500 signatures reached
To: Long Beach Unified's Superintendent, Deputy Superintendent, and the Board of Education
Sign on to Support Demands to Reimagine School Counseling in Long Beach Unified School District
Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) school counselors, together with community organizations and leaders, call on LBUSD to reimagine school counseling to support students' mental health, well-being, and future success by doing the following:
1. Commission an independent study of student support services in LBUSD that identifies ratios by school site and examines counselors’ duties this school year.
2. Implement a districtwide comprehensive school counseling program that adheres to AB 2508 and allows counselors to advise students and support their academic and social-emotional well-being instead of administrative duties.
3. Work towards achieving a 250:1 student to counselor ratio, while prioritizing high-need schools. Increase funding by divesting from armed School Safety Officers and reinvesting those funds into counselors and other positive supports.
4. Prioritize hiring Black male counselors and engage with the community quarterly on these issues.
Please sign on to support reimagining school counseling in LBUSD.
1. Commission an independent study of student support services in LBUSD that identifies ratios by school site and examines counselors’ duties this school year.
2. Implement a districtwide comprehensive school counseling program that adheres to AB 2508 and allows counselors to advise students and support their academic and social-emotional well-being instead of administrative duties.
3. Work towards achieving a 250:1 student to counselor ratio, while prioritizing high-need schools. Increase funding by divesting from armed School Safety Officers and reinvesting those funds into counselors and other positive supports.
4. Prioritize hiring Black male counselors and engage with the community quarterly on these issues.
Please sign on to support reimagining school counseling in LBUSD.
Why is this important?
Student access to counseling is crucial for their well-being and long-term success and is one of the top priorities for the LBUSD community, according to the 2022-23 LCAP, or district spending plan. During budget engagement, community members expressed that "[f]ull time counselors are desparately needed" and that "wellbeing must be prioritized for students to feel safe and thrive". (https://www.lbschools.net/Asset/Files/Local_Control/LCAP-09-15-22-EN.pdf)
Yet, LBUSD has one of the highest student-to-counselor ratios in the region, ranging from 2x to 5x the recommended ratio of 250 students per counselor. In addition, the TALB School Counselors Organizing Committee report found that 85% of LBUSD counselors are spending more than a quarter of their time on non-counseling duties, which is twice the national average. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z2SSAvsG_jatiuLPWRM935DXb7cXhR-q/view?usp=sharing)
In June 2022, numerous organizations wrote a letter to LBUSD executive staff and board members requesting that action be taken to reduce high student-to-counselor ratios, inappropriate use of counselors for administrative, non-counseling duties, and to prioritize hiring Black counselors. To date, no response has been received. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K6tc8RjwtyhmvqyUU7HshxQ6SQwMWBOF/view)
Please join us to advocate that LBUSD reimagine school counseling by working towards achieving a 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio and implementing a districtwide comprehensive school counseling program that adheres to AB 2508, which clarified the role of school counselors to promote mental health and create a safe and restorative learning environment for all students.
Watch the townhall from October 2022 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B_vlFB1Xss&t=47s.
Read the full report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z-L8zQBGt15pK6vZd5i8-hGy1EWANuZb/view.
Yet, LBUSD has one of the highest student-to-counselor ratios in the region, ranging from 2x to 5x the recommended ratio of 250 students per counselor. In addition, the TALB School Counselors Organizing Committee report found that 85% of LBUSD counselors are spending more than a quarter of their time on non-counseling duties, which is twice the national average. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z2SSAvsG_jatiuLPWRM935DXb7cXhR-q/view?usp=sharing)
In June 2022, numerous organizations wrote a letter to LBUSD executive staff and board members requesting that action be taken to reduce high student-to-counselor ratios, inappropriate use of counselors for administrative, non-counseling duties, and to prioritize hiring Black counselors. To date, no response has been received. (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K6tc8RjwtyhmvqyUU7HshxQ6SQwMWBOF/view)
Please join us to advocate that LBUSD reimagine school counseling by working towards achieving a 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio and implementing a districtwide comprehensive school counseling program that adheres to AB 2508, which clarified the role of school counselors to promote mental health and create a safe and restorative learning environment for all students.
Watch the townhall from October 2022 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B_vlFB1Xss&t=47s.
Read the full report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z-L8zQBGt15pK6vZd5i8-hGy1EWANuZb/view.