[R2R-OR] Ready to Read update

[Katie Anderson]

Hello!  I'm not sure how many of you receive the State Library's Letters to Libraries Online (LTLO) so I thought I better forward the following article to make sure all of you are informed of the latest Ready to Read news.

WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS 2011-13 OSL BUDGET

On May 20th, the Ways and Means Committee of the Legislature passed out SB 5521, the State Library's budget bill for 2011-13. The bill preserves all of the current Library programs but reduces one staff position and makes significant cuts to the Library's operating budget. Overall, the $13.97 million budget is reduced by 7% from the Library's budget in the current biennium. The Ready to Read Grant program was cut from the 94 cents per child per year recommended by Governor Kitzhaber to 78 cents per child per year. This was a continuation of the funding level in 2009-11 after the two across the board cuts that brought the program funding down to 67 cents per child last year. Governor Kitzhaber had also proposed to move the program to the new Early Learning Council in the Governor's Office, but the Ways and Means Committee decided to keep the program in the State Library's budget for now. The Legislature will reconsider this at their next session in February 2012. The Ways and Means Committee also added a budget note to the State Library's budget requesting that the Governor, the Secretary of State, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court convene a workgroup this year "to develop options and make recommendations on the consolidation and Improvement of library and archives services" in State government. At press time SB 5521 had passed in the Senate and was awaiting a vote in the House. If the bill passes, as expected, it will then go to the Governor for his signature.
If you want to read the June 2011 LTLO in its entirety, go to: http://www.oregon.gov/OSL/publications.shtml.  LTLOs are distributed monthly via the libs-or email discussion list<http://listsmart.osl.state.or.us/mailman/listinfo/libs-or>.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,
Katie
Katie Anderson, Library Development Services
* Youth Services Consultant * Oregon Center for the Book Coordinator *
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
katie.anderson at state.or.us<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us>, 503-378-2528

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://omls.oregon.gov/pipermail/r2r-or/attachments/20110603/f47bfdd1/attachment.html>