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Elementary library aide warns that planned staffing cuts would hurt students' reading access
Summary
An East Haven elementary library aide urged the board to keep elementary library aides after hearing of a plan to eliminate all library aides except for the middle and high schools. The speaker said the library program and book fair support student reading engagement and resources.
Kelly Delucia, a library aide at Mamawin (Mamogwin/Mowgwin) School, addressed the board during the audience-of-citizens portion to oppose a plan she said would eliminate elementary library aides districtwide and retain library aides only at the middle and high school levels.
Delucia identified herself as the library aide at Mamawin School and said she and colleagues see classes daily, help students find appropriate books and have supported fundraising and donor projects to update the elementary library. She said the school’s book fair has generated about $10,000 in scholastic dollars over roughly two-and-a-half years, and that two DonorsChoose projects brought roughly $2,000 in supplies with another project pending. She described her role as part time (15 hours per week) and said cutting the elementary library-aide positions would be "a disappointment to the kids" who use the library and benefit from daily interactions.
Why it matters: elementary library aides often support daily class visits, circulation, book selection and reading promotion. Removing those positions could reduce direct staff time helping young readers find books and participate in school reading events.
What the speaker requested and next steps
Delucia asked the board to consider the impact on students and explained the library program's role in promoting reading. The transcript records her remarks but does not show a board vote or a formal response from the board at that time; administrators and board members did not place a separate action item on the agenda during the same meeting.
Ending
No formal board action on the library-aide staffing plan was recorded in the meeting transcript; the comment was entered into the public record for the board to consider in future budget and staffing discussions.
