As a group of Elsmere Elementary parents say they are concerned about losing their full-time librarian, Bethlehem Central warns that more cutbacks are coming.
A group of residents protested a move by the school district to not replace the elementary school librarian when the current one has retired a move that district officials said is necessary as the school tries to rein in spending in the face of state aid cuts.
Harriet Jaffe, along with other Elsmere parents, pleaded with board of education members at the Wednesday, Jan. 21, meeting to name a replacement for Nancy Smith, who is retiring as the Elsmere Elementary librarian.
This is a mistake I believe,` Jaffe said of not replacing Smith. `That individual attention is invaluable.`
She argued that school librarians have been proven `in several studies nationwide` to improve the academic performance of students in grade school and beyond.
Superintendent Michael Tebbano said he sympathizes with the parents’ concerns but said the financial crisis may be more serious than people realize. He asked district residents to be more understanding and to give the new approach a chance.
`We anticipated replacing her [Smith] position earlier, but in light of the current situation we decided we would revise our plan,` Tebbano said. `This is going to be a big crisis we’re trying to manage, and it’s going to get worse. Realistically the $30,000 or so we save will not solve the fiscal crisis, but I have a fiduciary responsibility to this district.`
Tebbano said none of the kids would lose their librarian because the district has rescheduled the remaining five elementary librarians to cover Elsmere Elementary. He added the district has enacted other measures, such as a hiring freeze and the unpopular decision to suspend school field trips, as well as cutting back on school aides and bus routes.
`This is just the tip of the iceberg if we don’t get any funding from the federal government or the state,` Tebbano said, referring to Sen. Charles Schumer’s proposed school `bailout` package that would come from the federal government.
The superintendent said he has received a number of e-mails on the matter and has responded to all of them.
Another concerned parent, Dan Rain, said he would like to remind board members of last year’s redistricting process.
`We were assured that this very situation would not happen,` Rain said at the meeting and then said it seemed like the `smaller schools` were receiving fewer resources than the larger schools.
`This is not a small school issue,` Tebbano responded.
Earlier in the meeting he said, `If this is causing a furor, just wait I know this community will not settle for a high tax rate.`
Tebbano elaborated on the matter the next day.
`I can understand the suspicions of some of the parents of the smaller schools,` he said. `The big picture here is that Elsmere is still going to have a library program. Nothing is changed, we are not denying Elsmere any service.`
Tebbano said the same thing would have happened if any other librarian retired from any other school.
Board of Education President James Lytle called the current economic crisis `the real deal,` and echoed Tebbano’s sentiments on the situation.
`I hope the parents and children of Elsmere give this a fair chance,` he said of the librarian situation. `I’m afraid, like what Mike said, this could be the first taste of what’s to come.`
Board member Lisa Allendorph asked the parents at the meeting who helped at the library if they would be willing to take on a `more leadership role` as a result of not have a permanent librarian at the school.
Jaffe said parents are no substitutes for a full-time librarian and that parents are always doing everything they can.
`The parents here live in a working community,` she told board members. `We don’t have those options.“