District 64 librarians and union urge board to reconsider elimination of middle‑school library assistant posts

Three library staffers and a union representative used the public‑comment period at the Park Ridge CCSD 64 Board of Education meeting to urge the board to reverse or reconsider a planned elimination of middle‑school library assistant positions and unilateral changes to elementary library assistant duties.

Catherine Contreras, LRC director for Emerson Middle School, told the board, “As a result of budget cuts, district 64 administration has decided to eliminate the middle school library assistant position. This decision impacts the learning and opportunities afforded to every middle school student and middle school teacher in our district.” She said further documentation outlining the concerns had been shared with the board.

The appeal was echoed by Jenna Garber, Library Information Specialist at Lincoln Middle School: “Without a library TA, I will be trying to do 2 full time jobs at once,” Garber said. She described how routine tasks that a library TA performs—checkout, reshelving, shelf reading, Chromebook support and processing new books—would fall to a single librarian, forcing limits on student access. “Students will no longer be able to come to the library at any point with a pass,” she said, and added that class visits and daily open checkout would likely be cut back.

Liz Catadella, speaking on behalf of the Park Ridge Teachers’ Association–Aides (PRTAA) and as an elementary library assistant and District 64 parent, told the board the changes were announced to staff without prior consultation. “This had never been discussed with her. She was completely caught off guard by this decision,” Catadella said, recounting how one elementary assistant learned about a job‑change at a staff meeting. Catadella said library assistants make libraries accessible and that the changes came after administrators told staff the changes were budgetary.

Why it matters: all three speakers linked the staffing decision to reduced daily access and to district priorities on reading and curriculum. Garber told the board the district recently adopted a new ELA curriculum and changed the middle‑school schedule in an effort to raise reading scores; she argued that cuts to library staffing would undercut those efforts. Contreras also noted the community’s recent referendum that, she said, reflected support for district goals to “protect our buildings, protect our children, and preserve our future,” and asked the board to weigh that context.

Discussion vs. action: the three speakers made public comments during the allotted comment period; the meeting record shows no board motion or vote on the LRC assistant positions during the session. Board members listened but did not take formal action on the staffing decision during the meeting.

Next steps: speakers said they had provided written documentation to the board and asked the board to “keep the conversation open” so the decision could be revisited for future school years.