[Michlib-l] Fwd: [Mamelist] FW: Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public School

Sun Apr 29 08:16:06 EDT 2018

Thank you Peggy;  I think your question is a very good one.

I have been speaking with the representatives and I think their plan is:
1) introduce these bills to *raise awareness* of the issue of lack of
equitable access to appropriately staffed school libraries  (we will need
everyone's support in raising awareness!)
2) begin work on funding/grant packages to be able to fund these
initiatives (support for funding will be easier to come by with an
understanding of the issue)

I would also like to point out that school districts will be generally
getting more money this year and, also, due to the new Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA); school districts can now use federal Title I and Title
IV dollars toward developing effective school library programs (this was
NOT true in the past).  School districts can also use Title IIA money to
pay for teachers' coursework to add the Library Media (ND) endorsement to
their teaching certificates.  Here is the MDE memo which was sent to all
state superintendents:
https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/School_Library_Month_619701_7.pdf
In the third paragraph of this memo, it states:
*"Under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools may utilize Title I
and Title IVA funds for “developing effective school library programs to
provide students an opportunity to develop digital literacy skills and
improve academic achievement,” as well as Title IIA Page 2 April 5, 2018
funds to support professional learning for school librarians and teachers
seeking to add a Library Media (ND) endorsement on their teaching
certificates."*

Finally, this is my personal opinion (it may not be the opinion of my
association) --- that it is not truly a funding issue in *all* districts;
but, a matter of priority.
In one school district, they added several "Dean of Students" positions and
gave administrators raises in the same year that they cut media specialists
and said there was no money.
In another district, they 'fired' all of their media specialists, rewrote
job descriptions, and hired "technology integrationists" in their place.
Some school districts that receive the minimum per-pupil funding per
student have certified school librarians in *every* school while other
school districts that receive as much as $3000.00 (or even higher amount)
per pupil more than the minimum per-pupil funding say that they cannot
afford it.

It is definitely a complex issue.   I do believe that our Michigan schools
are underfunded and there are several studies which confirm this.
The latest (January 2018) study can be found here:
http://www.fundmischools.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/School-Finance-Research-Collaborative-Report.pdf

Sorry for the lengthy response.
The short of it is, the legislators sponsoring these bills *do* understand
the need for funding and will work on this.
The introduction of the bills will raise awareness of the need for school
libraries staffed by certified school librarians.
We will need everyone's support on this.  Look for a call to action from
MAME early this week.

Please let me know if you have any questions.
All my best,
--Kathy

Kathy Lester, MLIS, MA
*Advocacy Chair, Past-President 2014*
Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME)
*SIGLIB Steering Committee*
Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)
*School Library Media Specialist / Technology Coach*
*SL21 Model Library, 2017-2018*
*SL21 Exemplary Ranking - Michigan School Libraries for the 21st Century
2016-2019*
East Middle School, Plymouth-Canton Schools
*ISTE Making IT Happen Award Winner*
*2017 MAME Michigan School Library Program of the Year*
*2012 **State Librarian's Excellence Award Winner*
kathyL at mimame.org
810.333.5873

On Fri, Apr 27, 2018 at 1:40 PM, Peggy Hemerling via Michlib-l <
michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:

> This is great news!!! This would be a huge step forward to helping improve
> the literacy rate of Michigan’s children.
>
>
>
> I have one question. Are there any provision in the bills to help schools
> pay for their new certified librarians or media specialists? Also, will the
> State provide the funds needed to rebuild the collections of school
> libraries that have been closed, in some cases for years? Passing these
> bills would be wonderful, but if there is no financing to support the
> mandates, many schools will find it nearly impossible to pay for these
> important services.
>
>
>
> I hope all of this will be taken into consieeration as these forward
> thinking Representatives move forward to try to remedy a situation that has
> needed attention for too long.
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Peggy Hemerling
>
> Library Director
>
> Hastings Public Library
>
> 227 E. State St.
>
> Hastings, MI 49058
>
> (269) 945-4263
>
>
>
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>
> *From:* Klaudia Janek [mailto:kjanek at bloomfield.org]
> *Sent:* Friday, April 27, 2018 11:00 AM
> *To:* michlib-l at mcls.org
> *Subject:* [Michlib-l] Fwd: [Mamelist] FW: Bills Require Library in Every
> Michigan Public School
>
>
>
> Big news in the school library world today!  I just wanted to share with
> our public library partners so that we can get the word out.
>
>
>
> Best-
>
> Klaudia
>
>
> Klaudia Janek, MLIS
>
> *School Librarian*
>
> *IB Extended Essay Coordinator*
>
> *Michigan Association for Media in Education - 2018 President*
>
> *AASL Region #3 MI Delegate *
>
>
>
> 248 341 5925
>
> http://iamediacenter.blogspot.com
>
>
>
> International Academy
>
> 1020 East Square Lake Road
>
> Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
>
>
>
> [image: Image removed by sender.]
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: *Lester, Kathy via Mamelist* <mamelist at mcls.org>
> Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 10:56 PM
> Subject: [Mamelist] FW: Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public
> School
> To: mamelist <mamelist at mcls.org>
>
> Please see the forwarded message.
>
> Michigan House Reps Darrin Camilleri, Adam Zemke, and Christine Greig
> introduced bills *today* to require libraries and school librarians!
>
>
>
> MAME President, Klaudia Janek, asked me to pass this on to everyone.
>
>
>
> The MAME Advocacy Committee will be sending out a call to action soon.  We
> will need everyone's help to support this!
>
>
>
> Feeling excited and blessed...
>
>
>
> All my best to everyone!
>
> --Kathy
>
>
>
> Kathy Lester, MLIS, MA
> *Advocacy Chair, Past-President 2014*
>
> Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME)
>
> *SIGLIB Steering Committee*
>
> Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL)
>
> *School Library Media Specialist / Technology Coach*
>
> *SL21 Model Library, 2017-2018*
>
> *SL21 Exemplary Ranking - Michigan School Libraries for the 21st Century
> 2016-2019*
>
> East Middle School, Plymouth-Canton Schools
>
> *ISTE Making IT Happen Award Winner*
>
> *2017 MAME Michigan School Library Program of the Year*
>
> *2012 State Librarian's Excellence Award Winner*
>
> kathyL at mimame.org
>
> 810.333.5873
>
> [image: Image removed by sender.]
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>
> Date: Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 3:15 PM
> Subject: FW: Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public School
> To: "Lester, Kathy" <kathyl at mimame.org>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
>
> *Thursday, April 26, 2018*
>
> *Contact: Samantha Hart*
>
> *Phone: (260) 413-4882*
>
> *Bills Require Library in Every Michigan Public School*
>
> *Legislation comes in response to literacy crisis facing Michigan schools*
>
> LANSING — State Reps. *Darrin Camilleri *(D-Brownstown Township) and *Adam
> Zemke *(D-Ann Arbor) and House Democratic Floor Leader *Christine Greig *(D-Farmington
> Hills) introduced a package of bills to require staffed libraries in every
> public school in Michigan in response to the state’s staggering illiteracy
> rates and in honor of April as School Library Month.
>
> “Every student has a right to read, yet not every public school is
> required to offer students a library to help them grow and develop,” said
> Rep. Camilleri, a former high school social studies teacher. “Even our
> state’s prisons are required to have a library with a certified librarian.
> [1] <#m_1298773186164374457_m_-7322103574138432815_m_22155000877795> If
> we can ensure our state’s prisoners have a library available, surely we can
> work to provide our state’s young minds with access to this vital resource.”
>
> Over the past decade, support for school libraries has fallen throughout
> the state, with many public schools opting to use library space for other
> purposes. Michigan is ranked 47th in the nation
> <https://mea.org/loss-of-librarians-hurts-literacy-efforts/> for its
> ratio of students to certified librarians or media specialists. As of 2012,
> only 8 percent of public schools in the state have at least one full-time
> certified media specialist. At the same time, however, the need for
> services provided by school libraries with certified media specialists is
> growing. In 2017, 56 percent
> <https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/06/michigan-third-grade-reading-decline/111128344/>
> of third-graders failed the reading test included on the state’s
> assessment.
>
> “Michigan is no doubt experiencing a literacy crisis, and it is clear we
> need to be more creative in our efforts to reverse this trajectory before
> it is too late,” said Rep. Zemke, Democratic vice chair of the House
> Education Reform Committee. “We are at a critical moment in our state when
> we must choose whether to take significant steps to improve our schools, or
> face the consequences of continued educational decline. It is crucial we do
> all we can to help put our state’s students on a path to success.”
>
> Specifically, the three-bill package would do the following:
>
> ·      House Bill 5909: Require every public school in Michigan to offer
> a library beginning in the 2018-19 school year that meets certain criteria.
> (Rep. Zemke)
>
> ·      HB 5910: Require a school district board to employ at least one
> certified media specialist for each school library operated by that
> district beginning in the 2018-19 school year. (Rep. Camilleri)
>
> ·      HB 5911: Require a principle or other appropriate administrator to
> designate an individual to supervise students in a school library when a
> certified media specialist is not present. (Rep. Greig)
>
> “In honor of Reading Month, my colleagues and I spent all of March
> traveling throughout our districts sharing our love of reading with
> students,” Rep. Greig said. “Rather than focusing on reading one month of
> the year, we must recommit ourselves to providing Michigan’s students with
> the best literacy resources and instruction possible all year long. We hope
> our colleagues will understand the necessity of this legislation and the
> crisis Michigan’s students are facing, and support this important set of
> bills.”
>
> “Certified school library media specialists provide vital services to
> their students and school communities. They are integral to reading,
> technology integration, and information literacy and have a high impact on
> student achievement,” said Kathy Lester with the Michigan Association for
> Media in Education. “I commend Representatives Camilleri, Greig and Zemke
> for recognizing that our students deserve equitable access to this
> essential resource.”
>
> ###
>
> [1] http://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/05_03_110_337354_7.pdf
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> [1] <#m_1298773186164374457_m_-7322103574138432815_m_22155000877795>
> http://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/05_03_110_337354_7.pdf
>
>
>
>
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