[CALIBK12] Query: Split library positions

Fri Jun 6 13:17:59 PDT 2008

This may make me a conspiracy theorist, but I believe that district
administrators and board members are telling each other or are being told at
job-alikes and conferences, by consultants and (I hope not) unions, that the
way to keep budget cuts away from the classroom and students is to cut
libraries, counselors, custodians, etc.

I say this because the reports of library cuts are so consistent. Is this an
example of the 100th monkey theory or are people getting their cues from the
same place? Last year, our teacher's contract negotiating committee decided
to sacrifice reinstatement of high school LMT's to 100% (from 80%) in order
to get a higher salary raise for all certificated. That's when I became a
union rep and challenged any talk of "we need to negotiate for what benefits
the most members rather than a small interest group." I made it clear that
their job is to represent me as a union member, and not throw a small group
of members to the wolves. Now the union president states to the reps, the
membership, and the school board, that cuts in the library affects every
student and the classroom learning experience.

If my theory is true, is there anything CSLA can do to counter this?

Judie Ehret Straesser
Library Media Teacher
Elsie Allen High School
599 Bellevue Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
707-528-5749

> From: <bwoolls at slis.sjsu.edu>
> Date: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 09:35:40 -0700 (PDT)
> To: Richard Moore <richardguy at aol.com>
> Cc: <calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu>
> Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] Query: Split library positions
> 
> Richard brings us back to that age-old question, "Why aren't we finding
> out what is working and do that rather than working to halt an avalanche
> after it is started?" School district administrators will find the money
> to keep what is percenived to be really important to them (and the school
> board, and the parents, and the children.) This isn't something you start
> after the cuts have been announced. It is something that is started the
> first day on the job.
> 
> For those of us who have been in place for a time, the summer should give
> ample time to figure out what you are going to do the first day school
> begins to build that aura of necessity. If you have this wonderful list of
> things that can be accomplished this year with a hint of next year and up
> to five years out, you make an appointment with your principal and say,
> "Harry (or Mary) here's what I need to be doing to make teaching easier
> for teachers and learning easier for students,; and this is what we should
> be doing together to make that happen."
> 
> You are the most important person in that school (although you can let
> Harry or Mary think they are) except for the students, and it's time to do
> this.
> 
> Blanche
> 
>> 
>> 
>> I don't make it work.? I leave.
>> 
>> That was the decision back in 1991 in Torrance and I resigned and went to
>> Garden Grove -- which still has LMTs in every 7-12 school.? Torrance then
>> apologized and asked me to stay but I told them that the fact that they
>> could consider the idea in an already understaffed district meant I needed
>> to go elsewhere.
>> 
>> Ask them how other districts manage library staffing with the same money
>> -- and back up your question with data.
>> 
>> DataQuest at < http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/ > allows you to search for
>> professional staffing information.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> ?Richard K. Moore, InfoSherpa
>> Huntington Beach, CA
>> **********************************************************
>> To be educated in any true sense of the word, one must use the
>>  library, and master the experiences of mankind. -- William T. Harris,
>> 1893
>> *************************************************************
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Dagmar Rea <Drea at hemetusd.k12.ca.us>
>> To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
>> Sent: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 2:39 pm
>> Subject: [CALIBK12] Query: Split library positions
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> We need your help!
>> 
>> 
>> ?
>> 
>> 
>> Our district is looking at splitting the 4 remaining high school
>> librarians between two schools each:? one middle school and one high
>> school.? This option is in lieu of the prior plan to send us all?back into
>> the classroom part-time.? Each site has at least one full-time library
>> tech. in place.
>> 
>> 
>> ?
>> 
>> 
>> Our question is, if you are currently split between two schools, how do
>> you make it work?? How is your time split, and what do we need to know for
>> this to be successful?? We are hoping this will only be temporary,?but
>> want to be proactive about the situation.
>> 
>> 
>> ?
>> 
>> 
>> Any advice on how to make a split between two schools successful is needed
>> and appreciated.? I know how busy we all are this time of year...
>> 
>> 
>> ?
>> 
>> 
>> Thank you!
>> 
>> 
>> ?
>> 
>> 
>> Dagmar Rea, Teacher Librarian
>> 
>> 
>> Hemet High School
>> 
>> 
>> Hemet, CA
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
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