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West Bend presents three-year district library plan tied to state funding
Summary
The Curriculum Committee reviewed a state-required district library plan that uses the Future Ready framework, outlines collection-development practices, staffing, holdings and a three-year timeline for updates tied to common school fund eligibility.
The West Bend School District Curriculum Committee on Sept. 30 received a district library plan presentation that staff said is required by the state and tied to library funding.
Pam (library coordinator) told the committee the plan uses the Future Ready framework to align library services with district curriculum and student-centered literacy goals and lays out priorities for the next three years, including strengthened collection development, an updated K–12 library scope and sequence, and more uniform programming across buildings.
Why it matters: the plan shapes how state library funds (common school funds) are used for collections and helps the district manage a large set of physical and digital resources during building reconfigurations.
Pam said the district operates eight school libraries staffed by 13 part-time library aides, one shared library/technology assistant and a single full-time certified librarian (the district library coordinator). She said the district manages about 169,000 library items and approximately 171,000 curriculum items. The plan identifies three priority goals: 1) strengthen collection-development practices and regular ordering/weeding to reflect building reconfiguration; 2) create an updated, intentional K–12 library scope and sequence that aligns with district curricula and library standards; and 3) ensure equitable library experiences across sites.
Pam described implementation steps such as improving wayfinding and displays, updating policies for moving materials between buildings as grades reconfigure, and working with staff to align library instruction to adopted curricula (Pam cited CKLA elementary materials as an example). She said Wisconsin’s library standards are being revised and the district will revise its expectations to match any new state guidance. The plan will be filed with the state as required; staff said some components of library funding — collections — are eligible for common school funds, while non-collection costs such as furniture are not covered by that funding source.
During questions, a committee member asked about how the district will handle vetted book lists and moving vetted materials between buildings; Pam and staff said they will employ the same review process for relocated materials as for new purchases and that the reconfiguration presents an opportunity to reassess collections districtwide.
Next steps: staff will finalize the plan, file required documentation with the state and return to the board/committee with an updated scope and sequence and periodic progress reports. No committee vote was taken on Sept. 30.
