Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 14:15:40 -0800 (PST)
From: Deborah Hunt <dhunt@exploratorium.edu>
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
Subject: school library resources (fwd)
Dear Pinholers,
For those of you who would like to see your school library support the
curriculum you are teaching, see below.
Thanks,
Deb
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Deborah Hunt
Internet Resource Specialist
Exploratorium
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
Voice: 415-353-0485
Fax: 415-561-0370
email: dhunt@exploratorium.edu
An ALERT for reading and school library advocates.
School librarians, teachers, parents, and school district personnel (often
curriculum deans or directors) are busily developing districtwide school
library plans so they can get school board approval for state funds for
school library resources. It is a frantic, but wonderful process for the
most part. School libraries will be able to get about $28/student to start
rebuilding library collections that have been
un-funded or underfunded for about 15-20 years! Yeah!
I say, "for the most part" because there will always be pockets of
"information poor" administrators who smell the money and seek to use it in
a way that the legislation does not intend. This morning, for example, I
got
a call from a public library trustee who was asked to attend a school
district meeting this afternoon because someone in the district (principal?
board member?) wants to use the $25,000 his school is getting for library
resources and equally divide it and give to classrooms, since his library
was so small (or something along those lines.) Please note: The law says
that AB 863 dollars must go to the school library to build/rebuild
collections -- not to classrooms or to computer labs or other creative
reallocations. The law is the law. To do otherwise is to jeopardize future
funds.
Please familiarize or re-familiarize yourselves with AB 863 by looking at
all the useful information on the California School Library Association's
webpage at http://www.schoolibrary.org/ so you can speak knowledgably on
the
issue if asked --
Susan Choi of the Santa Clara County Office of Education has created a
PowerPoint presentation to share with others. There is a link to the
California Department of Education's section devoted to the legislation.
Barbara Jeffus of CDE has created an excellent guide called "Check It Out."
You may want to get a copy or look at it online.
Thanks. I just had to share my concern. December is when all these school
library district plans are being presented to school boards for approval so
funds can be granted in January.