We are writing collectively as school counselors across the Cherry Creek School District and community stakeholders to respectfully propose a modification to the existing district-level position currently titled “Partner of Postsecondary Workforce Readiness.”

With Tammy Dodson’s upcoming retirement, we see an important opportunity to thoughtfully realign and retitle this role to better reflect and support the full scope of the school counseling profession and the needs of our students, without creating a new position.

Our district is served by over 100 professional middle and high school counselors who implement comprehensive school counseling programs grounded in the framework of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). This framework includes three domains: Academic Development, College & Career Development, and Social/Emotional Development. While postsecondary readiness is a vital component of our work, it represents only one domain of a broader counseling program.

We respectfully propose that the existing position be retitled to Director of Counseling (or a similarly comprehensive title), with responsibilities expanded to reflect leadership across all three ASCA domains. Additionally, we recommend that this position be realigned under the Executive Director of Middle and High Schools to ensure closer alignment with building-level leadership and student support systems.

Our district has demonstrated a strong commitment to student wellness and mental health through structured leadership and staffing at the district level. In the same spirit, a Director of Counseling would strengthen system support for our comprehensive counseling programs that serve every student in every middle and high school. Such leadership would enhance coherence, equity, and clarity of purpose across our work.

We recognize the significant budget considerations facing our district and want to be clear that this proposal does not call for the creation of a new administrative position, nor the use of additional funds. Rather, it seeks to thoughtfully refine and strengthen an existing role so that it fully reflects the comprehensive nature of school counseling.