HIT: Ten Month Contract (part 1)

[RKFett99 <RKFett99@AOL.COM>]

I have received a number of responses to my request.  There were a variety of
opinions as expected, but the majority were in favor of a ten month contract
as opposed to the nine month contract we now have.
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Here in the northeast, at least every school district I have heard of anyway,
has the school librarians on the same contract as teachers, which would be 10
month.  I really don't know how it works in Alabama, but here the librarians
are considered teachers and we are on that pay scale.  I actually don't know
what I would do during the summer if I had to come in without students.  I
could find some stuff to do, but would certainly run out of stuff real fast.
I could keep myself going maybe 2 or 2 weeks, but I would have to just sit in
a chair and read the rest of the time-- I wouldn't know what to do with
myself!  And who the heck would I talk to all by myself in the library?  The
thought makes me cringe!!
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I would be interested in what you discover. I have asked for an extended
contract (even to consider an extra week) so we would not have to shut down
two weeks before school is out in order to inventory.  Not something they are
considering, unfortunately.
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Are your teachers on a 10-mo. contract too? Librarians are teachers. AND you
have tons of stuff to do after school is over, and before school starts that
can't be done at home (as teachers can do). My vote is NO WAY. Especially if
it cuts the librarian's salary by 1/6!
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Just a question about this request:  what contract are your librarians on now?
        My district has no librarians on anything but a 10 month, and we get no time
before or after school to clean up and get ready for the next year.  When I
was in another district in a high school, I was on 12 month contract, and
needed it.
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We've always been on a 10 month contract.  Sigh.  I come ni almost every day
in the summer for a couple of hours... just to get "stuff" done.  Sigh.
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Frankly, I myself would not like it. I want to go home, too!!
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I am on a 9 1/2 month contract.  Just the extra week before and after school
gives me time to leave the library open until almost the end of school.  I
wish I were on 10 months.
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we have 5 days after school and 5 days before school (10 days longer than
teachers).  We could USE a 10-month contract! We have research projects going
on right up until finals, and teachers begin booking the library as soon as
school starts. You're fortunate that your school is even *considering* a ten
month contract for you.
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Do mean you are on a 12 month contract now?  I am not aware of anyone
in our state who is.
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I was hired here 25 yrs ago knowing that I would have an additional week after
everyone else left in June for inventory and orders and that I would take
those days off during the school year as comp days.  Works for us.
Our coounselors are on same type of situation-- but I think they may have 10
days.
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I don't know what the difference would be between a contract and an extended
contract.  I have to do an extra two weeks in the summer and that is plenty
since I am a single mother.  good luck.
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All of the librarians here in our district have 10 month contracts.  We add 2
weeks to end, and 2 to beginning.  The benefit to the district's *students*
(and that is your target!) is that library services are available from the
first to the last  day of school.  Naturally at the end of the year, we cannot
check out during the latter part, but we are there for research, leisure
reading, study, etc.  Good luck - and remember to focus on the benefit of
students rather than for yourselves!
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Our school district has high school librarians on a 10 month
contract, junior high librarians on a 9.5 month contract, and
elementary librarians on a 9 month contract - the same as teachers.
The elementary librarians are constantly being asked to be switched
to a 10 month contract because they can never be ready for classes
the first week of school unless they come in on their own time to
prepare the library.

I enjoy my extra month, because I am able to get a lot of things done
uninterrupted.  The first day teachers are back my work pace slows
considerably because they are always interrupting for something.

I work one week after school is out and three weeks before.  That
extra month is pretty flexible and could work out to two before and
two after if I wanted, just whatever works best for me.

I would support the switch to the 10 months contract.


.
Sue Kluger, Librarian
Ardmore High School,  Ardmore, AL
RKFett99@aol.com

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