HCR190

WHEREAS, school counselors play a critical role in ensuring students' academic, career, social, and emotional development and in promoting equity and access to opportunities and educational experiences for all students; and

WHEREAS, school counselors support students' postsecondary access and success by helping them navigate the college admissions process, explore career opportunities, and develop essential life skills; and

WHEREAS, school counselors also provide preventative and responsive services, such as individual student planning and systems support, to help students overcome barriers that may impede their academic and postsecondary success; and

WHEREAS, just half of Hawaii public school graduates in the 2022-2023 school year enrolled in a postsecondary education institution in the fall after graduation; and

WHEREAS, students are at risk of the "summer melt" phenomenon, whereby about ten to twenty percent of high school graduates who apply and are accepted to college - most of which are low-income - choose not to attend; and

WHEREAS, the progression of students from high school to postsecondary education and career readiness requires year-round support, including during the summer months when important transitions occur; and

WHEREAS, having a twelve-month school counselor can ensure continuity of support for students, particularly for those who may not have access to such support outside of school; and

WHEREAS, grant-funded summer transition programs through local organizations, such as Hawaii P-20, have served more than four thousand students between 2020 and 2023, helping them access over $3,500,000 in scholarships; and

WHEREAS, students also benefit from more individualized attention from their school counselors; and

WHEREAS, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a student-to-school counselor ratio of two-hundred-to-one to effectively address the comprehensive needs of all students, yet just sixty-two percent of Hawaii public middle and high schools meet this recommendation; and

WHEREAS, the ASCA recommends that a minimum of eighty percent of a school counselor's time should be spent in direct and indirect student services, yet Hawaii public middle and high school counselors report only being able to spend seventy-three percent of their time on these services; and

WHEREAS, the ASCA provides a clear definition of the appropriate activities that should be the focus of counselors to maximize impact for students, yet Hawaii public intermediate, middle, and high school counselors report having a more clearly defined job description as one of their top needs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that the Board of Education, in partnership with the Department of Education, is requested to produce a plan for adhering to school counselor best practices; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in preparing the plan, the Board of Education is requested to include the following:

(1) How the Department of Education can ensure that every public high school in the State can be staffed with at least one full-time, twelve-month school counselor, in accordance with the ASCA's recommended student-to-counselor ratio;

(2) How the Department of Education can ensure that the role and job descriptions of school counselors align with the ASCA's role statement, emphasizing their role in supporting students' postsecondary access and success;

(3) How the Department of Education can provide school counselors with the necessary resources and training to effectively support students in their academic, career, social, and emotional development;

(4) How the Department of Education can encourage school administrators to create supportive environments that allow school counselors to focus on direct and indirect services to students, rather than administrative tasks; and

(5) How the Department of Education can support the development and implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs that address the needs of all students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education is requested to submit its plan, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and President of the University of Hawaii System.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

School Counselors; Best Practices; Board of Education; Department of Education

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	190
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII