A group of Evergreen librarians met with district and union people last week to discuss the budget process. Librarians have been told that the budget that has always been managed by them will next year go directly to building administrators to decide how, and to whom, the budget will be allocated. We asked to meet in order to understand how this change of procedure was decided.

At the end of the meeting, I felt that we are being listened to and that this change might not now take place. It's the first time in a long while that I have had a ray of hope in this long road of reduced revenue that we face. Some of my trust in our district has been restored, and even if it's only a momentary optimism that's been given, at least I've had a respite from the everyday worry about our future as a progressive district.

I hope those who can will attend the next board meeting, Tuesday April 27 at 5:30 in the Tan Complex when the board will announce some of the decisions they've come to regarding next year.

Regarding the budget, we all accept the fact that we're much like other companies around the country, but we hope our voices will be heard when librarians advocate for being able to be the decision makers about how library budget is spent. It would be great if some of our students who realize the impact past budget practice has had on them would speak up. Please use this space for that forum if you are one of those.

Giving more voice to our concerns about cuts to library staff

With the advent of the internet some think that libraries are a thing of the past, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Our high school library is pretty busy on most days with 300-400 students dropping in to do research or check out books. Working in libraries at both the primary and secondary levels, it's such a joy to see students of all ages walk into the library excited about getting a book to take home and read. I'd hate to see that come to an end. Some might say that schools don't need libraries because students can access the public library, but will busy families really make time to take their children to the library on a regular basis? I think not. The school library may be the only library that some children (dare I say most children) will ever have the privilege to use. As a working mom, when my children were in school, I was so grateful that they had a well-stocked and well-manned library that they could use, because I didn't have the time to run to the public library. I hope our district will keep fully staffed school libraries.

Board Meeting's a Good Time to Give Input

If you have concerns about how the budget will be cut...



If you would like to hear the latest information about budget cuts...



If you want to give input on this important issue...



Here's an excellent opportunity:



Evergreeen Board Meeting

District Office / Tan Complex

Tuesday, March 24

5:30 PM

We Need Parent and Student Input

If school libraries have ever been an important part of your life...

If you can imagine what you would have missed if your librarian had only a part-time staff assistant and wasn't available to help you when you needed to find a great book...

If you've ever had a research paper due next week and didn't have a clue where to look for information...

If you'd like to be part of the process of deciding what cuts will be made to our libraries because of our current budget shortfall...

Please share your thoughts. Be sure to check the bottom of this page for other people to whom you can send your thoughts. And, "Thank you," says my fantastic staff assistant!

Endangered Species?

Students in Evergreen Public Schools have been fortunate for many decades to have both certified librarians and staff assistants to help them navigate the plethora of informational sources available to them.

Traditionally, each of our school libraries has been "equipped" with one certificated librarian and at least one full-time staff assistant. This is about to change due to budget constraints forced on the district by the current economic downturn. We are in danger of losing the people who are the "wind beneath our wings" - our staff assistants. We're not losing them totally, but we're being told that, unless we can come up with a way to recoup over half a million dollars, their time with us will be cut to a .5 position.

What this will mean to our kids:
Because librarians will be doing the other .5 behind the scenes work, both adults will be unavailable to help kids with their reading and research needs. Two adults will be pulled away from direct student contact, not just the one whose job is being trimmed.

I'm in a high school of over 1700 kids and have been fortunate to have 2 full time staff assistants in the library. These two women take care of almost ALL the behind-the-scenes work.