In funding fight, school counselors now push for themselves

For decades, the ratio of students to school counselors in Minnesota has ranked near the very bottom nationwide and some lawmakers are saying that trend has gone on long enough.

Democrat Sen. Susan Kent is leading the push in trying to secure funding to help schools pay for more counselors and support staff. Kent says Minnesota does so many things well in education but is "clearly dropping the ball" on this issue.

Counselors around the state say they've long stayed quiet, but are now making their pleas public in an effort to get more help.

But not everyone thinks the state needs to dole out more cash. Education finance chairwoman Rep. Jenifer Loon says schools are well-funded this year and if they want more counselors, they should pay for them.