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Oh, Just Cut It Out Already
March 20th, 2010 | 
Author: By Megan
The Economy…
Budget Cuts…
Tighten Up Our Belts…
Reduce Expenses…
I’ve heard these phrases so many times over the last two weeks, I’m going to choke on them.
As is the case with so many school systems, ours has hit a financial crunch. Faced with cutting over $4 million in the immediate future, a list of proposed changes was released. On a Friday. There was going to be a Community Meeting held the following Wednesday, where we would be allowed to voice concerns, ask questions, and get a few answers.
That Community Meeting? It was being scheduled for the day AFTER the school board was to vote on the proposed cuts.
THAT idea went over like a fart in church. After much uproar, the voting was postponed, additional opportunities to meet were scheduled, and some snow fell.
And our fears, as parents, as students, as educators, were realized.
Photo Courtesy: Lead Academy
Next year, unless something substantial changes, there will not be Media Specialists in our elementary school libraries. Of all of the cuts that were proposed, THIS one was, in my mind, the most painful.
(For those of us who are.. older, these are librarians. However, in this modern age, there’s so much more to that role than just wandering among the stacks of books. So, the official title now is Media Specialist. Just to clarify. My school system has just cut elementary school librarians. Middle school, as well.)
Young children, as they are learning to read, are blessed by qualified Media Specialists. Guided class time in the Library/Media Center allows them to explore, learn, touch and absorb the love of literature. As they get older, and more and more of the funding is a function of test scores, reading and retention are vital. I could go on and on (and on) extolling the virtues and importance of having a Media Center Specialist in every school.
I fear for the literacy of our children. I fear that they will not develop the love of reading and writing without that guiding hand. The Dewey Decimal System will be lost, devoured by Google, Bing and Yahoo. Late nights with flashlights, hiding under the covers reading after lights out, replaced by Facebooking on an iPhone. The soft sounds of pages turning will be muffled by the chirp of the next text message.
I will forever be grateful to my childhood librarian. Mrs. O. I hope that, as a parent, I will be able to continue to build the love of reading up in my own kids. As a library volunteer, I hope that I can, in some small way, provide some of that for other kids in our school. But most importantly, I hope that we can find other places to make financial cuts. That we can decide that our kids’ educations are worth far more than what we’re giving them.
In the end, there are no “good” cuts when we look at the financial pictures surrounding the education of our children. There are sensible cuts, there are consolidations, and even concessions to be made. There is fiscal responsibility. But I cannot feel that slicing open the artery that feeds the literacy of our children displays any level of responsibility at all.
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I know this is not part of the article and I know my question won’t be answered but, where is the money going? I realize that all area schools across the country are being affected by budget cuts and no one likes to hear that the schools are faced with this. I pay quite a bit in taxes as do my fellow neighbors for the school system.
My case in point: the county I live in decided to spend a lot of the taxpayers money in building an elaborate high school. I agree this growing area needed a third high school to accommodate the two that are currently overflowing but not one equipped with fountains, an elevator and high end technology to name a few of the unnecessary items. With their expectation of giving the students options for aeronautical and business studies the school will need to employ higher paid teachers. Where do they expect to get the money to pay them when we can’t even afford librarians at the elementary and middle school levels? I guess they’ll be just robbing more from the younger students who by the time reach this prestigious high school won’t even know how to open a book because the budget cuts took away the libraries themselves.
Sorry about this long winded response. Your post struck a cord. We the parents have to stand up for our children. They are the future.
I have heard that they are planning to cut Bradford Woods too (I loved going there!) and one of the schools my friend used teach at is being closed. What a mess!
And people wonder why our children are struggling with reading? Let’s blame video games instead of the fact that “responsible” adults can’t spend money properly and have to fire all of the librarians. Sorry, I get a little worked up about stuff like this. I just find it really sad that kids end up suffering because adults can’t make responsible spending decisions.
This makes me so sad. My 6-year-old is in her first year of school and she LOVES Tuesdays because she gets to go to the library and pick out a new book. I know the kids love their … I can’t say ‘media specialist’… librarian and I know books are SO important. Money sucks.
Tiffany,
The cuts in funding for us here locally have been a result of the total economic picture. Our school system is funded by sales tax revenues. As our well paying jobs have left (Thanks, NAFTA), people have had to either take lower paying positions or leave the state to find work. People are not spending as lavishly, and as a result, sales tax revenues have dropped off considerably.
I appreciate your long winded response! I had to work REALLY hard to not be any more long winded in the post. Your points are quite valid, and I strongly encourage you as a parent and/or taxpayer to be informed about the budget processes for your school system. We are the advocates for our children, the voices for their education. Know what the funding processes are, where the money comes from, and how it’s earmarked.
I’m going to stop my official long winded response now! Thanks for your thoughts!
There are no good cuts, but this is truly horrible! Getting rid of the media specialists is tragic.
Wow, that’s horrible. Lots of art, music, and even gym programs have been cut around here. Just not fair to these kids!
-Tamara
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up!
And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time!
How you find ideas for articles, I am always lack of new ideas for articles. Some tips would be great