U-46 proposes new secondary library/media curriculum, requests $456,274 for resources and staffing

At the March 10 School District U-46 Board of Education meeting, district staff presented a proposal to adopt a new secondary library and media curriculum aligned to updated state and national standards and to fund associated resources and staffing for the 2025-26 school year.

Why it matters: The proposal would expand information and media-literacy instruction across grades 6–12, increase library collections and makerspace materials, and aim to staff all middle and high school libraries with full-time librarians and full-time paraprofessionals to maintain access before school, during lunch and after school.

Celia Banks, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and Jackie Johnson, coordinator of PreK–12 literacy and libraries, told the board the curriculum writing began in July 2024 and aligned to guidance from "ISB, ISAIL, and the American Association of Libraries," and to changes connected with the Media Literacy Act. The recommended program includes five units (digital literacy, information…