[CALIBK12] Another LMT Loss

[M Masten]

Linda,

I am so sorry to hear that your position is on the cutting block.  I would think that your school district would want to have at least one Teacher Librarian.  

What is going on in education in our California?  I think those lawmakers who decided schools had to provide Infant and Toddler Centers, after-school daycare, and some of the other programs, should be out of office.  Libraries, librarians, and library paraprofessionals are much needed as one can plainly see if one looks at the testing scores of California school children.  Our local government, community and parents need to take back the responsibility of all the extras that they have shoved onto schools and let the schools teach the standards that are required by our California.

One example at our high school is that a RSP class was moved into a small area that does not have adequate electrical or heating resources and was being used for library textbook and equipment storage, and teacher resources to make room for an Infant and Toddler Center.  We have a lack of space at our high school site.  No room for equipment or textbook storage.  No room for an opportunity class that would keep many of our credit deficient students on our campus.  No room for an in-house detention center.  Our technician has no place to work on our computers, etc. Now the powers that be are going to the expense of moving (renovation) the Infant and Toddler Center to our ceramics classroom and moving the ceramics room to the staff lounge located near the kitchen and moving the RSP back to the original classroom that will have to be renovated for them.  When will the education of     K-12 students become the driving force behind the allocations of monies?    

Wishing you the best,

Mary Masten

Hoopa Valley High School

Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District

 

 

________________________________

From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu [mailto:calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Morin, Linda
Sent: Friday, May 02, 2008 12:20 PM
To: calibk12 at lists.sjsu.edu
Subject: [CALIBK12] Another LMT Loss

 

Well friends, I really didn't see it coming. I thought I would survive since I was the only one in the county.

Del Norte Unified School District has decided with the budget crisis to move the Teacher-Librarian into an ALC classroom next year to save money. I had a lot of support from other teachers, students with whom I have done lessons, parents, community residents, even support staff, but no.
Del Norte County is one district, and hired me 3 years ago as their first ever LMT. I have been housed at the central IMC for the last 3 years, providing support to all the schools - some with part time library staff, some with none, lessons to students, collaboration with teachers, selection of materials, support with textbooks, etc. I am told I will be allowed to keep my desk at the IMC, and will supervise an hour a day. The support staff at the IMC is also being cut, from 1 & ½  classified to two ½  classified, resulting in a huge reduction in hours and services. Just when we were making progress. The Superintendent reassures me that this is supposed to be temporary. St. Catherine, St. Jerome, St. Lawrence, watch over us, the dedicated librarians. Heaven help us all.

"Research from eleven states and over 4,000 schools documents that credentialed LMTs  raise achievement scores anywhere from 8-20%. Support personnel alone in an LMC do not raise achievement but credentialed LMTs do. Why? Because the LMT concentrates on teaching and learning rather than on managing a warehouse. When there is no LMT, achievement suffers - its people rather than just things that make the difference." -Loertscher, David V. with Ross J. Todd. Evidence-Based Practice for School Library Media Specialists. Salt Lake City UT: Hi Willow Research & Publishing, 2003.

Linda C. Morin
Library Media Teacher
DNCUSD Librarian
IMC (707) 464-0704

 

 

  

 

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