Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Fresno Schools May Lose Social Workers Over Teachers Union Complaint
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 2 years ago on
May 19, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Students at some Fresno Unified high schools could have fewer social workers on hand next year to help them with their social and emotional problems after the teachers union raised an objection because the workers were hired by contract and not directly by the district.

The issue arose during the ongoing negotiations for a new Fresno Teachers Association contract, which will expire at the end of June.

The district said FTA is requesting the termination of an $800,000 contract with Family Foundations “moving forward,” district spokeswoman Nikki Henry said in an email to GV Wire.

The district has employed Family Foundations employees to provide service to students at several comprehensive high schools, she said.

The district initially thought it would have to cut $2 million in contracts and services, but the issue was clarified Thursday afternoon during a negotiating session, Henry said.

“It will likely still be difficult for us to replace those services through internal hiring of full-time social workers, but we will do everything we can to minimize the impact to our students in the upcoming school year,” she said.

District like Fresno Unified have tried to boost staffing after the pandemic caused more students to experience social-emotional problems.

Fresno Unified has struggled to hire employees to provide mental health and social services to students. Even though the district budgeted sufficient funds to employ at least one school psychologist at each school this year, the district was able to hire only 20 of 27 new psychologists and seven of 15 additional regional instructional managers.

In lieu of hiring staffers, the district has turned to using contract employees to fill gaps.

Union: Students Not Served as Well with Contract Workers

But doing so bypasses the “sustainable practice of hiring licensed district social workers,” FTA President Manuel Bonilla said in a text message to GV Wire.

Fresno Unified needs to employ social workers who are both licensed as clinical social workers and also hold a Pupil Personnel Service credential, he said.

Rather than see gaps in service this year, the teachers union proposed that the contract remain in effect for the remainder of this year while the district seeks to hire licensed social workers for next year, Bonilla said.

The union also is advocating for Fresno Unified to collaborate with mental health support app companies that can provide students and their families with resources outside of regular school hours, which would give students support 24/7, he said.

“Our commitment to the well-being of our students remains unwavering,” Bonilla said. “We firmly believe that investing in properly credentialed professionals, expanding social/emotional support, and embracing technological solutions will create a supportive and nurturing environment for every student in Fresno Unified. Together, we can make a positive difference in the lives of our students and empower them to thrive academically and emotionally.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Hey PG&E Customers, Get Ready for New ‘Transaction Fees’

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Ending ‘Squaw Valley’ Fight After Latest Court Ruling

DON'T MISS

Exclusive: Tesla to Delay US Launch of Affordable EV, a Lower-Cost Model Y, Sources Say

DON'T MISS

Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

DON'T MISS

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

DON'T MISS

Trump’s White House Launches COVID Website That Criticizes WHO, Fauci and Biden

DON'T MISS

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

DON'T MISS

Trump Admin Asserts COVID-19 Originated in Chinese Lab, Targets Fauci

DON'T MISS

Vendors Back at Fresno’s Art Hop? Survey Wants to Know What You Think

DON'T MISS

Russian Missile Attack Kills One, Wounds 112 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Officials Say

UP NEXT

Why Fresno Unified Tried to Keep Superintendent Search Secret

UP NEXT

2 Killed and 5 Hurt in Florida State University Shooting; Gunman in Custody

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified Trustees Passed Over a National Superintendent of the Year

UP NEXT

More Than 1,000 International Students Have Had Visas or Legal Status Revoked

UP NEXT

LA’s Schools Chief Knows What It’s Like to Be Undocumented

UP NEXT

Shooting at Florida State Sends Students Running; Nearby Hospital Says It’s Treating People

UP NEXT

ACLU Sues Defense Department Schools Over Book Bans

UP NEXT

Why Harvard Decided to Fight Trump

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified’s Likely New Special Ed Bus Contractor Will Keep Current Employees

UP NEXT

NAACP Sues US Education Department Over DEI School Funding Cuts

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

15 hours ago

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

16 hours ago

Trump’s White House Launches COVID Website That Criticizes WHO, Fauci and Biden

16 hours ago

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

17 hours ago

Trump Admin Asserts COVID-19 Originated in Chinese Lab, Targets Fauci

17 hours ago

Vendors Back at Fresno’s Art Hop? Survey Wants to Know What You Think

18 hours ago

Russian Missile Attack Kills One, Wounds 112 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, Officials Say

18 hours ago

Iran Says Nuclear Deal Is Possible if Washington Is Realistic

18 hours ago

49ers Look to Strengthen Depleted Defense in NFL Draft

18 hours ago

Habit Burger & Grill Quietly Drops Impossible Burger From Menu

18 hours ago

Hey PG&E Customers, Get Ready for New ‘Transaction Fees’

Pacific Gas & Electric customers are already paying some of the nation’s highest rates for electricity, and their bills could be g...

14 hours ago

14 hours ago

Hey PG&E Customers, Get Ready for New ‘Transaction Fees’

15 hours ago

Fresno County Ending ‘Squaw Valley’ Fight After Latest Court Ruling

Tesla Inc. vehicle facility is pictured in Costa Mesa, California, U.S., November 1, 2023. (REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo)
15 hours ago

Exclusive: Tesla to Delay US Launch of Affordable EV, a Lower-Cost Model Y, Sources Say

15 hours ago

Clovis Reconsiders Recycling Vote. Will a Campaign Contribution Matter?

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. Newsom vetoed a landmark bill aimed at establishing first-in-the-nation safety measures for large artificial intelligence models Sunday, Sept. 29. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)
16 hours ago

Gov. Newsom Offers $50K Reward in 2022 Kings County Homicide

The logo of the World Health Organization is seen at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, January 28, 2025. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo)
16 hours ago

Trump’s White House Launches COVID Website That Criticizes WHO, Fauci and Biden

17 hours ago

Fresno ‘Powers Up’ the Nation’s Largest Combined Solar and Battery Storage Project

17 hours ago

Trump Admin Asserts COVID-19 Originated in Chinese Lab, Targets Fauci

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend