The Long Beach Unified School District said it is significantly cutting school librarians and media assistants (who also work in libraries) for the next school year, a cost-saving measure that comes as the district is operating at a massive deficit.<\/p>\n
The district will transition from 55 centrally funded librarians and media assistants to 25 for the upcoming year, aligning staffing with available funding while maintaining library access at all schools, a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Affected staff said they were surprised and confused by the plans. On Friday, district administrators invited LBUSD\u2019s approximately 36 librarians and 20 media assistants \u2014 some of whom are part-time or on special contracts \u2014 into meetings to discuss \u201cthe budget and reductions in staffing that would affect teacher-librarians and media assistants,\u201d said Jamie Vallianos, a librarian at John Muir Academy who attended.<\/p>\n
Some closed their libraries early to make it to the district\u2019s offices, where they hoped to get clarity. Instead, a room of baffled librarians sat through the district\u2019s slide deck entitled \u201cNavigating Change, Anchored in Impact,\u201d which foreshadowed cuts without spelling them out, according to photos shared by a librarian who attended the meeting. The district told librarians to reach out to their principals for more information, Vallianos said.<\/p>\n
What followed was a scramble for information. In the vacuum of clarity, librarians pieced together what they said was a sobering picture of reduced staffing for next school year, which they shared with the Long Beach Post.<\/p>\n
Of the approximately 36 librarians, about seven are on special contracts, which must be renewed annually. \u201cThose people are gone as of next year,\u201d said Susan Whyte, a librarian at Lakewood, based on the information she and others collected and shared with the Post.<\/p>\n
The remaining approximately 30 librarians will face big changes, as the district has significantly reduced the full-time equivalents allocated to each school site, based on enrollment and Title I status, according to a memo<\/a> from Superintendent Jill Baker and Chief Business and Financial Officer Yumi Takahashi to the Board of Education.<\/p>\n Because librarians are also certified teachers, they could be shifted back into classrooms across the district, as openings are available, Whyte said. They could also choose to stay in \u201clibrary land,\u201d she said, but that might mean they split their time across campuses, visiting multiple schools a week.<\/p>\n The cuts have left some librarians concerned that schools will be without librarians altogether, based on the documents librarians have compiled and shared. The superintendent\u2019s memo promises a \u201cminimum one-day-per-week allocation\u201d at all sites, but this may be fulfilled by a media assistant, a position that requires less training, according to district staffing standards for the next school year.<\/p>\n Librarians must have bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees, as well as teaching and library services credentials, making them very expensive to employ, said Vallianos. Media assistants are only required to have an associate\u2019s degree and one year of library experience, Vallianos said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible that individual schools could ease the cuts by funding more librarians themselves. They have some discretion in using money from Title I, the Local Control Funding Formula or even PTA funds to pay partial or full salaries for librarians who are not employed full-time by the district, librarians told the Post. (Schools with wealthy parents and well-funded PTAs may be more able to pay for librarians, said Gerry Morrison, the teachers union president.)<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m budgeted by the school district for 50%, but my school has picked up the other half of my salary, because they believe in the value,\u201d Vallianos said. As pursestrings continue to tighten, \u201cI know they can\u2019t afford me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n At the beginning of this school year, the district estimated its deficit spending would reach $100 million, eating into the balances LBUSD has reserved, \u201cunless budget stabilization measures\u201d are taken, said Takahashi, at a school board meeting in September<\/a>.<\/p>\n To help mitigate that, the district will also cut media assistants next school year, including Kaylan Amezcua, currently staffed at Lakewood. \u201cWe feel distrustful, blindsided and confused,\u201d she said, speaking about herself and other media assistants, at least eight of whom she said will be cut.<\/p>\n Amezcua orchestrates the school\u2019s library displays (from Native American heritage month to banned book week), organizes events and assists students with personal projects. Next year, someone else will have to assume those responsibilities \u2014 or they won\u2019t get done.<\/p>\n \u201cLibrary services will remain in place, and schools will continue to provide students with access to collections, reading support, and research skills instruction,\u201d the district said in a statement. But multiple librarians said in interviews that students and teachers will lose critical support, resources and learning that both librarians and media assistants provide. Without staff, libraries are set up for failure, Vallianos said. \u201cYou\u2019re just going to have a room full of books.\u201d<\/p>\n One LBUSD elementary school teacher who asked to remain anonymous for fear of blowback expressed many concerns about losing librarians, from reduced access to high-quality literature to additional responsibilities for teachers to curate collections to developing critical skills in reading and research. Most importantly, the teacher said, \u201cIt will be one less opportunity to build a love of reading.\u201d<\/p>\n