[Libs-Or] School Library Staffing: One thing OLA should do.

[Penelope Hummel]

As others on this thread have provided information about the legal distinction between OLA and the People for Oregon LIbraries PAC (and how to contribute to the PAC), I just wanted to provide some additional food for thought.  

With the very limited resources currently available, the People for Oregon LIbraries PAC focuses on local library levies and a few legislative campaigns.  I think it is important to note that what happens at the legislature is quite important to Oregon libraries--not only in terms of support for the state library but also with respect to programs and opportunities we, as librarians, highly value--such as Ready to Read grants, which provide $700,000 annually to support early literacy and Summer Reading programs at public libraries all over the state. So, we would not want to lose sight of that current effort.  

With respect to school board elections, there are several things that would make getting involved in them a much more complicated endeavor than what is currently being pursued in relationship to the state legislature.  In the event that the PAC supports a legislative candidate who loses, the winner of the seat is only one of ninety legislators. With respect to school boards, the situation would be quite different--as that school board member controls one out of a small number of votes.  In a situation where the PAC supported a losing candidate, such support could potentially create an enemy out of the winner, who could then enter office with an "anti-library" perspective.  And, think about who else might financially support school board candidates:  one example that springs to mind is the teachers' union.  Do the priorities of the teachers' union always coincide with the best interests of school libraries?  Unfortunately and understandably, I think not--and I also think that any situation that potentially pits librarians against teachers is a no-win situation.  One should also consider how support from a statewide PAC plays in a local race--often negatively, because voters are sensitive to outsiders coming in and trying to exert influence at a local level.  

While this is all speculation on a theoretical situation, my point is that the realities of school board races would be complex (and potentially counterproductive) waters for a statewide library PAC to navigate.  Then there is the issue of how the PAC would logistically decide who to support in a state with close to 200 school districts.  That's a lot of races for one PAC (with no staff) to intelligently follow!  

I know we all share enormous concern and sadness about what has been happening to school libraries throughout Oregon.  As has been noted, OASL has been diligently working to address this issue for years, and it is also a current OLA priority.  I so appreciate the passion that's evident in the various recent posts on this topic, but speaking for myself, I'm just not convinced that getting the statewide library PAC involved in local school board elections would be an effective strategy to improve the school library situation. 
 

Penny Hummel
President
Oregon Library Association, 2013-14


On Nov 21, 2013, at 9:56 AM, Steve Silver wrote:

What Tony says makes a lot of sense to me. I think there will always be a need to devote some of POL’s funds and attention to the state legislature, but paying more attention to local school boards where these funding decisions are actually being met could reap good short term and tremendous long-term benefits. After all, many state politicians started out on local school boards and similar.
 
It would be interesting to hear from those closely associated with POL what the logistical implications of a shift in focus to local school board races might mean?
 
And I also agree with Tony’s larger point that OLA should be taking a leading role in advocating for school librarians. All of us in Academic and public libraries see the impact of inadequate school library staffing and funding. This issue affects our entire profession and our entire state.
 
As for getting school boards to hear the message, Can we demonstrate how we can help them with their funding crisis? Garrett is right that they are under the gun and libraries are just one small piece of their overall picture. Any way we can craft our language in ways of helping them with THEIR concerns rather than promoting library concerns will help our message be heard.
 
My 2 cents ;-)
 
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Steve Silver
Library Director
541-684-7237
ssilver at nwcu.edu
www.nwcu.edu/library.aspx
 
NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Wisdom  ∙  Faith  ∙  Service
828 E. 11th Ave. │ Eugene, OR 97401
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From: Tony Greiner [mailto:tony_greiner at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 9:41 PM
To: libs-or at listsmart.osl.state.or.us
Subject: [Libs-Or] School Library Staffing: One thing OLA should do.
 
The disgraceful state of Oregon Public Education, and specifically school libraries in Oregon should be of interest to all people in our profession.
 
And I think OLA can make a change in its policies that can help bring back school librarians.
 
Currently, the potentially useful Public Action Committee "People for Oregon Libraries" devotes most of its funds to people running for the state legislature.
 
But that isn't where funding decisions are made. They are made, as Garrett Trott pointed out, at local school boards.
 
We should change the focus of the giving of "People for Oregon Libraries" from the legislature to local school board elections. The dollar impact will be greater, and we will be putting our political money into the campaigns of those that say "staff school libraries."
 
Oregon has a structure for the 'little people' to have influence in elections. Contributions to candidates and Political Action Committees, up to $50 a person, can be applied as a tax credit on Oregon taxes. Which means, essentially, that $50 of your tax bill can be devote to a political cause or candidate. You have to pay the tax anyway...but this allows you to participate in a 'taxpayer-funded election' with no real out-of-pocket expense.
 
OLA has over 1,000 members. If even half of us contributed the $50 annual amount, we would have a $25,000 war chest a year.  According to a recent report, 75% of winning candidates spend less than $1000, and even in large districts, $10,000 is on the high end. ("School Boards at the Dawn of the 21st Century, page 34 and 35).
 
With $25,000 a year, we could make 50 contributions of $500 to candidates that support school libraries, and for many that contribution would pay for half of their election costs!  That could get us some real influence at the level where it counts. With 197 school districts in Oregon, we could be getting good numbers of pro-library people on school boards across the state in just a few years. 
 
We did not lose our school librarians overnight, and we will not get them back overnight. But we will not get them back at all unless we act. If we won't do something, who will?
 
Tony Greiner
 
 
 


**tony_greiner at hotmail.com**
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