A committee that advises the state Board of Education on students’ non-academic needs has recommended the board support requiring a master’s degree for all school social workers in the state.
The state pay schedule only requires school social workers to have a bachelor’s degree, so social workers with master’s degrees tend to gravitate toward the private sector, where pay is higher.
Patrick Greene of the state’s Whole Child NC Committee says there’s a strong pipeline of master’s level social workers in North Carolina — the problem is drawing them into public schools.
“What we have, a real problem, is hiring those people in schools that do not pay competitive wages for people with a master’s in social work,” Greene said. “Those people are going into private fields.”
The Whole Child NC Committee is proposing a master's level pay scale. Master's level social workers are able to provide more direct services to students, such as short-term counseling and crisis intervention. Social workers with bachelor’s degrees are valuable, but generally are limited to making referrals to external resources, Greene said.
“What we’re really talking about is providing direct access to students in real time where they need it the most, versus trying to make a connection and pull resources in places that are, quite frankly, resource deserts,” Greene said.
If adopted, current social workers with bachelor’s degrees would have five years to get a master’s degree. The committee estimates it would cost an additional $10.9 million to gradually convert all the state's social workers to a competitive master's pay scale. But schools would be able to generate additional revenue with new Medicaid billing opportunities. That could help cover some of the costs.
Greene highlighted statistics that demonstrate the need for social services in schools, including that 1-in-5 students live in food-insecure households and that 1-in-10 kids between the ages of 3 and 17 have depression or anxiety. Students whose basic life needs aren’t being met can’t thrive academically, Greene argued.
Greene said most states require a master’s of social work to practice in schools, and the requirement aligns with the standards set by the National Association of Social Workers.
