Public outcry for libraries

It’s a novel idea.

Reassign middle school librarians to classroom teaching positions. Class sizes will remain in check and the principals will be able to develop a master schedule under the staffing allocation handed down to them by the district.

The plot, however, may be filled with holes.

Parents, teachers and librarians rallied at Tuesday’s school board meeting to point them out.

Directors of the Stanwood-Camano School District were inundated with comments regarding the decisions not to staff Stanwood and Port Susan middle schools with a certificated librarian.

“This is an alarming choice,” said JoAnn Olsson, Stanwood High School librarian. “I worry that our students will suffer.”

Similar concern was shared by Port Susan Middle School librarian Lori Woodward, who was shocked to receive the notification that she will be teaching in a classroom next fall.

“I am here as the voice of the students,” she addressed the board. A library program “is critical for student achievement.”

Woodward also described the years of development and financial investment that may go by the wayside without the direction of a professional.

“Why are we throwing it away?” she asked.

In the state of the school district budget report delivered prior to the public comment session, Superintendent Jean Shumate, Ed.D., said “tough decisions” have been made as a result of declining state and federal funding.

“Our state funding is not ample, it is not stable and it is not dependable,” she said.

As federal programs continue to set the agenda for education reform and accountability, the state receives less than 8 percent of the overall education budget from the federal government, said Shumate.

Locally, the district has axed nearly $5.3 million over the past two years. Shumate predicts more cuts are imminent.

“The bottom line is that school districts do not have the resources they need to implement all of the mandated education reform programs let alone reach our education reform goals,” she said.

At the start of next school year, the district will have lost approximately 50 full-time staff positions over a two-year period.

As a result, principals have had to make serious changes in their buildings regarding staff.

Both principals at the middle schools have acknowledged their decision to shift personnel from the library may have some repercussions.

Shona Martin, Port Susan PTA president questioned board members if the principals were handcuffed in the process.

“Money comes from the school district, not the principal,” said Martin. “I see not funding librarians as shortsighted.”

Several more parents, educators and even a former student of the district voiced their concern for Stanwood’s academic prowess as a result of the changes.

John Farrey, a 2008 graduate of Stanwood High School (SHS) who is currently attending the University of Miami, said he has developed an appreciation for librarians throughout his academic career.

“Libraries serve different purposes for different ages,” he said. “They are transformative environments”

that foster “academic independence and maturity.”

“If we turn our backs on our librarians, we turn our backs on our students,” he added.

As per board policy, explained president Roger Myers, the comments would be considered by directors; however, no formal action was required.

Director Ken Christoferson stated at the end of the meeting that it was valuable to hear the passion from speakers.

“We’ll listen,” he said.

In other school board news:

• Sno-Isle Regional Libraries donated 80 copies of the novel “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, an estimated value of $1,196, to the SHS library and the English department.

• Elger Bay Elementary PTA donated $118.50 to help support the first-grade field trips and $3,054.26 to support the fifth-grade outdoor environmental field trip.

• Stanwood Elementary PTA donated $2,469.73 to purchase two projectors to be used in the classrooms.

• Roy Lesher of Camano Island was recognized for receiving the Washington Association of School Administrators Community Leadership Award for his dedication to the district. Lesher has worked with elementary school nurses to provide vision screening for students through his work as a Lions Club member. He also serves as a key communicator for the district and held a position on the budget task force.

• Matt Mourges, a junior at SHS, was honored for qualifying for the Washington Aerospace Scholars’ summer residency program. During the six-day residency, Mourges will join a team of 160 students to plan a mission to Mars.

• The board unanimously approved renaming the SHS stadium as the Bob Larson Stadium (See full story on page A3).