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Dozens of media coordinators and community members urge board to reinstate certified librarians
Summary
More than a dozen media coordinators, authors and nonprofit partners told the Board of Education during public comment that recent budget decisions allowing schools to reduce or eliminate certified media coordinator positions will harm students’ literacy, technology management and state compliance.
Dozens of school library media coordinators, Bookmarks representatives and parents urged the Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education June 24 to reverse new budget provisions that permit principals to reduce or eliminate certified media coordinator positions.
During the public comment period, current and former media coordinators described the role as central to reading, digital learning and technology management. “Media coordinators are not just book managers, they are instructional leaders who provide direct instruction to students, train staff in emerging lit technologies including AI, and curate collections that help students both see themselves and understand others,” said Walter Carmichael, media coordinator at Meadowlark Middle School.
Speakers cited research and state guidance in arguing for full‑time certified media coordinators. Sarah Beth Lewis, media coordinator at Southwest Elementary, warned that districts that dismantled media programs previously later had to invest heavily to rebuild them. “Cutting the media coordinator role is short sighted. It does not save money in the long run. It costs student achievement,” she said.
Several media coordinators recounted school‑level impacts: Forest Park Elementary reported a 98 percent increase in circulation after reinstating a full‑time certified librarian, Tiffany Ramey said. Vicky Haney, formerly at Northwest Middle School, said her building’s library contains more than $181,000 in books and that device inventories and federally funded instructional materials require trained staff to manage and track.
Nonprofit partners added testimony. Jamie Southern, executive director of Bookmarks, emphasized that author visits, free book distributions and literacy outreach hinge on school librarians: “The loss of a librarian is not just the loss of a person, it's the loss of a literacy leader, a technology guide, a safe space, and a spark for student imagination and engagement.”
Multiple speakers also warned of legal and compliance risks tied to material challenges and reporting requirements. Walter Carmichael referenced the district’s “policy 6161.3” and the NC Department of Public Instruction digital learning plan, noting that without a media coordinator a school “cannot be rated above developing” under state standards.
Board procedure: the general personnel report — which includes personnel separations tied to alternative licensure outcomes and other staff changes — was included on the consent agenda and approved as part of the consent slate later in the meeting. Public commentators said the personnel report’s termination category included names tied to alternative licensure coding, a point Interim Superintendent Amanda Moore clarified earlier in her update.
No board action to reinstate media coordinator positions occurred during the meeting. Speakers asked the board to direct staff to restore the requirement that every school employ a full‑time certified media coordinator and to track the financial and instructional impacts of recent changes.
The board did not take immediate action on that request during the June 24 session; the personnel report and consent agenda items that included the personnel report were approved as part of the consent slate processed later in the meeting.
