Vernon Patch Letter: School Librarians Should Not Be Eliminated

To the Editor:

My name is Tina Glidden. My husband, Dave and I are lifelong residents of Vernon. Both of us attended Lake Street School, VCMS and RHS. Currently, our children attend Northeast School and VCMS. Last week, when I became aware of positions being targeted for elimination in a Jan. 21st Journal Inquirer article, I - along with the other four officers of the Northeast School PTO - immediately voiced our opposition in emails sent to the Board, the Superintendent and to the Town Council, as well. We specifically spoke against the elimination of librarian positions at Northeast, Lake Street and VCMS.

Here are a few points that I would like to reiterate:

• Full-time librarians in our schools are critical to promoting literacy and fostering a lifelong love of reading.
• Research shows that students in schools with full time librarians have significantly higher test scores.
• Full-time Vernon Public School librarians are a critical part of the teaching staff at our schools.
• Full-time librarians give students access to a world of books and serve as guides, readers and dependable resources.
• At the elementary school level, the librarians are a constant and helpful presence for students from the moment they start as kindergarteners, all the way through fifth grade. They get to know each child and find books that will spark interest for them. They also host activities for students to work on together during recess. Completing large puzzles and working on Lego projects with other students are some of the best moments my son had during his years at Northeast School.
• The library is a sanctuary where students who need a little extra time to finish a test, or just a quiet place outside of the classroom, can go.
• Strong school libraries provide an exceptional value for the amount of money spent on librarians' salaries.
• Having shared librarians rather than dedicated librarians would cause a significant loss of services to students. For starters, it means there would be times when there is no librarian in the library, and it would also mean that the librarians would not have the opportunity to get to know students well enough to know things like know what language is spoken at home, what the child's interests are and what might be going on in their lives outside of school to help guide them.
• With a full time librarian, the library is a place where students can always go for a place of calm to complete work, or to sit quietly with an adult they know well. Losing that would be a major disservice to Vernon students.
• A full time librarian is absolutely essential to maintain this crucial, special room in our schools.

The more time I’ve had to think about the proposed budget, the more concerned I’ve become. The fact that Vernon ranks 141 out of the total 166 school districts in the state when it comes to spending per pupil and spends nearly $3,500 less per pupil than the statewide average should not be something our superintendent points to as a source of pride. As a resident of Vernon, I am alarmed by these numbers and distressed by the proposed cutting of librarian positions, paraprofessional positions, as well as math and English teacher positions. Vernon students deserve better than that. These positions are important and should not be eliminated.

Additionally, rather than boasting that our town spends far less than the vast majority of CT towns, we should be bringing our per student spending in line with other towns in the state, and providing competitive salaries to insure the retention of quality teachers and staff in Vernon Public Schools.

Our family has felt firsthand the impact of Vernon’s failure to provide competitive salaries for staff. These last two months, every third grader at Northeast School (including my daughter) has suffered a major disruption, as two amazing, long-term third grade teachers leave Vernon to take comparable (but higher paid) positions in surrounding towns.
As Board of Education members, I know you volunteer a tremendous amount of time because you truly care about our community, and particularly for Vernon students. Cutting full time librarians, paraprofessionals and English and math teachers across the district would be a major disservice to Vernon students, so I respectfully request that these positions continue to be funded.

I respectfully ask the Superintendent, the Board of Education and other town officials to make increasing Vernon’s education budget a priority. Towns with robust education budgets maintain strong schools and attract families. Towns with lower budgets lose teachers and staff - as well as students - to those higher budget towns. We’re watching this happen before our eyes. Please turn this trend around. Vernon schools have a proud history. Please maintain and grow that legacy by championing a larger school budget.

Tina Glidden
Vernon