This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
by Kevin McCorry for NewsWorks
As application deadlines loom for many of the nation’s top colleges, guidance counselors in Philadelphia’s traditional public high schools are scrambling to ensure that the needs of all students are met.
According to Philly School Counselors United, staff shortages due to budget cuts have made the undertaking "frantic" for counselors and a "struggle" for the School District’s seniors.
Christine Donnelly is the only guidance counselor for the Academy at Palumbo’s more than 800 students.
It’s hard, she said, to juggle the college prospects of her 182 seniors while taking care of the emotional needs of students in the entire school.
"I have to pick and choose," she said. "I can’t do them all."