Teachers and parents urge BCPS to restore full‑time secondary library media specialists

Union representatives and library media specialists used the public‑comment portion of the Dec. 16 Board of Education meeting to press the district to protect staffing levels and negotiated agreements that support students.

Kelly Olds, speaking for TAPCO, the teachers’ union, asked the board to "stand together for the budget our students need" and to meet jointly with county elected officials to ensure funding preserves staff and agreed salaries. "We don't need cuts in this county, not cuts to pay and cuts to staff because these cuts are cuts to our students," Olds said.

Two library media specialists argued that decades of research and local experience show certified media specialists improve student literacy and outcomes. Marie Naven, a library media specialist and BCPS parent, said more than 50 years of research demonstrates that students with access to well‑resourced libraries and certified librarians score higher on standardized tests and graduate at higher rates; she described how at Dundalk High School the library circulated more than 3,600 books in a recent four‑month period and co‑taught more than 140 classes when staffing allowed.

Santina Giannotti, also a library media specialist and parent, noted BCPS's 2017 recognition as a National School Library Program of the Year and said assigning certified librarians to teach outside the library is "a step backward" that harms equity. "I urge you to protect full time certified library media specialists in their position as the media specialist in the library and continue investing in professionals who are truly capable of transforming schools," she said.

The public commenters tied their recommendations to the budget process and to policy decisions: they urged the board to resist cuts that would force media specialists out of library roles and to hold joint budget conversations with county leaders to protect staff and programs.

Provenance: public comment segment, Board of Education meeting, Dec. 16, 2025 (TAPCO introduction at SEG 261; library media comments begin SEG 325 and continue through SEG 575).