Of schools and libraries
Some parents at Prospect Point Elementary school are not happy at having to give up their full time librarian next year.
As part of the district’s $3.5 million cost savings plan, the district’s six elementary school librarians are being scaled back to three, who will each split their weeks at two schools.
Susanne Karrels, a Prospect Point mom, has taken her fight to keep a full-time librarian to the school board. At the most recent school board meeting, Karrels read a statement to the board detailing how difficult it would be to have a functioning, organized library at the school without someone there full time.
Karrels said she is optimistic something can be done. She doesn’t believe having parents volunteer their time to man the library during the week is the right answer.
The fight is really an homage to long-time Prospect Point librarian, Margo Piver, is moving to Walla Walla High School to be a special education resource teacher. Edison librarian Jennifer Nicholson has been assigned to Prospect Point.
A Scholastic Book fair coordinated at Prospect Point, a big fundraiser at the school, would probably be cancelled under the new plan, Karrels said.
“Librarians make a difference in children’s lives,” Karrels wrote in an e-mail that is going around to families. “They take time to know the children and help them find the best books suited for them to stimulate interest in reading.”
The librarian cuts are proposed, and likely to be included in the district budget that will be approved later this summer. It’s a topic I’ll be watching to see if the efforts lead to any changes.
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The school board should remember that, above all, it’s about kids. Librarians and classroom teachers are at the heart of that … there are places in administration to cut to save the librarians.
110% agree with skip!
There are places in administration to cut!
I agree with Skip. However, the folks at Prospect Point do think they’re the ding dong of the world’s bell. All elementary schools are suffering from this, they’re not the only ones. They’re just the loudest…and wealthiest. Hmmm. Wonder how they’ll continue to make their school the elite, since they’ve already managed to change the boundaries to make sure they have the kids from the “best” families and the kids with the least “troubles.”
Why doesn’t this outraged mother volunteer her time in the school library? Hmmmm, no takers?
Thank you Maria for writing about this. Since my name is mentioned in the article, I would like to point out that in no way did my concern for the librarians center around Prospect Point however. My concern is for all elementary schools and their respective librarians. I was trying to personalize this topic, and demonstrate what a valuable asset Margo Piver is to Prospect Point. I’m sure other parents from the other elementary schools feel the same way about their librarians, and if so should make their voices heard. This is not about one elementary school over another, it is about trying to save a fundamental part of elementary education.
As of this date the Scholastic Book fair is still planned for Fall and Spring.
I agree Susanne. The librarian is a very special person to an elementary child and to the staff.
Librarians help introduce the big world of books, computers, av equipment to students. Although many kids are read to before starting school, not all are taken to our public libraries. School is the first place they are introduce to the big world of books and all of the ways the library can transport your imagination or help you find information. The librarian is the person that helps guide them through the maze of books and information to find that special genre that sparks any kid.
Some people will say that teachers should be able to take over. It is very difficult to take a whole class in to the library; with the help of a librarian more students can be helped and kept focused on the task at hand.
Volunteers are ALWAYS needed, now more than ever. If you don’t all ready volunteer and you have a few hours in the day – contact the district for a volunteer form and a Washington State Patrol check and then contact your local school. I am sure many will be able to find things for a willing, capable adult to do
To comment on the Puleez ..
Being loud doesn’t mean you are the wealthiest or the poorest, it just means you want to be heard. It’s about doing what’s best for the kids…isn’t that what this is all about?
We have two elite schools in Walla Walla – Edison and/or Sharpstein. Prospect Point is a far cry from elite.
As for boundaries. Children go to schools near their home, pretty simple. Boundaries were changed because of the new Edison.
Nonetheless, if a person doesn’t like the school they go to then they can open enroll at another school or move to a new home.
Now back to the library: Eliminating librarians is a train-wreck waiting to happen. But, of course, no one at the Admin Office makes any cuts or adjustments, they just cut teachers and the educators.
So, it’s not really “no child left behind, it’s no administrator at the District Office left behind!” Oh, and let’s “let the kids fend for themselves!”
Did you know that Sharpstein and Edison will both have their libraries open all the time…hmmm. not because they are the wealthiest, but because they have the “dual immersion” program — more staffing and more funding, and because the Explorers is at Sharpstein.
In addition, those schools will be using para-pros and para-educators to restock the shelves…hmmm, aren’t those people supposed to be helping our kids learn, not restocking a shelf.
In closing – everyone has problems. And financial status has nothing to do with whether or not you have them.
You do the best with what you have and with what God has given you. Let’s not throw rocks.
The library issue is sad and complicated. The librarians were cut because they cut all teachers that did not directly touch the students. Elementary librarians only provide direct instruction half of the day. The rest of the day is spent evaluating the collection, weeding, repairing books, shelving, helping kids find books, finding materials for teachers and classrooms, ordering books, writing grants, processing books, repairing books, etc. Now that the librarians will only have time to provide a 30 minute class to each of the almost 1000 kids they will have every week, it will be interesting to see how adding a few hours of classified help will be able to make to libraries be able to stay at a high quality level and be open all the time. Sounds like a miracle to me. Parent volunteers may take up the slack but that tells the district that librarians are not needed because parents can do it. I have heard from some folks that some secondary principals do not feel that libraries are needed, anyway as kids just use the internet for everything… How sad is that?