STAFFORD — Superintendent Scott Kizner’s Fiscal Budget for the 2019-20 school year proposes a 22.45 percent increase in funding for guidance services in Stafford’s public schools. The total budget requested for the guidance program is $8.5 million.
Funding for guidance services come from both state and local funds. Included in the budget are salaries, benefits, professional development, conference fees, and instructional supplies.
Within the budget, Kizner requests that 17.6 additional counselors which would make about 130 people staffed in the counseling centers countywide. A counselor who works three days of the week is considered .6 of a counselor.
The additional counselors will reduce the individual caseloads for each school counselor.
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250 student-to-one counselor ratio. At Stafford High School, each of the four main counselors work with an average of 386 students, with a total school student population of 1,969.
There are two additional counselors who have a smaller caseload: one is the counseling director who has additional administrative duties and the other counselor splits her time between Stafford and A.G. Wright Middle School.
“A one to 250 ratio is our goal, but it will take time to get there, especially if the state does not fund education adequately,” Kizner stated in an email.
Included in the proposed budget, Kizner requests a five percent salary increase for counselors, the same as he has proposed for teachers and other schools staff.
“All of our staff deserve more than a five percent raise,” Kizner said. “It is a very challenging job to be an educator. In addition, to attract and retain exceptional talent, we must be competitive. All school divisions north of us pay more than we do.”
In the 2018-19 school year, 2.37 percent of Stafford County’s proposed budget, $7 million, was allocated to guidance services. Stafford’s neighbor in the north, Prince William County, spent about $45 million on pupil services, guidance, and counseling which is 4.15 percent of their overall budget. Prince William has a larger budget and population within its school system.
Stafford isn’t the only place that is trying to reform school counseling services. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam just approved a new bill that addresses school safety and tightens guidelines for counseling departments.
House Bill 1729 requires elementary and secondary school counselors to spend at least 80 percent of his or her time in direct counseling with students. The bill also changed the name “guidance counselor” to “school counselor.”
The Stafford School Board is expected to approve its 2019-20 budget in late April. It takes effect on July 1.
