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Tanya Worley tells Pendleton County school board cuts would curtail Franklin Elementary library services
Summary
At a personnel hearing, Franklin Elementary employee Tanya Worley described how abolishing her extracurricular media specialist contract would reduce about two hours per week (roughly 76 hours per year) and force cuts to library programs that support early literacy; the board later approved the superintendent's RIF list that included the post.
At a personnel hearing on a proposed reduction in force, Franklin Elementary employee Tanya Worley told the Pendleton County Schools board that cutting the extracurricular media specialist contract attached to her parent-coordinator role would reduce student access to books and early-literacy support.
"For many students, the school library is their primary access to books," Worley said, listing inventory work, circulation, book-fair fundraising, creation of Accelerated Reader tests and yearbook production among duties she performs. She said the change proposed by administration would cut “about 2 hours less a week,” roughly "76 hours in the year," and that those lost hours would force her to drop tasks such as the art show and day-to-day library maintenance.
Superintendent Nicole Napper told the board the media specialist role had been posted incorrectly and requires certification; administration proposed folding the media specialist duties into Worley’s parent-coordinator contract so students would continue to receive services. "We definitely do not want to lose her services," Napper said, adding the district would consider revising the parent-coordinator contract to specify hours per year rather than per week and to fund the position from multiple sources.
Board members pressed administration on whether the services would continue and how hours and funding would be adjusted. Napper said there may be some reduced hours but not significant reductions to student services, and that contract changes would be discussed at the board’s March meeting.
During the hearing Worley provided library data to the board, saying the average age of the collection improved from the mid-1990s to about 2007 under her stewardship and that diversity and student-wellbeing titles had increased. She emphasized that even modest hour reductions would require dropping time‑intensive events and tasks that support student reading and teacher access to leveled materials.
The personnel hearing concluded with the board thanking Worley and her supporters. Later in the meeting the board voted by voice to approve the superintendent’s recommended reductions in force as presented; the list included Worley’s extracurricular media specialist contract. The board said it would review contract language in March to try to preserve necessary services while aligning the district’s funding and certification requirements.
The board did not record roll-call tallies for the reductions-in-force vote; the motion passed by voice vote. The district’s contracts and funding sources for the affected positions will be on the March agenda for further review.
