Parents and students urge board to restore counselors, band programs and coaches

Parents, students and educators gave the board repeated accounts of program losses they say would harm student well-being if carried out. Speakers from Aptos Middle School and Everett Middle School described the pending elimination of a grade-level counselor, two coaches, a T10 counseling position and the band program.

"Cutting a school counselor at a school with the capacity of almost a thousand students is beyond measure," said Dr. Huntley, Dean and Head Counselor at Aptos, who emphasized daily risk assessments, safety plans and restorative practices performed by counselors.

Students also testified. An Aptos seventh-grader said losing band would take away a chance to make friends and learn an instrument at school. Parents and site leaders warned that consolidating support staff or asking deans to absorb counseling duties would be unsustainable.

District position and budget context: Speakers referenced a projected structural deficit and a broader district budget-balancing plan. Union representatives and PAC members said the district's rainy-day fund and existing allocations could be tapped to preserve staff in the near term; UESF suggested moving a $2,000 stipend to July to ease summer cashflow for teachers.

Why it matters: Counselors and mental health supports are central to pandemic recovery and student safety, speakers said; reductions at large middle schools could leave high student-to-counselor ratios that undermine case management for self-harm, trauma and foster-care transitions.

Next steps: The board heard requests to restore positions and directed staff to continue budget work. No immediate board vote on specific restorations took place May 10; HR and budget staff said they will continue site-level placements and review vacancies for possible hires before fall.

Ending: Speakers asked the board to prioritize counselors and supportive staff when finalizing the district's budget, and several warned that program losses would increase teacher turnover and harm student outcomes.