Thank you so much to everyone who has signed this petition -- please continue to share and get others to sign. It shows that there is real, broad reaching support for our current counseling program. We do not know if we will get the outcome we want - retaining all our counselors with no cuts to the current counseling program - but what we do know is, people like you care about the mental health of our students and understand a comprehensive program with dedicated school counselors is the best way to get that! 

Tonight is the board meeting where trustees will make decisions about non re-elect status for our teachers. They decide at 5pm during a closed session. At 6pm is the public meeting. Here is the zoom info: zoom link and public comment 

The following email was sent to the board earlier today with official notification of the petition. I forwarded a copy to Superintendent Kaufman as well.

Feel free to send your own letters to: letterstotheboard@mvschools.org, individual emails can be found on the website.

"Dear (board member),

I urge you to reconsider any non-reelection of counselors and to retain our current counseling program as-is.

The past few years have demonstrated the immense value of full-time, dedicated counselors in our elementary schools—an investment made possible by temporary COVID funding. These professionals have been instrumental in helping students recover from the developmental and emotional setbacks of the pandemic. Eliminating them now would be a drastic setback.

The recent budget cuts have sparked overwhelming support for maintaining the program. Since launching our petition on February 5th, we have gathered 425 verified signatures (and counting) from parents, community members, and voters who recognize the essential role of school counselors. (Petition link)

Cutting approximately $400K from counseling will barely make a dent in the district’s budget issues but will cause irreparable harm to students. These services cannot be replaced by teachers or interns—our trained counselors have built vital relationships with the children they serve. We don’t want to lose the equity we’ve built in this program by eliminating the very professionals who have made it strong, reliable, and infinitely beneficial to the entire school ecosystem and learning environment.

We ask for time to explore alternative funding solutions, as other districts have successfully done. Community organizations like Kiddo or other non profits may be viable partners as behavioral health is top of mind. SPARK in Larkspur/Corte Madera has already taken on funding for behavioral health in addition to arts, music, and more. 

Rather than rushing this decision, let’s collaborate on a solution that preserves this critical support system.

As you consider new information, finalizing non re-elects and updates to the budget, please take this as an opportunity to build goodwill with the Mill Valley community and reinforce public trust. Please retain our current counselors while we work toward sustainable funding.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Justice

Park School, MVSD, Tam High Alumni Class of 1999

Current MVSD Parent

2 term commissioner, 3 years as Chair of the Parks & Rec Commission for the City of Mill Valley"