Ready to start her college applications in late August, senior Kaitlyn Milian walked into the college counseling office. But the counselor she’d been planning to work with wasn’t there. She had been reassigned to academic counseling.

Milian would have a different college counselor for the year. Someone she’s never worked with before. Someone who didn’t know her story.

Milian’s confusion reflects a larger problem. When counselors get shuffled around due to budget cuts, students lose more than just a familiar face. They lose relationships built over the years, the counselor who knows their goals and challenges, the trusted guide through the college application process. For seniors, timing matters and this year the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Ms. Jo Duke experienced the chaos firsthand. She went from college counselor to academic counselor and then back to a college counselor all within the span of around six weeks, leaving her scrambling to adjust.

Mr. Michael Levy, the 9th-12th grade counselor, has watched colleagues adapt to new roles all year.

“I think people should be put where they are most comfortable,” Mr. Levy said. “I know Ms. Duke was comfortable where she was at, so when she switched to academics it was a big change for her because what is done in that role is different than what she is used to.”

Every change means a learning curve even for experienced counselors.

Mr. Levy thinks the changes affect counselors more than students.

“As long as there is still someone there who’s available to assist or help them, it should be fine,” he said. “The main difference would be personalities, but the switching shouldn’t make a big difference.”

But for Milian, the switch was anything but fine.

“Personally, I was really confused on why they had switched Ms. Duke’s position,” she said. “She has been a college counselor for years and she is very considerate and great at her job. Imagine my surprise when I found out a new counselor was selected for my senior year, one I have zero relationship with to help me with my college applications.”

Other seniors experienced the same disruption.

“I found her switching inconvenient for me and many other seniors,” Millan said. “However, I am pleased to know she was brought back as a college counselor.”

The cause for the switch is mainly financial. Budget cuts driven by declining enrollment have forced these changes.

“A lot of schools, not just us, are losing money or not getting the same funding they used to have, so they are cutting back certain positions,” Mr. Levy said. “Funding is based on enrollment numbers, so if our numbers are down, we lose positions.”

Ms. Duke tried to stay positive when administrators told her about the reassignment.

“They phrased it as they needed me to put my energy and focus into getting kids graduated,” she said. “I am a team player and I want to be where I am needed.”

The transition upended her summer preparation.

“Normally in the summertime, I am planning things, figuring out what I’m going to be doing and gearing up for the year, but because I was the academic counselor, I was just doing scheduling,” she said.

But academic counseling had changed significantly in the seven years since she’d done it.

“Because the schedule was so complex, if a student wanted a change, they would have to change five classes to make it happen, it was not simple,” she said. “I would feel great when I solved it, but because I hadn’t been an academic counselor in so many years, it was not in my familiarity anymore, and there was a lot to learn about how Van Nuys does that.”

Ms. Duke confirmed the numbers behind the cuts.

“When I started here, this school had more than 2,300 students, and we now have about 1,790 students,” she said. “We also had nine counselors my first year and we are now down to five.”

Now back in her college counselor role, Ms. Duke is focused on making sure students know their options.

Ms. Duke is back where she belongs, but the underlying problem remains. With 1,790 students and only five counselors, the school has nearly 360 students per counselor.

When budget pressures force more cuts, more shuffles, more adjustments, it won’t be the numbers that suffer. It’ll be students like Milian, wondering if anyone really knows their story.

This article originally appeared in the Fall 2025 print edition.