PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Dozens of staff members and parents at Delaware County Community College pushed back against a proposal to outsource school counseling to an online outfit.
The union representing full-time faculty at DCCC said administrators are considering a plan to replace the counseling department with a third-party online subcontractor.
At Wednesday night’s board of trustees meeting, union President Stacy Cartledge said students need counselors who are woven into the school community.
“For many of them, they’re the first person [in their family] to go to college,” he said. “They really don’t understand how things work necessarily. They’re often coming from a more economically disadvantaged position.”
Teresa Shirley’s son is legally blind and suffers from anxiety, and she largely credits counselors for his upcoming graduation.
“A third party’s not going to know my son,” she said. “They’re not going to get to know my son. They’re not going to care that my son’s having a rough day. They’re not going to care that my son couldn’t see the numbers on the classroom doors.”
DCCC graduate Tricia O’Loughlin said counselors set her on her path to becoming a teacher in Kennett.
“I was a kid, a first-generation college kid, and I didn’t know what I was doing. And I had people here who believed in me and helped me and made me who I am today,” she said.
In a statement, DCCC Chief of Staff and Vice President for Strategic Planning Harry Costigan said the measure cuts costs amid a deficit, and a virtual approach to counseling broadens access without diminishing the service itself.
The board felt it was inappropriate to comment in the middle of the process. Cartledge called it a “knee-jerk” proposal.
“The issues right now are not at a state where immediate action, drastic like this, has to be taken,” he said. “We do have some time to figure out what the best route is.”
Negotiations between the union and administration are ongoing.
Staff, students and parents denounced the proposal at a board of trustees meeting
Staff, students and parents denounced the proposal at a board of trustees meeting
