Guidance counselors in Scranton schools help students with issues from homelessness, drug abuse and bullying, to college applications, social skills and job preparation.
But a reduction in counselors has made reaching students even harder, the counselors say.
Members of the district's guidance department have sent a letter to the Scranton School Board asking for the reinstatement of four counselor jobs that were eliminated at the start of the 2011-12 school year.
With the loss of counselors at West Scranton and Scranton high schools and West Scranton and Northeast intermediate schools, there is now one counselor for every 400 students, according to the department.
"Given our demographics, this is a recipe for disaster and the Scranton School District cannot continue on this course," the letter states.
A professional group for counselors - the American School Counselor Association - recommends one counselor for every 250 students.
In Pennsylvania, the average ratio is one counselor to every 377 students, and nationwide, one counselor for every 471 students, according to the association.
As budget cuts have increased nationwide, the number of counselors has decreased, said Jill Cook, a spokeswoman for the association.
"The role of a school counselor has changed and evolved over the last 15 to 20 years," she said.
Counselors now deal with everything from academic planning to crisis response, Ms. Cook said.
"For a school counselor to truly be able to work with kids and touch kids and impact kids ... you need to have the ability to have that caseload that is manageable," she said.
The cuts in Scranton were made after the district lost $5.5 million in state funding for 2011-12 - funds that were not restored for this year.
The district has tried to expand its outreach to students beyond the guidance department, including with a school-based positive behavior program, Superintendent William King said.
"We don't have the money, unfortunately," he said of reinstating the positions. "These are the tough decisions that come when you're not provided the necessary funding."
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