June 6, 2011
Dear OELMA Members,
Unfortunately we are facing difficult budget times and with
that, the elimination of many school library media specialist
positions. Right now our fate is uncertain. We do know that the
current governor is NOT in favor of the evidenced
based HB1 and will eliminate many of the provisions. We will
know more, once the budget bill comes out. Our president, Krista
Taracuk did testify on April 8, 2011 in support of school
libraries and "... to point up problems library media
specialists are having in being available to serve some school
staffs and students. Also to identify a growing problem in the
way some districts are attempting to fulfill the classroom
position of certified school librarian".
Below, are portions of the Operating Standards that refer to the
library media specialist. This is what we have...right now.
Anything in parentheses is NOT part of the standards but are
comments/opinions from our legislative liaison.
People have asked if this is happening in other states. The
answer is YES, unfortunately.
I wish that we had better news, but we do not. OELMA is working
to improve advocacy. It is not an easy task to determine what is
in the Operating Standards and Ohio Revisded Code and then to
determine what it means to the library media specialist. Add to
that the many changes, deletions, and additions and it is a
constant uphill battle just to understand. In addition, the
language is vague, as you will see below. Finally, remember that
everyone on advocacy is a volunteer and a full-time library
media specialist (parent, sister, brother, daughter, son!). As
we receive additional information we will do our best to keep
you updated.
Finally, I would just add one thing more. Keep advocating for
yourself in your OWN school and district. If we are to begin to
climb back up this hill, we need to "make a difference" first,
in our own school communities. Be visible, volunteer to report
at staff meetings, board meetings and community organizations.
Post pictures of students actively engaged with information,
send them to your local newspapers, collect evidence with short
surveys, post the results and insist that you be a speaker
somewhere in your school district and community to talk about
"Today's School Library". (Use those pictures and evidence when
you speak.) Our constituents need to know who we are and what it
is we do. It really is an uphill battle that starts very close
to home...in our own school and our own district.
Sue Subel
Advocacy
(This report was taken from the Operating Standards-ODE Web
Site found at
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=1222&ContentID=5769&Content=100894
The discussion that follows is based only on the Ohio
Operating Standards. This information is in the Ohio Revised
Code 3301-35-01-06.
Section 3301-35-05 (A) (4) Per 1000 students a school
district must have a minimum of five full-time education service
personnel. The district may select service personnel from the
areas of counselor, library media specialist, school nurse,
visiting teacher, social worker, and elementary art, music, and
physical education. A credential for each of these service
personnel is required.
(This section identifies the library media specialist as a
choice for full-time education service personnel.)
Section 3301-35-06 (G) (4) Involvement of a credentialed
teacher in reviewing the instructional plan, which may include
providing, supervising, or reviewing instruction or learning
experiences and the evaluation of student performance...
(This section requires planned student instruction and
supervision to be done by a credentialed teacher. LMS have a
major supervision responsibility. The Aide is not certified.
Section 3301-35-06 (I) (1) Educational Support
Services...Student support services should be designed to
support student progress toward meeting the educational
performance objectives contained in Ohio law, federal law and
locally developed course objectives. Student support services
may include screening, assessment, intervention, monitoring
of student progress, counseling, consultation, and access to
library media and information technology designed to support
student achievement. Instructional materials and equipment
including library media materials, technology, and other support
services (e) to be selected according to adopted policies and
with the involvement of credentialed staff.
(This section says the school district "SHOULD" HAVE STUDENT
SUPPORT (not will have) in areas of screening, assessment and
providing student (and teacher) support with library media
material, instructional information and technical support. The
superintendent may argue that an aide can provide this support
but section (e) is specific to require credentialed staff to
provide this support.)
Section 3301-35-06 (2) (c) Operational support services
should be designed to create an education environment conducive
to effective teaching and learning...(c) Services that identify
student health and safety concerns and opportunities of access
to appropriate related resources.
(This section reference administration, health service and
providing appropriate related resources...which should include
library media services.)
SUMMARY: The law does not require that a library media
specialist be on the school district staff; however, student
services related to information services leading to student
success must be provided by credential staff. This argument
supports our position that a district must have a credentialed
library media specialist to certify the information services
being provided to students. Our problem is that some of the
language says "should" instead of "will," so we must present the
case that the Code requires credentialed staff supervision for
information services and technical information that aides are
not equipped to provide. Superintendents can use credential
staff in the place of library media specialists because the
credential staff may be interpreted in the eyes of the beholder
and not based on skills and reality.
AmSubHB1 (previous budget bill) specifies an allocation for
library media services and a number of librarians required based
on the student units as defined by the Evidenced Based Model.
Governor Kasich has stressed that evidenced based will
removed from continued budget bills. Most of the
language that dealt with the funding of EBM was in temporary law
which means that it must be included in this new budget bill. We
will have to wait to see what the Governor does with EBM. The
new budget bill might serve to strengthen our position...it
can't weaken it much. The new budget bill will influence the
position of everyone who is not teaching CORE subjects. We just
have to keep on fighting and proving the necessity of having
library media specialist in our school libraries.
We do not have actual language for the budget bill as of
3-23-11.
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