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Students lend voices to school counselor debate
The legislature boosted funding for support staff last session, but Minnesota still lags behind most states in the number of school counselors.
ST PAUL, Minn. — Roseville High School senior Lilah Heiny came to the State Capitol complex Thursday to help make the case for more school counselors, specifically a bill that aims for a student-to-counselor ratio of 250 to 1.
That’s the ratio recommended by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) to reach more students and prevent burnout in that profession.
“Especially if you’re dealing with mental health things, it’s really scary to talk about and it was something I struggled a lot with,” Lilah told reporters. “But getting more counselors in the schools and making those ratios a lower level so that students are able to make deeper connections with people is so important!”
Minnesota is a state that prides itself on its commitment to public education and yet ranks near the bottom when it comes to the average number of students per counselor. Minnesota’s ratio this year is 533 to one, according to the ASCA. Only Michigan and Arizona are worse off in that category, with rations of 598 and 667 respectively.
Rep. Kaela Berg, a Burnsville Democrat, is carrying a policy bill that recommends the 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio for Minnesota public schools. She told reporters her own experience with her son is one of the things that spurred her to run for office.
“Advocating for my son was almost a second job because there were school counselors that were in three different campuses, two days a week,” Rep. Berg remarked.
“He didn’t get a full-time counselor until high school, and by then it was too late. And there was a lot of damage done, and a lot of hard work to catch up to where he should’ve been.”
Berg authored legislation in the 2023 Session that applied real money to the problem, with dedicated supplemental funding targeted to school support staff. It equates to $29 million in the fiscal year 2024 plus $35 million in fiscal 2025 to help districts hire counselors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and chemical dependency counselors.
The legislation also devoted $10 million to the “pipeline,” a grant program designed to give college students added incentive to join the profession.
But it will take time to see that new money put into action in a way that narrows the gap, according to Calli Moreau, the president-elect of the Minnesota School Counselor Association.
“That’s an amazing amount of money, but it was put in the general education fund, so the way it gets trickled down to our students maybe doesn’t have as great as an impact for those who are serving day-to-day as school counselors across the state,” Moreau said.
She said some of the money is being used to pay support staff that were previously being paid with grant money that’s set to expire. In other cases, Moreau said, new hires are being stretched across multiple campuses.
“Here’s a position where you are going to be a school counselor, but you are going to be at all three levels in our district and you are going to move from building to building in a week,” she said. “That position isn’t sustainable. That’s not how a professional works.”
Keela Kuhlers, who was named MSCA School Counselor of the Year in 2022, said the need is especially acute in elementary schools. She said that counselors are doing a lot more proactive work in grade schools visiting classrooms to let children know help is available.
“We’re actually out teaching in the classroom. So, I’m hustling my tail each week and I’m in front of 600 students every week doing lessons on identifying the differences between conflict and bullying,” Kuhlers told reporters.
“And how to use strategies to recognize growing uncomfortable feelings or strategies to manage that, how to solve conflict with our friends.”
Before Lilah and fellow students left the Capitol, they stopped by to visit with Sen. Heather Gustafson of Vadnais Heights to talk about Berg’s bill. The ask isn’t so much about money, but making sure it’s spent where it was intended.
She said students are more apt to ask for help now than they were in the past.
“The biggest thing is making those resources accessible because it can be very difficult to get those appointments scheduled and get ahold of those counselors,” Lilah said.
“But most of my friends I’ve spoken to agree it’s becoming more of a normalized thing to reach out and get help when you’re struggling. I personally did it, and it’s something that I’m so glad I did because it’s helped me so much in the long run.”
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Pundits say Minnesota’s governor has more to lose in matchup with Ohio Senator JD Vance.
MINNEAPOLIS — Heading into Tuesday night’s debate with Ohio Senator JD Vance, Governor Tim Walz faced the dual challenge of defending his own record in Minnesota, as well as standing up for the Biden-Harris Administration.
And, while America may be tuning in at 8 p.m. to see a political fist fight between J-D Vance and Tim Walz, but that wouldn’t be the best outcome for the two campaigns, according to Minnesota political analyst Steven Schier.
“If Vance and Walz are arguing about each other, they’re not really helping their campaigns. What Vance has to do is make Harris look bad, and what Walz has to do is make Trump look bad because that’s really the choice in voters’ minds.”
He noted the CBS News moderators won’t do any real-time factchecking, so the candidates will be tempted to factcheck each other. But Schier said it wouldn’t be the best use of their time on stage.
He expects Walz to go after Vance on the issue of abortion and women’s rights, and for Vance to dive into Walz’s history of misstatements, and the debunked conservative narrative about Walz’s retirement from the Minnesota National Guard in 2005.
“Vance will be trying to get Walz to get wound up, to be abrupt, to lose his composure, and therefore perhaps make a gaffe that is memorable,” Schier explained.
“I think the key challenge for Walz is to keep his composure because when challenged in debates, he can become, as Minnesotans say, a little snippy. And that won’t serve him well.”
Walz goes into the debate with a 14-point advantage over Vance in favorability ratings, which gives him more to lose in this matchup of vice presidential candidates, according to political analyst Rachael Dean Wilson of the German Marshall Fund of America.
“It actually makes the challenge a little harder for Walz because he’s coming in pretty popular,” Wilson told KARE.
“He has mass appeal with this ‘Coach Walz’ persona we saw during the convention. And this is 90 minutes. That’s a very long time when you’re up on that stage.”
Wilson cited polling after the Trump-Harris debate that showed independent voters want more specifics on policy.
“If this is going to be the last debate before voters go to the polls, that key group that’s actually quite small is going to be looking for a real road map. How are you going to help me? So, if you can get that across and land a few good punches, then I’d say you won the night.”
Both Wilson and Schier said this debate is more consequential than most debates between running mates because it’s likely the last unscripted head-to-head tussle in this election cycle.
“It really does look like this will be the last debate before election day,” Schier remarked.
“It may create some lasting impressions of the vice presidential candidate and the presidential tickets that could really make a difference on Election Day.”
Wilson said avoiding gaffes is far more critical in this debate than simply delivering a message.
“If you do not meet expectations, or there is a big fumble in this debate, that’s probably going to hurt you more than a really good debate will do you good.”
At one point, senior William Rubio said he had 120 absences for one quarter in middle school. He’s now an honor roll student who is part of the JROTC.
ST PAUL, Minnesota — A subject like physics may not make sense to every student; but for Harding High School senior William Rubio, “It helps me visualize the world in a way I hadn’t thought about before. It’s an eye opener.”
It’s a mindset that has helped change the trajectory of the 17-year-old’s life.
“I guess when you’re so unsure in life — when you’re unfocused — life kind of beats you up… puts you against the wall. I was against that wall for a really long time. And I got sick of it,” Rubio said.
While Rubio is now a senior, he remembers how for one quarter in middle school he had 120 absences.
Looking back on that now, Rubio called it shocking. But at the time, he said, “It was rough. It was hard going to classes.”
Rubio grew up in subsidized housing in St. Paul and faced food insecurity.
“Sometimes we didn’t always have the most amount of food in the house and that worried me,” Rubio said. “My mom always tried though. My mom always tried her best to provide for us and I love her for that. But, nevertheless, it was challenging having that kind of upbringing where you would see a lot of people in life having the things that you wish you could have.”
While Rubio was growing up, his grandfather died. While still processing his grandfather’s death, his brother passed away.
“Enduring those losses at that time was very difficult,” he said.
Rubio recalled how isolated he felt in the eighth and ninth grade while distance learning due to the pandemic. But in the summer headed into his sophomore year, Rubio had an epiphany.
“I wanted to do something more in life and I wanted to have a kind of impact on society,” Rubio said.
Rubio joined the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC). He got involved in sports, the National Honor Society, and is taking challenging coursework including International Baccalaureate physics and chemistry. He maintains a 4.0 GPA. On top of everything, Rubio volunteers at community events and P.T.O. meetings.
As his confidence grew, Rubio heard about the American Indian Studies program at Harding High School. He also has been studying Ojibwe for the past three years.
“It helped bridge the gap between the separation of myself, identity, and cultural association. It helped me maintain a purpose that was just bigger than improving myself but becoming something more to help my culture and learn about my people,” Rubio said.
While Rubio in middle school missed more than 100 days, so far this school year he has not missed a single day.
Looking at attendance numbers for Saint Paul Public Schools, in the 2022-23 school year, 38% of Harding students missed 20 or more days of school. That number improved to 31% last school year, and the number of students missing five days or less also improved from 22% to 29%. Districtwide, 70% of students had “consistent” attendance in the 2023-24 school year, a 5% improvement over 2022-23. In the two years prior, coming out of the pandemic, consistent attendance was only 56%
Last year, SPPS created a new position to address the absenteeism rate among American Indian students. For American Indian students districtwide, 50% of students missed 20 or more days in 2022-23 but it improved to 44% in the 2023-24 school year.
“I hope that I can continue to improve myself so that eventually, at some point, I can help my culture and help my people,” Rubio said.
Guidance Counselor Dan Kennedy works with the American Indian students at Harding.
“This to me is like food for the soul. When I learn about these stories and I learn about William, it invigorates me,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy was so impressed with Rubio that he has nominated him for St. Paul Optimist Club’s Youth Appreciation Award. The citywide scholarship competition will announce winners in the coming weeks.
As part of the nomination letter, Kennedy wrote, “William is on an impressive academic trajectory, set to earn both an “International Baccalaureate Career Program Diploma” and the distinguished “Distinction in American Indian Studies” award at his graduation ceremony.” The letter went on to say, “To fully understand William Rubio, you must know no matter how much the cards are stacked against him, no matter how difficult the challenge…his inner resolve and ability to have a positive attitude have allowed him to overcome every obstacle.”
Rubio said he’s grateful for all the school staff who helped support him. Even now, Rubio faces many challenges.
“I just lived with my mom. My biological father was never in the picture… My mom’s health had been deteriorating and really reached the culmination in the past year when doctors had diagnosed her with an illness. Her liver had been damaged and up to now they’ve been closely monitoring it and taking tests but it’s progressed to a point of lethality and it’s terminal,” Rubio said. “Every day… I have to think about that. She’s dying… So that’s a difficult thought that I have to process waking up every single day. But it’s something that I believe empowers me to help others and do better in life and find who I am and have that greatest sense of purpose.”
Rubio has enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve. After graduation, he will go straight to boot camp in San Diego. From there, he plans on attending college in Minnesota. Whatever degree he pursues, Rubio said he wants to do something that helps people.
“You can decide to change. You can change your fate,” Rubio said. “You can do anything regardless of your circumstances.”
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Minnesotan in North Carolina for bachelorette party hikes down mountain after Helene leaves group stranded
“We were on a mountain and we didn’t know, I mean, you just feel alone,” Bailey Opdahl said.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Images and videos of the damage Hurricane Helene left in its wake are difficult to view. Entire towns have been swept away, or are buried under debris.
Asheville, North Carolina is one area hit particularly hard. For one Minnesotan, those images will stay etched in her mind – she was there when it happened.
Bailey Opdahl was in Asheville for a bachelorette party for her soon-to-be sister-in-law Samantha Roberts. When Helene moved through this past Friday morning, Opdahl immediately noticed that this storm was stronger than others.
“I went upstairs along with one of the other girls, and we looked outside and like, we saw the trees standing straight up and all of a sudden they were just sideways,” Opdahl said.
The damage was clear to see. Their exit by road was blocked by downed trees and powerlines, brought down by the powerful winds and rain that morning.
“We’re all from out of state, so we didn’t know the area,” Opdahl said. “We were on a mountain and we didn’t know, I mean, you just feel alone.”
Eventually, the group managed to hike to a nearby neighbor’s home, able to finally get enough signal to tell their family and loved ones that the eight of them were alright. Neighbors also helped them with food and power to charge their phones.
While deciding on how they were going to get home, they realized the only way out was down.
“We did end up making it down after multiple hours of under and over trees and power lines,” Samantha Roberts, the bride-to-be, said.
The group hiked through the brush, north of Asheville until they reached a fire station. There, a parent picked the group up, flying in to help.
Opdahl returns home to Minnesota Wednesday, happy and grateful to be safe, emphasizing that Asheville and the surrounding area is not out of the woods yet – and likely won’t be for a while.
“We just need to make sure that everybody knows that these people exist and that they are up there,” Roberts said. “That they are also waiting for help and assistance.”
To donate to relief efforts, click here.
