MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ top education official says he fears that school counselor positions in the state have become too focused on administrative tasks.

Education commissioner Randy Watson addressed more than 350 school counselors from across the state at an annual conference Tuesday in Manhattan organized by Kansas State University.

Kansas data indicates that each public school counselor in the state handles about 440 students each. Watson says the state needs to decrease that number.

Watson says counselors often pour many hours into administrative duties that detract them from fulfilling their mission of helping students build social and emotional skills and explore options for after high school. He says Kansas schools need to rethink the number of counselors they employ as well as what tasks they assign to counselors.