MANKATO — Bill Fredrickson is an equal opportunity counselor.

At Mankato West, Fredrickson is available to all students for all issues, from thoughts of depression and suicide to troubles at home or trouble finding the right college. Like many school counselors, Fredrickson considers himself the first line of defense against the kinds of social and emotional challenges that can impede a student’s ability to learn.

But due to a number of factors, Fredrickson’s contact time with students has shrunk over the years while his administrative duties have increased.

And according to the latest report from Minnesota 2020, a non-partisan, progressive Minnesota policy think tank, school counselors around the state are experiencing a similar situation.

“This has to change,” said Fredrickson in reaction to the MN 2020 report, which not only detailed a statewide lack of counselors but also a shift of counselors’ time away from students services.

“I don’t want people to take this lightly.”

Minnesota 2020 based its report on the fact that, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, Minnesota ranks 49th among 50 states in terms of student-to-counselor ratio. Minnesota’s average ratio is about 800:1; the national average is about 476:1; and the ratio recommended by the American Counseling Association is 250:1.

But even more troubling were survey responses indicating that student services are suffering as a consequence. About 375 counselors responded to the survey which, according to MN 2020 fellow John Fitzgerald, represents nearly half of the school counselors in Minnesota.

More than 76 percent of the counselors who responded to the anonymous questionnaire said mental health issues have increased during the past 24 months; yet counselors also indicated they spent only 10 to 20 percent of their time on “mental health demands.” In the metro area, counselors spend upward of 10 days administering standardized tests and fulfilling other, non-counseling school duties; in the rural area, counselors said they spend closer to 30 days on non-counseling duties.

“I have counted pencils and sorted test booklets,” said Fredrickson of his duties proctoring standardized tests, a job usually reserved for the aides, paraprofessionals and assistants who are usually the first reductions during a round of budget cuts.

“And when you’re doing other things ... you’re not sure what you’re going to miss.”

Which, in Mankato, could be particularly troubling.

According to results from the Minnesota Student Survey — which is administered statewide every three years to students in grades 6, 9 and 12 — Mankato has a history with depression and thoughts of hopelessness amongst its young people, especially young girls, that goes back more than a decade.

In the mid-1980s, the Mankato community struggled with a number of “cluster suicides” in which several students took their own lives in a short timeframe.

Walter Roberts, a counseling instructor at Minnesota State University, said MSU and Mankato schools have a long history of partnership that includes providing counseling interns and facilitating counseling programs. And that partnership, Roberts said, has kept services strong even while counselors have had to reduce their time with students.

But Roberts also said there exists a compelling need for more counselors — and, more importantly, more contact with students — because of the increased focus on high-level student achievement.

“We’re a part of the educational team,” Roberts said. “If a student is hungry, or experiencing domestic violence at home, or is depressed — they may not be able to learn. ... The counselor’s role is in partnership with what happens in the classroom.”

But the causes of the so-called “school counseling crunch” are difficult to pinpoint.

The state’s high student-to-counselor ratio pre-dates the recent economic downturn, but officials say budget cuts have only exacerbated an already bad situation. In Mankato Area Public Schools, the district reduced its own counseling ranks by two full positions during a $3 million round of budget cuts last spring. Fredrickson said the reduction will naturally reduce some services to students, but he also said teachers and staff are already “chipping in” to smooth the transition.

Some blame the problem on stagnant state funding which amounts to a 13 percent decrease in aid to schools since 2003 after adjusting for inflation, according to the 2020 group. With fewer staff and resources, counselors have had to pick up the slack by taking on additional duties.

And still others say the problem lies with legislators and policy makers who don’t fully understand the scope and importance of school counselors in the lives of children.

“We find this situation intolerable,” said Fitzgerald before adding later: “If a kid goes awry in seventh grade, we need people to make sure that student won’t drop out in 10th grade.”