LAUSD begins to slash library funding

LAUSD begins to slash library funding
Contra Costa Times: May 5, 2010 by Connie Llanos

WEST HILLS — During recess Wednesday at Pomelo Drive Elementary as one student searched the online catalogue of the school's library, for books about pizza, another paced the fiction aisles digging for a "Star Wars" selection.

Two second-graders curled up on one of the room's big red couches while another group of students enjoyed the sunny day to read under some trees right outside the library.

"At recess and lunch this place can get crowded" said Fran Johnson, the library aide at Pomelo Drive.

When urged to explain her library obsession fourth-grader Reika Rashidi's answered promptly "I love my library...it's a quiet place to think."

Next year though Reika might have to find a different place to gather her thoughts since steep budget cuts at Los Angeles Unified are expected to reduce funding for the district's libraries.

LAUSD's proposed budget for 2010-11 only guarantees high schools a full-time librarian while dozens of middle and elementary schools could be forced to scale back services.

Cutting access to books at a district that already suffers from dismal student achievement and even lower adult literacy rates – as city and county offices are also reducing services – is a big concern for educators.

"Better libraries are related to better reading achievement. This has been confirmed at the state level, national level and international level, and holds even when researchers control for the effects of poverty," said Stephen Krashen, a professor emeritus of education and linguistics at the University of Southern California.

"The reason for this is obvious: Children become better readers by reading more and the library is a major source of books for children."

District officials though said there are few options left.

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In California there are 18 library books per student, well below the national average of 26.

Also the state's ratio of librarians to students is 5,124:1 while the national average is 916:1.

And while California's education require all schools to have a working library they don't mandate how they have to be operated. READ MORE !