Previous by Date | Next by Date | Date Index
Previous by Thread | Next by Thread
| Thread Index
| LM_NET
Archive
| |
Turns out the original vote was illegal since it takes a majority vote of the entire board to cut personnel. At a revote last night the vote split 2-2 and the board president broke the tie by voting to cut the librarians. The board president is a math teacher in my district. To answer some of the questions I have gotten: - I do not work for that district. I work in a high school district that has kept full library staffing and will for the foreseeable future (I hope). -There are 16 schools in the Merced City School District, each with a full-time Library Media Teacher (the official CA title) and a full-time clerk. -All 16 LMTs have been cut. Presumably the clerks will now run the libraries alone. -The district admin floated the cuts several months ago and the librarians and their supporters have been campaigning hard to save the programs. They presented overwhelming evidence of their value, backed by the professional research, which was ignored. -The district is looking at having 4 or more district librarians to supervise the libraries-- if money can be found. Several administrators and board members have said they would like to hire back "as many LMTs as possible." -California and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges have no regulations or standards regarding library staffing. In this state the Merced City Schools and my own district (Merced Union High School District) have been the exception, not the rule, in having fully staffed (by California's very low standards) libraries. Both of our districts are very high poverty. Although the neighborhood school my kids attend is largely middle class, most of the district's kids are low-income, with more than 75% qualifying for free lunch. Our county library system is grossly under funded. Most branches are open less than 25 hours per week and are staffed by volunteers. My own children don't like to go to the county library because we have a better collection of kids books at home. The school libraries are the only source of books and professional library services most of those kids have. Even if money is found and all of the librarians are retained the district, both the administration and the board, has spoken loudly and clearly about their opinion of libraries and librarians and the role they play in the development of basic literacy and information literacy. The librarians are disposable and the libraries are "far from the classroom"-- farther apparently than the district office. It is a sad day for Merced. -------------------------------------------------- Tony Doyle, Library Media Teacher CSLA Northern Section PR Chair Livingston High School Livingston, CA tdoyle@MUHSD.K12.CA.US Http://www.lhswolves.org/library/index.htm Http://lhsblog.edublogs.org "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture; you just have to get people to stop reading them." Ray Bradbury -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation. * LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/sub/ * LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html --------------------------------------------------------------------