Urgent Action Alert: School Social Work Advocacy Needed

URGENT: Action Alert for School Social Workers

The North Carolina State Board of Education has been meeting today, Wednesday, April 6 and will meet again tomorrow, Thursday, April 7. This is an urgent action alert to contact members of the State Board of Education.

In today’s State Board of Education meeting, school social work was brought up by board members and they need to hear from you. Board members want to propose $15 million to fund school social work positions exclusively. Board members need to hear from school social workers TODAY and tomorrow morning to articulate the important work you do and how this funding will support you and your students. 

Here is a sample letter you can send, please personalize this letter to tell your own story:

Dear members of the State Board of Education, 

As a school social worker (in North Carolina or county), I see the importance of student support services every day. However, North Carolina has work to do to better support and sustain school social workers.

Social workers have long been an essential workforce in North Carolina's preK-12 schools, providing a broad range of services aimed at helping students succeed in school and life. We help students, families and educators address their social, emotional, and practical needs- something that is needed now and will continue to be needed in the future. 

Currently, North Carolina’s ratio is approximately 1 school social worker per 1,025 students. The nationally recommended ratio is one school social worker per 250 students (1:250). Federal funding from COVID has helped reduce this ratio but we anticipate this funding running out in 2024. For the last few years, funding has been allocated via grants and in other pools of money that go to all support staff and not exclusively for social workers. We support the proposal to include $15 million in the budget exclusively for school social workers.

In my county, I serve X number of schools and X number of students. Having additional staff would allow for students to receive services sooner.

Additionally, school social workers need more support. Currently, we are paid on the teachers’ pay scale. Despite many counties asking for a master’s degree or clinical license when hired, school social workers are not paid equitably for our advanced degrees. We must restore master’s pay for school social workers. Doing so will help recruit and retain the workforce.

Thank you for your support of North Carolina’s schools and the school social work profession.

Your name and contact information

Emails for State Board of Education Members: 

eric.davis@dpi.nc.gov
alan.duncan@dpi.nc.gov
mark.robinson@dpi.nc.gov
dale.folwell@dpi.nc.gov
olivia.oxendine@dpi.nc.gov
reginald.kenan@dpi.nc.gov
amy.white@dpi.nc.gov
James.Ford@dpi.nc.gov
Jill.Camnitz@dpi.nc.gov
Donna.Tipton-Rogers@dpi.nc.gov
JWendell.Hall@dpi.nc.gov
john.blackburn@dpi.nc.gov
catherine.truitt@dpi.nc.gov
worleyedwards@yahoo.com
bwilliams@lenoir.k12.nc.us
eashburn@wcpss.net
kisha.clemons@n-ccs.org
efloyd@chccs.k12.nc.us
stoverscience@gmail.com
brycewomble22@gmail.com
mvillasuso2@gmail.com