Budget Success Story

[Carolyn Townsend <CTownsen@JANICS.COM>]

Fellow LM_NETers,
        I had to share my success story with all of you in the hope that
perhaps what worked for me may help someone else.
        I have been a librarian for 24 years, but this is my first year at
a large area high school.  I was very surprised to learn at the beginning
of the year that the budget had been cut 30% over the previous 3 years.  I
gathered information on the last 10 years' budgets by going through the old
state reports.  I put them into a spreadsheet along with the enrollment
figures and the per-pupil expenditures.  Then I had the program create a
bar graph visually demonstrating how the budget had gone down, the
enrollment had gone up and the per-pupil expenditure had gone down
drastically over the last 10 years.  You could see at a glance what had
happened. Then I went through School Library Journal's March issue back ten
years to get the average cost of books.  I also graphed this information
showing how books have gone up each year.  Armed with my visuals I went to
see the principal who was supportive and willing to back me up with the
assistant superintendent in charge of finance at the "right time".  Last
week she spoke to him and he in turn asked me to come to his office.  I
went, carrying my documentation.  At first he said he was unaware the
library's budget had been cut, but when I handed him my graphs he studied
them for a minute and said, "Oh my! The budget has been cut, hasn't it?"
The result was that he gave me a lump of money to spend right now which is
more that our original budget at the beginning of the year. When he asked
me,  "How would $XX,XXXX be?" it was all I could do to keep from leaping
over the desk and giving him a hug.  A couple of days later he e-mailed my
principal and CCed me that next year's budget would be increased to more
that it had been three years ago. I really appreciate my supportive
principal and his willingness to be open minded and willing to look at the
information I gave him.  You don't always find that.
 I hope this story will give someone else the courage to fight for a budget
increase and not feel like you just have to always accept what happens to
be tossed the library's direction.
Thanks for all your great ideas.
Carolyn Townsend

Carolyn Townsend
Neosho Jr/Sr High School
Neosho, MO
ctownsen@janics.com
ctownse@neosho.k12.mo.us

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