State plan to add school counselors moves forward

A potential State Board of Education rule that would require one counselor for 350 junior high and high school students has cleared its first hurdle.

Friday, the board's Curriculum Committee unanimously approved recommending the rule.

The proposal will come to the board next month for a second reading, followed by 30 days of public comment.

The board could approve the rule as early as January. If so, it would be implemented for the 2009-2010 school year.

Currently some schools have a counselor-to-student ratio of 1:600.

That needs to change, said Dawn Kay-Stevenson, coordinator for student services and comprehensive guidance, career and technical education for the State Office of Education. "Students have increasing needs for individualized attention," Kay-Stevenson said.

"They need to be clear about what their goals are post-high school so they can make the very best use of their high school experience," she said. "And students are also coming to us with a much broader range of problems."

School counselors in Utah earn an average $60,455 a year, including benefits.

School districts that believe they can't afford the mandate will be required to submit a plan describing how they are working toward the 1:350 goal.

The proposal also states counselors shouldn't be doing clerical work such as administering tests or changing class schedules.

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