The end of the school counselor?
The counselors' office at Oakland's largest high school is empty -- and not just for the summer.
After learning he'd need to cut his budget by 12 percent, Skyline High School Principal Troy Johnston decided to zero out his counseling staff. He would shift most of their responsibilities to his assistant principals and rely on a small team of counselors, run out of the school district's central office, to help out when needed. A teacher on special assignment would take on some of the discipline and attendance duties.
"Some of my colleagues at the smaller schools said, 'We don't have counselors,'" Johnston said. "I said, 'Hmm, that's interesting. Could we provide services in a different fashion? Could we look at
it differently?'"School counselors are becoming an endangered species in some California districts. As school officials struggle to balance their budgets and keep cuts "away from the classroom," as the saying goes, there are fewer people dedicated to help students choose the right courses, prepare for college, apply for financial aid or even just to graduate from high school.
Mt. Diablo schools lost their guidance counselors years ago, and the Antioch and New Haven school districts shrunk
