A Call to Action in Supporting HB 4667

Hello School Counselor Advocates!

I am writing to urge you to contact your state reprentative and urge them to cosponsor Rep. Donigan’s legislation seeking a three year grant to lower school counselor to student ratio in select school districts serving high risk students. Michigan currently ranks 47th in the nation with an average K-12 ratio of 1 school counselor to 628 students (ASCA, 2006). The bill is asking for funding to reduce this to the recommended level of 250: 1.

How to find your Representative?

A quick way to find your state representative is to link to Association of Michigan School Counselor's PPL webpage and click on “Find your Representative”. You will see a list of representatives that you can scroll down, or at the top of the page, you can search by your zip code. The following is direct link to this page: http://www.michiganschoolcounseling.org/ppl_find_rep.htm

What should I say?

Briefly state the urgency to reduce the ratio of school counselors to students and the impact this is having on Michigan students. This bill is a first step in better serving the educational needs of children in the state.

Encourage their support of HB 4667 being introduced by Representative Donigan to amend the School Aid Act of 1979 establishing a three year grant for reducing School Counselor Ratios in selected school districts serving at risk student populations.

Urge them to cosponsor this bill with Representative Donigan. Feel free to utilize documents on the AMSC webpage for assistance at http://www.michiganschoolcounseling.org/ppl.htm

Thank them for their consideration in support of Michigan children as well as the work they do on behalf of your district and the state of Michigan.

When should I do this?

Right now! Also, please pass this on (as well as the link to the AMSC PPL page) to supporters of our efforts to increase the presence of school counselors in Michigan Schools. In a context of diminishing resources regarding Michigan education, now is the perfect time to be advocating for the interventions and programs that school counselors provide students, families, faculty, and communities on a daily basis.

Thank you for all the work you do and as always….best wishes, Colin Ward