Trustees have moved quickly to improve the learning environment throughout the Tracy Unified School District with more guiding hands. Is it a coincidence that it comes when state money is available and after violence on one of the campuses

Tuesday, the school board authorized the hiring of six counselors to work with at-risk seventh- through 12th-graders and the hiring of a third school resource officer who will be roving to all campuses, with the exception of West and Tracy High, which each already have a campus cop.

The board’s action demonstrates the concern school officials have with providing the best quality education that our tax dollars can buy. The salaries of the six counselors will be paid for by the state. The salary of the school resources officer will be split between TUSD and the city of Tracy (although appropriation of city funds awaits the approval of the City Council — an action we strongly urge).

What will the students at our local schools get for this investment

The supplemental counseling program is to guide seventh-graders who scored at or near the bottom of standardized tests. Other seventh- and eighth-graders will get six-year education plans.

By increasing the number of high school counselors from five to seven at West and four to six at Tracy, students who haven’t passed the California High School Exit Examination will be given more guidance. So will the other high school students as the student-to-counselor ratio drops.

This means fewer excuses for students not to be ready to learn.