Will you help us stand for strong literacy and technology in AZ schools?
Sign our petition and tell lawmakers that you want strong school libraries.
http://www.fundourfuturearizona.org
http://gopetition.com/online/18626.html
Mesa, Tempe Elementary, Tempe Union High School. Paradise Valley, Humboldt Unified, Creighton, Fountain Hills Unified, Tucson Unfied--- have all cut or eliminated school library services.
Will your child's school district be next?
I'm new to AZ, and it did
I'm new to AZ, and it did surprise me to find out just how bad the education system is out here. There really seems to be an attitude (maybe from those who control the tax dollars?) that it's not a priority.
I've never heard of a school eliminating its library. That just seems crazy.
Mesa is NOT eliminating
Mesa is NOT eliminating school libraries! They ARE replacing the Media Specialist with a Resource Center Specialist.
The RCS will have preplanned lessons to present to students. The RCS will be lowered paid and not certified BUT will do basically what the MS does now.
It is up to each school to ensure that during the RCS interview process they do hire the most qualified person.
There are many Media Asst out there with degrees and / or years of Media expereince that can do the job as best as or better than the Media Specialist.
I may get hammered for this
I may get hammered for this - but here I go anyway. When the state budget for schools is in such dire straits as Arizona's is, something has got to give. My kids are in the Tempe Elementary district and we are hurting as well. We had to cut our librarian back to half-time. We also lost our 4th grade strings program. But the straight facts are that times are tough and you have to make tough choices! It's fine to protest and sign petitions, but I would suggest you call your district superintendant and request to sit on a parents board to help figure out what to cut and what to keep. Don't just complain - get involved!
sure, fine, whatever
The petition is sponsored by
The petition is sponsored by the Arizona Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology (ACSLit). This coalition is working at the state level with the Legislature, Governor and State Superintendent to address the crisis in ALL Arizona school districts. The petition serves the purpose of saying that "this many citizens are concerned. How will you help this issue?" These are a highly motivated group of people that will fight for school library services on the statewide level, so that the Tempe Elementary and other districts do not have to make these choices.
At the same time, a group of concerned Mesa parents, teachers, and students are working with the MPS Board and superintendent to create an alternate proposal. An interesting fact about the MPS Board is that they do not allow public comments unless the item is on the Agenda. This is highly unusual. These parents are working on getting the item on the agenda so there can be public discussion and comments about the school library situation.
There was a rally on April 22, and 60 parents were there, even though the time was not on the agenda.
A second rally is planned for May 13, from 6-7 at 549 N. Stapley.
I hope this gives you some more context about the movement to save Arizona school libraries.
While Mesa is not
While Mesa is not eliminating libraries, by replacing the certified teacher-librarian with this new position called "Resource Center Specialist" they ARE reducing vital services.
The "Resource Center Specialist" education requirements are a high school diploma or GED. This is who will be replacing a certified teacher in your MPS schools.
These "Resource Center Specialists" must receive a 30 minute lunch and 2 15 minute breaks per day. In 15 of Mesa Elementary schools, only one of these specialists will be employed. That means that in 15 schools, the library will be CLOSED for one hour per day!
"Resource Center Specialists" do not have degrees in education or teaching certification. This is a reduction in the services that Mesa children will receive.
A school library is a shared classroom where teaching and learning takes place. An analogy for you: would you want a 3rd grade classroom run by a person with a GED or high school diploma, teaching a canned lesson every day? Would we stand for this as parents?
Why is the school library treated differently than a classroom?
My children's library is
My children's library is always closed for 1 hour a day ...the specialist and her assistant take a 30 minute lunch together and then they stay closed another 30 minutes for prep time. They also close every other Wed for cataloging, fixing damaged books and other prep work for any upcoming events they are planning.
BTW, ALL schools are losing the 35 hour assistant and will have only 1 full time person in the Media Center. Depending on the size of the school, they will have no aide, 19 hour aide or a 29 hour aide. So regardless of having the RCS or the MS in there - they will probably close for 1/2 - 1 hour a day.
The canned lessons are lessons that are written ahead of time and the RCS will decide which lesson to present depending on what that grade or class is working on in the classroom. The key is communication between the teachers and the RCS.
I say good luck to the RCS and the remaining MS. I will be supporting them by volunteering my time in the Library. Also, good luck to all the Assistants and MS who were cut and to those who volunteered to go into the classroom before theri cut year!
To access the ASCLit
To access the ASCLit website, see http://www.fundourfuturearizona.org
SECOND RALLY PLANNED FOR SUPPORT OF SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
Mesa Public Schools Provides Backdrop to Demonstrate Need for School Library
Funding Statewide
MESA, Az. (MAY 12, 2008) - A second rally in support of school libraries and
information technology will be held at the Mesa Public Schools Curriculum Services Center. The organizer of the rally is the Arizona Coalition for School Libraries and Information Technology (ACSLit), which advocates for reversing the trend of school district governing boards eliminating or significantly reducing school library media services as part of district cost-saving measures. A statewide petition in support of strong school libraries and information technology, launched at the first rally on April 22, has garnered signatures from over 1200 Arizona residents.
The rally will be held on Tuesday, May 13 at 6 p.m. prior to the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board meeting at 549 N. Stapley Drive. Mesa Public Schools, Arizona's largest school district serving 74,000 students, recently announced a three-year plan to eliminate all school librarian positions as part of a cost-savings measure. Library media services will be discussed at the Board meeting, which begins at 7 p.m.
“The Mesa Public Schools Governing Board and Superintendent are interested in and receptive to alternative ideas that retain certified teacher-librarians,” says Coalition spokesperson and coordinator Ann Ewbank. “Mesa’s situation is not unusual in Arizona and by advocating for school library funding at the state level, we hope that we can assist school districts in providing quality library and information technology services.”
School districts around the state have been reducing library services in order to balance their budgets. Districts across Arizona, including Mesa Public Schools, Creighton Elementary, Tempe Elementary, Tempe Union High School, Paradise Valley Unified, Humboldt Unified, Tucson Unified, and Grand Canyon Unified have cut library programs for the 08-09 school year, including elimination of teacher-librarian positions, reductions to part-time, replacement of certified teacher-librarians with aides, and in some cases, districts have foregone replacement of retiring teacher-
librarians.
"The reduction of school library services to Arizona students has reached a crisis level,” says Ewbank. “We hope that we can reverse this trend by encouraging our decision-makers to create dedicated state funding for Arizona school libraries.”
Over 20 state studies demonstrate that school libraries need to be staffed by a certified teacher librarian in order to have a positive impact on student academic achievement. To access an extensive list of research, please see
http://www.lrs.org/impact.php .
More than 1200 Arizona petition signers have been specific and concrete about this recommendation -- make sure that our school library and technology programs don't have the doors closed and computers shut down.
To access the petition, please go to http://gopetition.com/online/18626.html
To access the ASCLit website, see http://www.fundourfuturearizona.org
For media inquiries please contact Ann Ewbank at ann@fundourfuturearizona.org