[CALIBK12] CSLA LegiNews Update

Tue Jan 29 10:56:20 PST 2008

John and CALIBK12,

Yes!  Appear positive!

In light of the new title, Teacher Librarian, and the strong statewide
participation in School Library Learning 2.0 professional development,
this is indeed a good year to show a positive face.  This might also be
a good opportunity to point out to Legislators that schools with web
savvy Teacher Librarians can coach/lead their classroom teachers into
the 21st Century, while schools that have no Teacher Librarians will
remain behind.  

Further, CSLA could invite community college librarians to follow up
with Topsy Smalley's research (Cabrillo College) that shows the
difference between college students from districts that have Teacher
Librarians vs. no library/research skills program.

Best wishes.

- Jackie

CSLA 2.0 Team project manager

http://SchoolLibraryLearning2.blogspot.com 

http://calcurriculum.pbwiki.com/

http://classroomlearning2.blogspot.com/

Jackie Siminitus, MLS
E-RATE Specialist and Library Advocate, AT&T California
795 Folsom Street, Room 517-N1, San Francisco, CA 94107
415-644-7112 : jacquelyn.siminitus at att.com
AT&T Knowledge Network Explorer, www.kn.att.com
************************************************************************
********************
Specializing in E-RATE and network applications for schools and
libraries

________________________________

From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu
[mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of McGinnis, John
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:06 AM
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Subject: [CALIBK12] CSLA LegiNews Update

 <https://www.regonline.com/custImages/236280/csla_mail_legis.jpg> 

We received official word on Friday that AB333 was moved to the Assembly
budget suspense file due to the fiscal crisis in the California state
budget. Consequently, our database bill will not become law this year.
No new budget items will be approved this year. Even the Governor's
health care plan was rejected yesterday.

While we are disappointed, we also know that your work in support of
this legislation has sown seeds that will bear fruit in the future. So
we will reintroduce the bill and we will continue to advocate for state
purchases of online database subscriptions by educating legislators,
principals, school boards and parents about the educational value of
these resources for students and teachers.

LIBRARY LEGISLATIVE DAY IN THE DISTRICT
For this reason, and for additional reasons listed below, please attend
Library Legislative Day in the District this Friday as well as Library
Legislative Day in Sacramento on April 16, preceded by School Library
Caucus the evening of April 15 (mark your calendar).

To attend Library Legislative Day in the District, you must register at
www.legiday.net <http://www.legiday.net/> . To enter the website, type
"member" in the Account Name field and "member" in the Password field.
On the next screen, click the "legiday" link. Then follow on the
on-screen directions. At the website you will find lists of legislators,
appointment times, and notes about the meetings. Legislators need to
know who will attend their meetings so please use this website to sign
up. 

By the way, please send a thank you note to Assembly Member Loni Hancock
who carried our bill for three years! In your note, acknowledge the hard
work of her legislative aide, Rebecca Baumann, who passionately
advocated for this cause. Address your letters to:

Assembly Member Loni Hancock
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

NEW INITIATIVES 
First, we can take pride in the successful passage of legislation that
changed the California credential title from Library Media Teacher to
Teacher Librarian. This change was effective on January 1, 2008. All new
and renewed credentials will be issued with this new title. On Friday,
January 18, leaders from CSLA met with officials from the California
Department of Education (CDE) and the California Commission on Teacher
Credentialing (CTC) to discuss implementation of this legislation and to
thank these two agencies for their roles in passage of the bill. CSLA
encourages its certificated members to adopt this new title. It clearly
emphasizes the role of a credentialed teacher.

Second, CSLA is currently discussing with CDE a proposal to develop
School Library Standards for adoption by the State Board of Education.
Legislation exists which authorizes the State Board to adopt these
standards. We are confident that with the support of CDE and the
collaborative contributions of CSLA members, we can achieve this goal.

Third, we are developing legislation that will provide state funds for
staffing of teacher librarians. This legislation will be modeled on
recent legislation that provided similar funds for counselors and
physical education teachers. What chance of passage will this bill have?
A very good chance, not this year, of course, but soon. We will be ready
to strike the moment the first new funds appear in a rebounding economy.
Being ready means having the legislation written and having legislators
primed with the knowledge of why school library staffing, as well as
resources (both books and online databases), are essential to student
learning.

Therefore, your attendance at Library Legislation Days is imperative.
Appear positive, upbeat, hopeful...(add your own synonyms!) Tell your
legislators of the good things you're doing for your students and
classroom teachers. Tell them about our initiatives, but also
acknowledge the tough times we're in and the tough choices legislators
face. Let them know that when times are better we'll be back to work
collaboratively with them to improve school library instruction and
resources for all California students!

Thank you!

John McGinnis
CSLA Vice President, Governmental Relations

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