[CALIBK12] getting the message to a larger audience: an idea

[Stephen Krashen]

I am trying to find a better way of getting the message across and try to write for a bigger audience - thanks to Anne Hinchcliff for her suggestion! 

Please help me. 
Please post or repost any districts that have made cuts in library services and/or librarians in the very recent past.
Let me know, very briefly, just a few words
1. Name of district
2. If possible amount of total budget cut
3. Specific library impact of the cut

I plan to expand the letter that appeared in the Press-Enterprise about Corona-Norco, but I won't make it much longer. 

We have little time before all these cuts become final. 



--- On Tue, 3/3/09, stemig at sbcglobal.net <stemig at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> From: stemig at sbcglobal.net <stemig at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] a pale reflection
> To: skrashen at yahoo.com, "Calibk12 at Listproc. Sjsu. Edu" <calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu>
> Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 9:49 PM
> Dr. Krashen,
> Thank you for being a voice in the wilderness in defense of
> lbrary services to children throughout California. Please
> continue to let those in power know. I may not hold the job
> description of Teacher Librarian but I will always be a
> Teacher Librarian in my heart. We must persevere. We must
> continue our advocacy while not burning the bridges behind
> us. The children of California deserve to have the library
> services that are taken for granted in other places.
> Dana Stemig
> Teacher Librarian
> Modesto CA
> Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephen Krashen <skrashen at yahoo.com>
> 
> Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2009 14:27:02 
> To:
> calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu<calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu>
> Subject: [CALIBK12] a pale reflection
> 
> 
> 
> One of my letters got in, but of course they changed it.
> What was published was a pale reflection of what I wrote.
> This is why it is a good idea to keep letters very short,
> whenever possible, so they won't cut anything.
> 
> The original:
> 
> Sent to the Press-Enterprise, March 1, 2009
> 
> I was sad to read about the proposed cuts at Corona-Norco
> ("Corona-Norco to consider cutting 165 certificated
> positions," Feb. 28). 
> 
> Local districts throughout the state are being forced to
> cut positions and reduce services in areas known to help
> children. For example, Corona-Norco is considering dropping
> five school librarians; there is strong evidence that
> library quality, library staffing and the presence of a
> credentialed school are related to reading scores. 
> California has among the lowest reading scores and the
> fewest school librarians per student in the nation.
> 
>  At the same time, the state continues to fund budget items
> that are at best useless and may be harmful. Right now,
> California taxpayers pay for a High School Exit Exam,
> high-stakes standardized tests for second graders (No Child
> Left Behind only requires tests starting at third grade),
> and a fancy computerized PE test (the
> "Fitnessgram"). Research has so far failed to find
> any benefit for these tests.
> 
> Dumping these useless (and painful) tests would save a
> billion dollars every few years, and take some of the
> financial pressure off school districts. 
> 
> Stephen Krashen
> 
>