LBUSD REIMAGINING SCHOOL COUNSELING

For years, Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD) has failed to invest in its school counselors. In June 2022, several organizations including the Children’s Defense Fund-CA, California Association of School Counselors, Public Advocates, and the ACLU of SoCal sent a letter, highlighting the historic, collective concerns around school counseling and mental health access for students in the district. In October 2022, the organizations convened a community town hall to discuss the district’s failure to provide comprehensive school counseling to students and uplift recommendations and solutions. TALB School Counselors Organizing Committee participated and presented the findings from “Reimagining School Counseling in the Long Beach Unified School District,” a report published in Fall 2022.

Despite extensive community organizing efforts throughout Spring 2023, the district has not invested in more counselors to lower student to counselor ratios and counselors are still saddled with excessive administrative duties that prevent them from providing the support that students need. Yet, the need for more counselors who are able to support students directly is more urgent than ever. In fact, the Board’s recently adopted goal around college and career readiness is not possible to achieve without investment in a comprehensive school counseling program and additional counselors. Counselors are the only student support professionals that are trained to support students in all the dimensions needed for post-graduation success, including academics, mental health, and college and career readiness. In November 2023, counselors and student leaders from Californians for Justice led a townhall, “Reimagining School Counseling: Centering Student Voices” to uplift the needs and concerns of students and counselors. Attended by approximately 100 people in person and online, students spoke of their need to be seen and heard. Counselors discussed their desire to support students and their concerns with time consuming administrative assignments.