UPDATED: Talk of Deep Cuts to School Libraries Sparks Campaign from Concerned Parents

Concerned local parents have launched a campaign to prevent deep cuts to school libraries being considered by the Monrovia Unified School District Board of Education as it attempts to close a projected budget deficit.

Parents started an email chain and Facebook page calling on the district to keep libraries and and intact after school board members met in closed session last week to discuss potential cuts to libraries and other services.

Board member Alex Zucco said Monday that the district is exploring cuts to school libraries in an effort to save about $500,000 but has not considered closing some libraries outright as some parents worried.

"Anything is on the table but the libraries are not closing," Zucco said.

The board is looking at cutting staff hours and services and could get rid of full-time librarians at some schools, Zucco said.

"We anticipate a reduction in hours for libraries, but are working to avoid complete closures of these facilities," said MUSD Superintendent Linda Wagner in an email.

Local parent Vicki Barstow created a Facebook page to address the possible cuts and called on parents to show up in droves to Wednesday's board meeting.

"We are trying to get a grassroots campaign going to save the library so we need every body in Monrovia at the next School Board Meeting ... to show we are not going to lay down and roll over," Barstow wrote. "The library is worth fighting for and we need to show a force they have never seen before."

Barstow said in an interview Tuesday that her mother, a librarian at Clifton, was informed that her job would be terminated in September. She said Clifton teachers and parents will be on hand at Monday's meeting to protest the library cuts.

Robert Drew, a math teacher at Clifton, also said he was told the librarian positions at Clifton and Santa Fe would be eliminated. Additionally, he was told hours would be cut at the local elementary and high school libraries.

Teachers have been questioning who would take over for the librarians if they were indeed let go, Drew said.

"When we got that news, our natural question was, 'How are we going to handle checking out and recommending appropriate books for our students here?,'" Drew said. "If you're eliminating our librarians, who's manning the ship?"

Board member Chris Rich said Monday that cuts to school libraries are just a "small amount" of what must be excised from the budget in the coming months. Dwindling money from the state is forcing the district's hand and the total budget shortfall faced by the district remains in flux, Rich said.

"There's still going to have to be massive amounts of cuts and we dont even know the dollar values yet," Rich said. "Everything is on the table. It's ludicrous the amount of cuts coming down from the state of California."

Wagner said the budget deficit will continue to change, adding that the current estimates are better than they appeared in previous months. The district is currently projecting a $2.7 million deficit at the end of the 2013-14 school year, according to Wagner. California school districts are required to submit budgets three years in advance.

Rich said he welcomed the community's input and hoped to hear from parents and teachers at Wednesday's meeting. Wagner called on parents to pass on their concerns to state legislators.

"Parents are concerned, as are we," Wagner wrote. "The sad fact is that schools presently lack the basic funding to run even core programs such as school libraries. We encourage parents and community members to share their concerns with their legislators."