DC Public Schools is trying to fire school librarians again.
This is happening despite the fact that in May 2020 the district passed a $70 million budget increase and in January 2021 the American Rescue Plan infused over $368 million of COVID relief and new aid to DC Schools.
As students and families are coming through the pandemic and academic achievement is so perilous, we shouldn’t balance the budget by cutting the school librarians and denying them access to the tools they need to get ahead. It would be a short-sighted decision that negatively impacts students for years and years to come.
We need your help reaching out to Chancellor Ferebee and Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn to reverse these cuts.
The cuts have already started and we only have a short time to act.
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Right now, there is supposed to be a ratio of 800 DCPS students = 1 school librarian. That should mean at least one school librarian in every school. But the Chancellor and Administration have given principals the green light to “excess” their school librarians in the 2021-2022 school year. Please help send a message today to Chancellor Ferebee and the Administration should “respect the ratio” of students to school librarians and retain their certified school librarians next school year. School librarians should not be a luxury in DC Public Schools. They are core to student learning and achievement, to families navigating the COVID disruptions, and to other teachers collaborating for student success.
Read the article “Why Are DC Public School Librarians Being FIRED? We Are An Educational Necessity!” by DCPS school librarian Christopher Stewart for his first-hand account of the situation.
EveryLibrary was proud to support the Washington Teachers Union (WTU) and school librarians across the system last year to fight for their jobs and win back their funding. It’s sad that the Chancellor’s office and Deputy Mayor believe that cutting school librarians will improve educational outcomes or stabilize the budget. With just over 100 school librarians left across all eight Wards in DC, they should be hiring more librarians and putting them to work doing what they do best: helping every student succeed.
Make a $10 donation to help us fight for school librarians today!
Please join us as we amplify a message from our colleagues at WTU to end these cuts, respect the ratio, and return school librarians to their libraries in 2021-2022 school year - and beyond! It’s easy to send an email right now to Chancellor Ferebee and Deputy Mayor Kihn. Time is short. Please add your voice to this loud, strong, and peaceful call.
#DCPSNEEDSLIBRARIANS
