Congress Takes Up SKILLs Act, Again
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By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 11/2/2009 2:05:00 PM
The SKILLs Act is back as an independent stand-alone bill—not as it was originally introduced in 2007 as a part of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
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Rep. Raul Grijalva (above) has introduced a stand alone SKILLs Act, along with Rep. Vernon Ehlers. |
The concern is that Congress won’t have time to pass the SKILLs Act and ESEA separately, and if that happens, there’s a chance that school librarians will be overlooked.
Back in 2007, the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries Act (SKILLs Act) was first introduced, and it called for at least one state-certified media specialist in every K–12 school across the country by 2010 and included school librarians in the “highly qualified” category of the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). NCLB was originally proposed by President George W. Bush and passed in 2001.
But that was then, and this is now.
Although the current reauthorization of ESEA is NCLB, it will be replaced by the reauthorization of ESEA, which was first enacted in 1965 to fund primary and secondary education.
While the SKILLs Act was reintroduced last week by Representatives Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), ALA would prefer to see the issue of school librarians addressed under ESEA.
In 2007, the SKILLs Act was introduced in the 110th Congress by Representatives Grijalva and Ehlers and received 30 cosponsors. It was also introduced in the U.S. Senate in the 110th Congress by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and received bipartisan sponsorship from Senators Thad Cochran (R-MS), John Kerry (D-MA), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
So far, there is no Senate companion legislation in the 111th Congress.
The SKILLs Act died in December 2008 during the 110th Congress because it failed to be reported out of committee.
“School librarians are crucial to true academic achievement and we are hopeful that every school that wants to educate their students well will have a school library with state-certified school library media specialists,” says Emily Sheketoff, associate executive director of ALA’s Washington office.
