SKILLs Act

The SKILLs Act

On Tuesday June 26, 2007, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Representatives Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) introduced the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLs) Act that guarantees students across America will be served by highly qualified, state-certified school library media specialists and will have the library resources they need to succeed.

The SKILLs Act:

 Requires school districts, to the extent feasible, to ensure that every school within the district employs at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in each school library;

 Defines highly qualified school library media specialists as those who have a bachelor’s degree and have obtained full state certification as a school library media specialist or passed the state teacher licensing examination, with state certification in library media in such state;

 Establishes as a state goal that there be at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in every public school no later than the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year;

 Broadens the focus of training, professional development, and recruitment activities to include school library media specialists;

 Ensures that funds will serve elementary, middle, and high school students; and

 Requires books and materials to be appropriate for and engage the interest of students in all grade levels and students with special learning needs, including English language learners.

(information above was obtained from the American Association of School Librarians, at http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/SKILLS_Act.cfm).  

Your support is needed!  Here’s what you can do:

Email your Senators and Representative, asking them to sign on as a co-sponsor of the bill.  It’s VERY easy to do, just follow these simple steps! 

1.      Click here for sample text, or go to AASL’s web site (http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslissues/SKILLs_Act_TP.cfm) for a list of talking points.  Use these talking points to draft the body of a letter explaining the SKILLs Act.  Include the following language:  As a voter in your district, I am asking that you sign on as a co-sponsor and support this important piece of legislation.  

2.      Go to http://brown.senate.gov/contact/ and complete the form to send a message to Senator Sherrod Brown.  Cut and paste the text you want to use to convey your message.

3.      Go to http://voinovich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm and complete the form to send a message to Senator George Voinovich.  Cut and paste the text you want to use to convey your message.

4.      Go to http://www.house.gov/writerep/ to find out who your Representative is and to be directed to the page on his/her site where you can contact him/her.  Cut and paste the text you want to use to convey your message.