The West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), which previously boasted a successful school psychologist internship program and retained staff effectively, is now facing severe recruitment challenges in the wake of COVID-19. Increased workloads and longer hours are causing burnout among these essential professionals, who play a crucial role in ensuring students thrive academically, emotionally, and behaviorally.
The district began the 2023-24 academic year with significant special education paraprofessional vacancies and continues to struggle, which has led to legal complaints alleging that some schools have failed to provide students with qualified teachers.
With five to seven vacancies in recent years, and three still unfilled halfway through the current school year, the situation looks concerning. Although WCCUSD meets the National Association of School Psychologists’ recommended ratio of psychologists to students, staff are still overwhelmed with work, contributing to fatigue and potentially threatening the longevity of the profession.
Contract hiring is one solution, but WCCUSD prefers to increase existing psychologists’ caseloads, negatively impacting their personal health. Schools report a surge in mental health services demand since the pandemic’s onset, yet support staff like school psychologists are dwindling.
The shortage stems from retirements, financial hardship, and a drop in university graduates entering the field, despite a previously strong recruitment track record. This decline contrasts with California State University, East Bay’s report of increasing program applicants, highlighting a broader problem: a lack of school psychologists to meet the needs of the numerous districts in the Bay Area.