Friday, February 27, 2009 By Min Ju Kim [ArticleImageHyperLink] Advertising Clark hires part-time counselor (December 14, 2007) -- During a recent staff meeting, the school staff welcomed the new part-time counselor, math teacher Charles DeVore. Starting next semester, he will work as a counselor half the day and as a teacher for the rest. The administration is still determining how the counselors and the school system will be reorganized and what DeVore’s duties will be. Through the SB1802 legislation, the Glendale Unified School District recently voted to use the grant offered from the state to hire more counselors in order to reduce the counselor to student ratio from 500:1 to 400:1 at the high school level. According to counselor Linda Doll, the allocated money given by the district was enough for Clark to gain an additional part-time counselor. Meanwhile, neighbor Crescenta Valley High School will hire one part-time and two full-time counselors and Glendale High School will gain one part-time and one full-time counselor. Hoover High School will receive a full-time counselor. The new legislation also redefines the role of counselors and the relationship between the school, staff, students and parents. “It mandates meetings between the counselor, student and parent to formulate and monitor an articulated educational plan including career and college,” Principal Doug Dall said. “The purpose is to have a more personal contact between counselors and students and between parents and the school,” Doll said. It serves the additional purpose of reaching out to students who are not meeting the state expectations and falling behind. Most of what the new law requires out of the schools is already in effect at Clark. On top of meeting with students about their problems, the counselors took time to meet with each of the seniors to discuss their plans for college at the beginning of the year, coming to classrooms to discuss the application process and financial aid. In addition, they have met with the juniors who are “at-risk” (in danger of being subject to disciplinary action). The new law will not reorganize the counseling system but instead strengthen it.

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