Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Librarians and parents urge Rondout Valley board to preserve library aides as budget cuts loom
Summary
During public comment at the April 7 meeting, librarians and parents warned that cutting full-time library aides would harm instruction, access and special programs; trustees discussed potential trade-offs such as adjusting security staffing but adopted the budget dollar amount pending further review.
Several librarians, parents and community members urged the Rondout Valley Board of Education on April 7 to preserve library-aide positions that administration proposed not to fill.
Tara Tivo Edmond, the high-school librarian, told the board she has not worked without a full-time library aide in her 21 years and said removing the aide would “irreparably damage the program,” citing the aide’s role in instruction, research support and event management. "Without a full time aid, much of this work would have been impossible," she said.
Kathy Turner, a library media specialist at Garamson Elementary School for 27 years, listed multiple reasons a full-time aid matters at the elementary level: individualized student support, stronger literacy development, smoother class management, upkeep of the collection and support for technology use. "An aid ensures the collection stays organized so students can actually find and use the resources efficiently," she said.
Multiple speakers suggested compromises during the budget-adoption discussion, including sharing two library aides across the four buildings or examining the possibility of reducing a security or SRO position to free funds for library staffing. Trustees disagreed on whether reducing one SRO or armed security guard would unduly risk student safety; some board members asked administration for time-use data from SROs and for cost comparisons before making staffing trade-offs.
Parents and staff raised broader concerns about cuts to special-education positions and speech services. One parent said cutting those roles would reduce supports for students with disabilities and urged the board to prioritize those services.
The board adopted the budget dollar amount during the meeting but did not finalize the specific staffing reassignments that would flow from that number. Several trustees asked administration to model options for retaining at least some library-aide coverage and to return with numbers on how reallocating security or other central expenditures might affect library staffing.
The board and administration indicated they will continue discussing staffing assignments between adoption of the dollar amount and the end of the fiscal year; community members asked for greater transparency on any final personnel decisions.
