Utah District Phases Out K–8 Librarians

The Provo City School District in Utah is in the process of phasing out most of its certified media specialists in elementary and middle schools over the next two years and replacing them with classified employees—nonteaching staff members who don’t necessarily have college degrees, says Assistant Superintendent Ray Morgan.

The decision, based on a recommendation by District Superintendent Randy Merrill, boils down to a lack of money. The district will need $1.5 million every year for the next 30 years to comply with a federal requirement that it have cash on hand to pay for employee retirement benefits. Cutting certified librarians will save about $250,000 annually.

“It’s not that we don’t value our certified media people,” says Morgan, adding that the district has also cut employee benefits and increased class sizes to save additional funds. “But rather than cut certified professionals in the classroom, we decided to cut them in our libraries.”

Three of the district’s 13 elementary schools have already moved certified media specialists into classrooms or not replaced those who’ve retired. And a librarian in one of the two middle schools is currently dividing his time between the library and a classroom.

Most elementary and middle school libraries will be run by full-time paraprofessionals by fall 2008, when the district plans to cut the budgets for K–8 libraries by 50 percent, Morgan says. Technically, schools can choose to keep certified librarians by seeking alternative state or local funds to pay for the remainder of their salaries. Only one elementary school is considering that option at this time.

Getting rid of certified librarians isn’t new in Utah. Most districts started eliminating them about 20 years ago when the state legislature halted funding for school libraries. Once Provo’s media specialists are gone, only five out of 41 school districts in Utah will have certified librarians in elementary and middle schools.

Laurel Harris, a media specialist at nearby Jordan High School, remembers when her district phased out school librarians in the 1980s. Now the Jordan School District, the largest district in Utah, has four certified media specialists who divide their time among 57 elementary schools.

Georgia Loutensock, a specialist for library media at the Utah State Office of Education, says districts like Provo will soon see the consequences of their decision. “In two or three years down the road, they’ll see test scores drop and students will fall down in language arts, research, and other areas,” she says. “It’s a value judgment, but it’s the wrong judgment.”