On October 1, the Arizona School Counselors Association will begin accepting applications to join our Board of Directors. We have two seats that will be open in the upcoming election.

I cannot overstate how important it is for our organization to have strong leadership, and that requires passionate people who believe in what we do for our students - and that we can always do better.

But I also want you to know how rewarding and fulfilling it is to be part of this team. To know how much your insights and experience direct its work, and how much it benefits your fellow school counselors in Arizona.

At our last meeting, I asked our Board members to talk about why they chose to run for the Board. Here is some of what they shared:

• I wanted to be part of something that was bigger than just being a school counselor.
• As an educator, advocate, and school counselor, I wanted to leave our profession stronger than I found it. 
• I believe that AzSCA has the power to make a difference at the state level and being part of the BOD gives me the opportunity to have my voice heard.
• Becoming involved in AzSCA has also made me a better school counselor by advocating for our profession at the state level and connecting with other school counselors across the state of Arizona as well as on the national level.
• Serving on the BOD gives me a greater platform to serve school counselors and give back to the profession that has welcomed me for over 40 years!

If any of these statements speaks to you, please consider becoming a candidate for the AzSCA Board. You can find information on the election process on our website. Applications to become a candidate close on December 4th and the online election process will start during our Annual Conference in February.

Being part of the board is an excellent way to grow as a leader and give back to our profession, and I hope it is an opportunity that you will embrace.  

Sincerely,

Christina Culbertson
2026-2027 Chair
Arizona School Counselors Association

What does Proposition 320 mean for school counselors in Arizona?

AzSCA will be hosting an important professional learning session on Arizona Proposition 320, which will be on the ballot in November, and the potential implications for the future of the school counseling profession.

Under the current Arizona Auditor General classification, school counselors are considered student support rather than direct instruction, a distinction that could have significant implications for how districts prioritize and fund counseling positions and other student support services if Proposition 320 passes.

This session will help school counselors understand the facts of the proposition, what the proposed 60% direct-instruction spending requirement could mean for districts, and why it is critical for our profession to understand these funding classifications, communicate our impact, and advocate for the essential role school counselors play in student success.

This timely session will be presented by Jimmy Arwood, Director of Government Relations at the the Arizona School Boards Association.

The registration for this event is open. Click here to register.

Earning RAMP recognition once is an achievement. Earning it four times is exceptional, and exactly what Dobson High School's counseling team has just done. The school recently renewed its RAMP status for another five-year term after first earning the designation back in 2013.

RAMP - the Recognized ASCA Model Program - is earned by schools committed to delivering school counseling programs that align with the ASCA National Model framework.

This latest RAMP renewal for Dobson carries an added distinction - the school was selected by ASCA to pilot the newest version of the RAMP standards before they were rolled out nationally.

Dobson's team has kept its counseling program aligned with the ASCA National Model by continually re-grounding the work in fresh data and the needs of current students.

"The RAMP process is a living, breathing thing you do every year," said Jeni Nye, one of Dobson's school counselors and a veteran of the school's very first RAMP application. "It's something that keeps us focused and equitable."

One of the key factors in becoming a RAMP recognized school said Counselor Cheyenne Maya, is getting buy in from everyone who interacts with the student - parents, teachers, IEP case managers, 504 coordinators, and administrators.

"There’s lots of different aspects and everyone knows the kid in a different way," she said. "It really does take a village."

At Dobson, teachers and parents have embraced the approach, seeing how it has produced results for their students, which helps the counselors advocate for their programs with administrators and their school district.

As Jeni Nye put it: "RAMP is a school-wide honor. It’s for our teachers, our parents, for community leaders, for the student, and it helps validate that all the work was worth it."