[CALIBK12] Library Advocacy next steps

Tue Mar 3 21:00:44 PST 2009

Hear, hear, Tony! Every district, of course, is really hurting right  
now, but it is also about priorities.

My district Board just voted tonight to place all six TL positions on  
the "elimination of service" list. Our superintendent told all six of  
us at a meeting last week that he would both be eliminating all our  
positions and our two "teachers on special assignment for technology,"  
but creating three new positions that would merge the two. His vision  
for these two positions, though, is slanted far more on centralized  
technology assistance to teachers, and very little on direct, on-site  
library services and instruction to students. But ....  it's not over  
until it's over. We know that the district will find funds through our  
education foundation, parent associations, etc. to save some of the  
reduction in services (which, very sadly, also includes 39 elementary  
teachers, and a number of other cuts at the secondary level). We need  
to do everything we can to make library services one of the items they  
save. I know it will be a lot of work and heartache, but WE WILL NOT  
GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT!

As Tony suggested, we all need to work on advocacy to all these groups  
--- our school districts, the state, WASC, and the federal government.  
Many thanks to CSLA for providing us with a toolkit and wiki (http://cslasos09.pbwiki.com/ 
) as support for these efforts. We'll be reporting to the CSLA wiki as  
we work through this process. I am determined to have good news to  
share!

:) Jane Lofton

Jane Lofton
Teacher Librarian
Lindero Canyon Middle School
Agoura Hills, CA
jane at lofton.com or jlofton at lvusd.org

On Mar 3, 2009, at 9:53 AM, Doyle_Tony wrote:

> "It's not the local school districts at fault, but the sad bottom-of- 
> the-barrel state funding that has been allowed to serve the children  
> of California."
>
> I have to disagree with Tom and Heidi.  How can some districts  
> maintain library programs and others not.  Merced is a good  
> example.  Merced City Schools was forced to cut library programs but  
> the Merced Union High School District has not (knock on wood).   
> What's the difference?  I would argue that it is management (or  
> mismanagement). Merced City actually maintained model library  
> programs through the dark days of the early 90s (remember when they  
> state was deficit-funding schools- i.e. not giving all of the money  
> owed) but now they can't.
>
> It is not impossible for districts to maintain professionally- 
> staffed library programs under current funding.  If it is a priority  
> for the district the funds will be found.  Don't accept that  
> libraries have to be cut to make up for deficits.  We are already  
> operating at a minimum level and cutting library staff results in  
> miniscule savings for districts but has a devastating effect on  
> learning.  The local school districts ARE at fault.  And so is the  
> state and WASC and the feds.
>
> Do not go gentle into that good night!
>
> Tony
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> Anthony Doyle, Teacher Librarian
> Livingston High School
> Livingston, CA
> tdoyle at muhsd.k12.ca.us<mailto:tdoyle at muhsd.k12.ca.us>
>
> "When I read about the way in which library funds are being cut and  
> cut, I can only think that American society has found one more way  
> to destroy itself." (Isaac Asimov, from his autobiography I Asimov)
>
> The contents of this message are private and are intended for the  
> recipients named in the To and CC fields.  You may not forward this  
> message without the expressed permission of the author.  The  
> contents of this message are the work of the author and do not  
> represent the opinions or policies of the Merced Union High School  
> District or Livingston High School.
> ________________________________
> From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu [calibk12- 
> bounces at lists.sjsu.edu] On Behalf Of Thomas Nixon [Thomas.Nixon at fresnounified.org 
> ]
> Sent: Sunday, March 01, 2009 6:25 PM
> To: Heidi Snively; Megan Fuller; calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu
> Subject: Re: [CALIBK12] Library Advocacy next steps
>
> I think it is important to understand that there is a great deal of  
> truth in Heidi Snively's statement:
>
>
> "It's not the local school districts at fault, but the sad bottom-of- 
> the-barrel state funding that has been allowed to serve the children  
> of California."
>
>
> Is that true for all school districts? My guess is no. However, that  
> being said, I think we do ourselves a disservice when we decided  
> that the default statement is that all school boards are evil.  
> Sometimes there really is no money and it is up to the board to make  
> tough decisions.
>
> And, of course, it is up to us to make sure that those tough  
> decisions affect other programs. It is up to us to ensure that  
> school boards understand that schools revolve around the library.  
> Even more importantly, it us up to us to make sure that our  
> individual school's programs do indeed revolve around the library.
>
>
>
> Tom Nixon
> --
> Teacher Librarian
> Tehipite Middle School
> 630 N. Augusta Street
> Fresno, CA 93701
> (559) 457-3420, x. 570
> Web: http://www.tehipitelibrary.org<http://www.tehipitelibrary.org/>
> Blog: http://notyourmotherslibrarian.blogspot.com<http://notyourmotherslibrarian.blogspot.com/ 
> >
>
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