Although the Mukilteo School District cut nearly $10 million from its budget in the last two years, further reductions are necessary due to the state budget crisis. Among teaching positions being considered for elimination are teacher-librarians. This would be a serious mistake.
Losing teacher-librarians will seriously damage the communities of academic excellence that the district has tried to create. Teacher-librarians build strong relationships with students, encourage their love for reading, teach technology skills, and help students use ideas and information effectively as they do research and develop critical thinking skills. Teacher-librarians collaborate with staff members to plan book projects, do online research and implement technology programs.
Student test scores are strongly correlated with having a teacher-librarian in a school. Keith Curry Lance, a leading educational researcher said, “There is no single magic bullet solution to improving education; but … there is plenty of evidence that school librarians can be key contributors to success. A strong school library isn’t an intervention; it’s an integral part of a successful school — one that depends at least as much on a highly-qualified leader as any classroom.”
Please contact the school board and the administration and urge them to keep teacher-librarians in the Mukilteo School District. Teacher-librarians are the people at the heart of our school communities. Eliminating these positions will do long-term harm to our investment in student learning. Even in a time of economic strain, doing that just wouldn’t add up.
Friends of the Mukilteo School Libraries
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