Campaign 2020

For one moment, imagine that California invested enough funds to hire enough school counselors to reach the nationally recommended ratio of 250:1. What would be different in students' lives? What would you be able to accomplish that you cannot do now? Research shows that students would benefit from equitable access to academic support and resources. Student mental health needs would be addressed, chronic attendance issues would diminish, and students would be better prepared for postsecondary opportunities.

Although imagining a 250:1 ratio for California seems like a big stretch, it is not impossible. Now is one of those significant moments when we are called to respond! We predict that the 2020 campaign will go down in history as a significant step in strengthening school counselors' influence in California. The months leading up to the passage of AB 1802 (2006) were very similar to now. That effort resulted in the hiring of 2,500 additional school counselors. The same can happen today.

CASC has joined with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to launch a campaign to increase support service staff in California schools. Previous articles highlighted initial efforts in this campaign, including showcasing the recent ACLU publication, “Cops not counselors: How the lack of school mental health professionals is harming children.” Initial conversations began last year at the CASC state conference when ACLU of Southern California Staff Attorney Amir Whitaker spoke to a room full of school counselors who voiced their frustration over high ratios and the mounting needs of today's students.

Since that time, specific steps have been taken:

• Allotted time and resources: ACLU and CASC are dedicating significant staff time and resources to launch this campaign, including twice-monthly planning meetings and a commitment to see this project through to the end.
• Determined campaign leadership: CASC identified four individuals who will lead campaign efforts in the coming year. Caroline Lopez-Perry, Ph.D., from CSU Long Beach and Traci Miller, Ed.D., from Stockton Unified School District (USD) will lead the policy, publication, politics and partnership work within the campaign. Josh Godinez from Corona-Norco USD and Leia Eckstein from San Francisco USD will lead grassroots organizing.
• Developed materials: CASC created a best practices document that will be published and distributed to superintendents and legislators across California.
• Grassroots Organizing: Any large-scale political strategy depends on broad grassroots support for its success. Josh Godinez and Leia Eckstein are leading this effort with talking points, PowerPoints, training on how to conduct a legislative visit and much more.
• Developed a slogan: In July, CASC sent a request to members to submit their ideas for a campaign slogan. Deanne Sciarrotta from Temple City USD won with the slogan, "School counselors: Every student's pipeline to their potential."
• Involving Stakeholders: CASC and ACLU are targeting key stakeholders including Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the Pupil Service Coalition (PSC), which includes representatives for school psychologists, school social workers, school nurses, school counselors, and the California Teachers Association (see adjacent picture).
• Superintendent Symposium: CASC is hosting a Superintendent Symposium on October 3 at the CASC State Conference in Riverside. We will highlight several districts and county offices of education to an audience of superintendents from across the state. The showcased districts have shown increases in their school counseling workforce and significant improvements in student outcomes. Speaking at that event are renowned leaders in the field of school counseling in California, including Trish Hatch, Ph.D.; Loretta Whitson, Ed.D.; Jacob Olsen, Ph.D.; Caroline Lopez-Perry, Ph.D.; and Amy Dauble. Superintendent panel members include John Deasy, Ph.D., from Stockton USD; Tim Taylor, executive director for Small School Districts' Association; Christy Barrett, Ph.D., Hemet Unified School District; and Al Mija​res, Ph.D., from Orange County Office of Education (invited).
• Other Future Activities: Stay tuned for upcoming events. Possible events include a school counselor fair and rally in Los Angeles and Sacramento, CASC sponsored legislation in 2020 and much more.

This campaign will take all of us to achieve our goal. California is currently ranked 47th in the nation with an average caseload of 622:1. It will require a large investment from the state (two billion dollars) to bring California ratios to 250:1. Daunting as this may be, if we aim for less, we will always get less. On October 3-4, 2019, at the CASC Conference, both ACLU and CASC will share information, with opportunities to network and sign up to be part of this extraordinary and critical effort. We hope you will be there.
 
Michelle Obama once said, "Success isn't about how much money you make; it's about the difference you make in people's lives." This is our chance to start the 2019–20 school year on an uplifting note by supporting the cause you love — students having school counselors in every school in California! Let's do this together!
 
Loretta Whitson, Ph.D., is executive director of the California Association of School Counselors (CASC). Contact her at executivedirector@schoolcounselor-ca.org. Caroline Lopez-Perry, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at California State University Long Beach.