Logan Students, Staff Fight to Save Media Center

Students and some faculty members are making a final push to help save the Media Center, which is scheduled to close next year.

The decision was announced last month when New Haven Unified School District officials to more than 65 personnel due to budget cuts the district faces next year. The layoffs included three library media specialists at Logan and and Middle Schools, resulting in the scheduled closures of the campus media centers.

Though the cuts were said to be a precautionary measure in the case that local and state tax measures fail to pass, Logan Media Center Specialist Carla Colburn said she was notified by Associate Superintendent of Personnel Services Derek McNamara that the media specialist positions would surely be eliminated, regardless of the outcome of the tax measures.  

“The district will be able to rescind some—but not all—of the other cuts it has been forced to make,” said Rick La Plante, director of parent and student relations at NHUSD. “Those include not only laying off media specialists, but also counselors and one administrator each at the middle schools and the high schools, as well as the closing of the adult school.”

Despite the dim outlook, Colburn has not given up hope.

Colburn argues that the complete elimination of Media Center jobs would remove a number of services. Students would have no longer have access to the books and films, she said.

Colburn prepared a PowerPoint presentation for the school board conveying the importance and value of the library program, she said. She is also spreading the word through posters and emails about the impending demise of her program.

Students have also expressed their dismay at the approaching closure of the Media Center.

“The Media Center has been an extremely convenient and helpful place for us students to use for studying, research, and technology,” said sophomore Jonatan Garibay. “Cutting it now would only make things twice as hard for the people that actually really do need it.”

“I think that’s pretty sad,” said junior Justyna Torres. “Not everybody can have the same opportunities. Most people can’t afford to go out and buy books, so it gives kids who don’t have that privilege a chance.”

Meanwhile, junior Sean Zhu has taken the initiative to start a website and Facebook page in the hope of saving the Media Center. He also started a poll asking students how adverse the affect on them will be if it is closed.

One student on Zhu’s “Save the Logan Media Center” Facebook page said the closure would make the school feel like a prison.

“I want to save the Media Center because it’s a really convenient place,” said Zhu, who spoke briefly during the oral communications segment of Tuesday night’s school board meeting. “At lunch we’re not allowed to leave, and other rooms are crowded, usually with people eating. It gives me an opportunity to get stuff done. It’s a good work environment.”

In February, the district compiled a list of services and programs to be cut under . Some programs on this list would be added back if the Measure B parcel tax, nicknamed “Taking Care of Our Kids,” passes; other programs would be added back if the proposed state budget includes funds allowing that.

The media centers were not included on the add-back list for either scenario.

“Measure B funds can be used only for the items included in the measure—to minimize increases in class sizes and reductions to the school year and for after school activities,” La Plante said. “The measure was written that way specifically because those appeared to be the voters’ priorities, according to the poll.”

According to McNamara, polling indicated that potential voters “would be most likely to tax themselves to minimize increases in class sizes, minimize reductions to the school year and support after-school activities.”

Colburn urges those concerned about the Media Center closure to write to school board members to express their views.