, asking for our expert opinions on issues. This coming year, CASC will be working with several legislators who are poised to author legislation to fortify existing law and increase funding related to the work we do.

My next reason for hope is the election of Tony Thurmond as state superintendent. Thurmond is a former social worker and understands the value of support services in our schools. He is familiar with the work of school counselors and spoke at the CASC conference a few months ago. I had an in-depth conversation with him then, and at the conclusion, he asked if we could share cell phone numbers.

After that meeting, I felt we were very well positioned to influence change, but shortly before the election I made a blunder that will ensure that Thurmond will never forget me. I was preparing to take a trip to Seattle to visit my grandchildren and I should have known better than to respond to a late-night text message reading, “I am sorry, but I cannot take care of your dog as I had promised.” Ignoring my first instinct to handle it in the morning, I decided to text Tony Singleton, my backup dog sitter. I accidently texted Tony Thurmond instead, saying that I would be grateful if he would take care of my dog while I was out of town. Minutes later, I received a text back from Thurmond asking, “Where do you live?” Quickly, I responded, saying, “I have made a big mistake. I thought I was texting another Tony.” He answered, “You know, I would have done it” – a testament to the character of this man. I responded, “EMBARRASSING,” and then took the opportunity to reiterate my support in the upcoming election.

We are well positioned with many lawmakers and their staffs. I was recently catching up with long-time acquaintance Megan Mendez, a Toni Atkins (California Senate President Pro Tem) staffer who oversees K­–12 education. She expressed strong interest in the CASC Certificate in Solution-Focused Counseling and Climate Strategies and other professional development courses from CASC. Although many legislators have barely assumed office at the time of writing this article, I remain hopeful because they are hopeful and share many of our beliefs about what students need. Stay tuned to the California Counselor Connection weekly email newsletter as we continue to keep you up-to-date on the ever-evolving 2019 California political landscape.
 
Contact Loretta Whitson, Ed.D., CASC executive director, at executivedirector@schoolcounselor-ca.org.