Teachers in the state of Washington are working together in an effort to pass a bill that would keep the libraries from suffering due to budget cutting. The argument for keeping librarians and the libraries themselves are that students today need library assistance in order to stay up to date on their learning and to have a better chance to learn outside of the classroom. A quote from a Washington middle school teacher states that without libraries and the ability to work with technology, students could be set back and facing a serious deficiency in their lives.
The bill that is being pushed by teachers would supply a $12 state fund for each student which would cover costs for materials. Also, they are trying to have a set amount of librarians at each school to ensure students are being helped and have the best chances to learn. In the Olympia school district, there are very few full-time librarians. The majority of the library workers are teachers who serve part-time as librarians. They take shifts and usually there are two or three teacher/librarians per school. At each level of schools the librarian jobs are being eliminated which only means that the kids are being limited in their resources at an even earlier age.
The bill being pushed is Senate Bill 6380 and was addressed this afternoon. I do not know what the results are yet but obviously there is a need for libraries in our schools. Students need to have access not only to books but to the internet to allow for the best learning environment possible.