<div dir="ltr">Sorry if somebody else already forwarded this but I think it's very important.<div><br></div><div>Jane<br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Don Wood</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:dwood@ala.org">dwood@ala.org</a>></span><br>Date: Thu, Mar 19, 2015 at 8:43 AM<br>Subject: [alacro-l] ESEA School Library Journal Article<br>To: "<a href="mailto:alacro-l@lists.ala.org">alacro-l@lists.ala.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:alacro-l@lists.ala.org">alacro-l@lists.ala.org</a>><br><br><br><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black"><a href="http://www.slj.com/2015/03/legislation/esea-ala-advocacy-community-urging-school-library-supporters-to-act-now/" target="_blank">http://www.slj.com/2015/03/legislation/esea-ala-advocacy-community-urging-school-library-supporters-to-act-now/</a><a href="http://www.slj.com/2015/03/legislation/esea-ala-advocacy-community-urging-school-library-supporters-to-act-now/" target="_blank">http://www.slj.com/2015/03/legislation/esea-ala-advocacy-community-urging-school-library-supporters-to-act-now/</a> <u></u><u></u></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><h1 style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in;line-height:22.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;color:#333333;font-weight:normal">ESEA: ALA and Advocacy Community Urging School Library Supporters to Act Now<u></u><u></u></span></h1><div style="margin-bottom:11.25pt"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">By <span><a href="http://www.slj.com/author/csun/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Carolyn Sun</span></a></span> on <span>March 19, 2015</span> <span><a href="http://www.slj.com/2015/03/legislation/esea-ala-advocacy-community-urging-school-library-supporters-to-act-now/#respond" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Leave a Comment</span></a></span><u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">With the reauthorization of the <a href="http://www.ed.gov/esea" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Elementary and Secondary Education Act</span></a> (ESEA) of 1965, school librarians and education stakeholders have a pivotal opportunity for school library funding to become part of federal education policy for years to come. The <a href="http://www.help.senate.gov/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee</span></a>, which has been charged with overhauling ESEA, has been gearing up for a committee vote on the version of the bill as early as the week of April 13, when the Senate reconvenes, according to Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the <a href="http://www.ala.org/offices/wo" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">American Library Association’s (ALA) Washington Office</span></a>.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">It’s been more than ten years since the last reauthorization of ESEA when Congress passed the <a href="http://febp.newamerica.net/background-analysis/no-child-left-behind-overview" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act</span></a> in 2001. <a href="http://www.civilrights.org/archives/2010/02/880-esea-reauthorization.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Congress attempted—and failed—to update the bill in 2007</span></a>. While political parties and interest groups have varying agendas for the reauthorization, it’s widely agreed that ESEA is in need of reauthorization—and legislation cannot proceed until the Senate HELP Committee comes up with a bipartisan bill that can pass both houses of Congress.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><img border="0" width="595" height="718" src="http://www.slj.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ESEA-Lineup3.jpg" alt="ESEA-Lineup3"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Although efforts to include dedicated funding for school libraries in ESEA have been made in the past, this year ALA has been definitive in leading the campaign for school library funding and programs in ESEA’s reauthorization. Sheketoff tells <em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">SLJ</span></em> she has been working closely with the HELP Committee to garner a commitment from HELP chairman Senator Lamar Alexander (R.-TN) and ranking member Patty Murray (D.-WA) to include dedicated funding for school libraries in the bill; however, as of March 18, Sheketoff says she cannot confirm whether school library funding has made it into the base bill. If not, she says that there will be other opportunities for its inclusion. However, she stresses, this is a critical time for advocates to show senators that there is widespread voter support for federally-mandated school library programs.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><strong><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#ba242b;text-transform:uppercase">THE ROAD TO REAUTHORIZATION</span></strong><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#ba242b;text-transform:uppercase"><u></u><u></u></span></b></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">ALA is taking its cue for reform and reauthorization from Washington. On January 12, 2015, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called on Congress to replace “NCLB with a new ESEA that takes advantage of the lessons of the last several years and builds on the <a href="http://www2.ed.gov/progress/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">progress</span></a> that America’s students and educators have worked hard to achieve.” Around the same time, President Obama requested an additional $2.7 billion in ESEA funding for Fiscal Year 2016, reports “<a href="http://www.ed.gov/blog/2015/02/the-presidents-fiscal-year-2016-budget-request-building-on-priorities-for-a-strong-elementary-and-secondary-education-act/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Homeroom: The Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education</span></a>.”<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">“There’s more of a feeling that something might happen [this time],” says <a href="http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">American Association of School Librarians</span></a> (AASL) president Terri Grief, a high school librarian in Paducah, KY. Amendments to include dedicated school library funding in ESEA have been attempted in 2007, 2011, and 2014, according to Sheketoff. With ALA’s involvement and guidance, Grief (along with other advocates) has actively reached out to AASL’s network to urge members to contact their senators to include dedicated school library funding in ESEA’s reauthorization.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">While both houses must come up with their versions of the bill, most of ALA’s advocacy efforts have been focused on the Democrat-held Senate. This year in late January, Senator Alexander presented a discussion draft of ESEA to HELP committee members, and <a href="http://www.districtdispatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ALA-ESEA-Comments-PDF-Version-January-27-2015.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">ALA responded with its comments soon after</span></a>. “There were a few mentions of school libraries [in the draft],” says Sheketoff, whose response letter urged the inclusion of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strengthening_Kids%27_Interest_in_Learning_and_Libraries_Act" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">SKILLS (Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries) Act</span></a> (S. 312), a specific amendment about dedicated funding to “support effective school library programs” in ESEA.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">On February 19, ALA launched an email campaign “Take Action for Libraries” informing members and stakeholders about the SKILLS Act, <a href="http://cqrcengage.com/ala/app/make-a-call?2&engagementId=80622&lp=0" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">asking them to contact their state senators about co-sponsoring the SKILLS Act</span></a> to show support for school library programs. “I sent [this] email notice to the <a href="http://www.klaonline.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Kentucky Library Association</span></a> and the <a href="http://kpla.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Kentucky Public Library Association</span></a>—who then sent it to the <a href="http://kpla.org/library-trustee-roundtable/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Trustees of the Kentucky Public Library Association</span></a>,” Grief tells <em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">SLJ</span></em>.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Thirty-year school library advocate Deb Kachel, co-chair of the <a href="http://www.psla.org/about-psla/psla-committees/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">Pennsylvania School Librarians Association</span></a> (PSLA), says that she shared ALA Washington’s campaign with the PSLA and her personal listserv. Using information from ALA’s “District Dispatch” February 27 blog post titled “<a href="http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/02/school-libraries-cant-afford-to-wait/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">School Libraries Can’t Afford to Wait</span></a>,” Kachel tailored her listserv email to include: 1) what to do—contact your state’s senators’ Washington office(s) if he and/or she is on the HELP Committee; and 2) what to say:<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">State that you would like him/her to support a version of the reauthorization of ESEA that:</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:26.25pt;line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><span>1.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">     </span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">[Mandates] that all public schools have a school library staffed by at least one state-licensed school librarian.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:26.25pt;line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><span>2.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">     </span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Provides dedicated funding for effective school library programs, and;<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:26.25pt;line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><span>3.<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"">     </span></span></span><u></u><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Allows state and local professional development funds to be used for recruiting and training school librarians.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">(Make sure you provide your name, address, and zip code.)<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Sheketoff adds that even if your state’s senators aren’t on the HELP Committee, contact them anyhow, and tell them that you support funding for school library programs in the reauthorization of ESEA and wish for them to <a href="http://cqrcengage.com/ala/app/make-a-call?0&engagementId=80622&lp=0" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">co-sponsor the SKILLS Act (S. 312)</span></a>. (Include your name, address, and zip code.)<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">At present, there is a lack of critical mass in support. “I’ve had many meetings in the Senate recently,” writes Sheketoff in “<a href="http://www.districtdispatch.org/2015/02/school-libraries-cant-afford-to-wait/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">District Dispatch</span></a>” dated February 27, “ and none of the congressional staff members I’ve met with have heard from any library supporters.”<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Kachel worries about school librarians on her listserv getting “advocacy fatigue.” “I don’t know how many emails I can send out before they think—her again?” Regardless, advocacy works, she says.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><strong><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#ba242b;text-transform:uppercase">ADVOCATE—THEN DO IT SOME MORE</span></strong><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#ba242b;text-transform:uppercase"><u></u><u></u></span></b></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Senator Robert Casey (D.-PA), a member of the HELP Committee, recently met with a group of Pennsylvania Parent Teacher Association (PTA) members in Washington, DC, Kachel shares over email. During the visit, the subject of school libraries came up, and Senator Casey informed the group that his office was inundated with over 85 emails from Pennsylvania school librarians regarding ESEA and the inclusion of dedicated school library funding. While the emails may be a drop in the bucket for what is needed to sway the HELP Committee, they got Senator Casey’s attention, who said he was “very impressed.”<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">ESEA’s reauthorization could take months—or longer, forewarns Sheketoff. After the HELP Committee meets the week of April 13, the bill has to be marked up with amendments, then voted on. If it passes committee vote, then it must be scheduled for debate on the Senate floor, which could take months. Should both versions of the bill pass in each house of Congress, then each side will appoint a representative to conference on the two bills and come up with a single version. (And still, it must be voted on through each house after that.)<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">The pace could be a silver lining—there is time for advocacy. Encouraged by the feedback about PSLA librarians emailing Senator Casey, Kachel continue to rally PSLA members—and all Pennsylvanians—to continue filling Casey’s inbox and voicemail. “We have never been closer in getting school library language in a reauthorization of ESEA,” she writes in an email.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Sheketoff says this call-to-action goes for everyone, not just school librarians, but academic librarians, educators, administrators, parents, and public librarians: Contact your state’s senators.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Check to see if your state’s senators serve on the <a href="http://www.help.senate.gov/" target="_blank"><span style="color:#0094d2;text-decoration:none">HELP Committee</span></a> and contact him/her.<u></u><u></u></span></p><div style="margin-top:11.25pt;margin-bottom:11.25pt;float:left"><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:#e2e2e2"><b><span style="font-size:11.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#ba242b;text-transform:uppercase">SENATE HELP COMMITTEE MEMBERS<u></u><u></u></span></b></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:#e2e2e2"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Republicans:</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:#e2e2e2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Lamar Alexander (TN) – <a href="http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email" target="_blank">http://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email</a><br>Richard Burr (NC) – <a href="http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm" target="_blank">http://www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm</a><br>Bill Cassidy, M.D. (LA) – <a href="http://www.cassidy.senate.gov/content/contact-bill" target="_blank">http://www.cassidy.senate.gov/content/contact-bill</a><br>Susan Collins (ME) – <a href="http://www.collins.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email" target="_blank">http://www.collins.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email</a><br>Michael B. Enzi (WY) – <a href="http://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-senator-enzi" target="_blank">http://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-senator-enzi</a><br>Orrin G. Hatch (UT) – <a href="http://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-orrin" target="_blank">http://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-orrin</a><br>Johnny Isakson (GA) – <a href="http://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me" target="_blank">http://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me</a><br>Mark Kirk (IL) – <a href="http://www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=comment_on_legislation" target="_blank">http://www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=comment_on_legislation</a><br>Lisa Murkowski (AK) – <a href="http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emaillisa" target="_blank">http://www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emaillisa</a><br>Rand Paul (KY) – <a href="http://www.paul.senate.gov/?p=contact" target="_blank">http://www.paul.senate.gov/?p=contact</a><br>Pat Roberts (KS) – <a href="http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat" target="_blank">http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat</a><br>Tim Scott (SC) – <a href="http://www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me" target="_blank">http://www.scott.senate.gov/contact/email-me</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:#e2e2e2"><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Democrats:</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333"><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="line-height:16.5pt;background:#e2e2e2"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#333333">Tammy Baldwin (WI) – <a href="http://www.baldwin.senate.gov/contact" target="_blank">http://www.baldwin.senate.gov/contact</a><br>Michael F. Bennet (CO) – <a href="http://www.bennet.senate.gov/?p=contact" target="_blank">http://www.bennet.senate.gov/?p=contact</a><br>Robert P. Casey, Jr. (PA) – <a href="http://www.casey.senate.gov/contact" target="_blank">http://www.casey.senate.gov/contact</a><br>Al Franken (MN) – <a href="http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=email_al" target="_blank">http://www.franken.senate.gov/?p=email_al</a><br>Barbara A. Mikulski (MD) – <a href="http://www.mikulski.senate.gov/contact/" target="_blank">http://www.mikulski.senate.gov/contact/</a><br>Christopher S. Murphy (CT) – <a href="http://www.murphy.senate.gov/contact/" target="_blank">http://www.murphy.senate.gov/contact/</a> (select “Education K−12” on pulldown menu)<br>Patty Murray (WA) – <a href="http://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme" target="_blank">http://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme</a><br>Bernard Sanders (I) (VT) – <a href="http://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/comment" target="_blank">http://www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/comment</a> (select “Education” on pulldown menu)<br>Elizabeth Warren (MA) – <a href="http://www.warren.senate.gov/?p=email_senator" target="_blank">http://www.warren.senate.gov/?p=email_senator</a> (select “Education, Elementary and Secondary” on pulldown menu)<br>Sheldon Whitehouse (RI) – <a href="http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/contac" target="_blank">http://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/contac</a><u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr">Jane Corry<br>Youth Librarian-Belmont Neighborhood Library<br>Multnomah County Library<br>503.988.5382<br><br><span style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:medium">"You would think that if there is anything in the world that we can all agree on is an unequivocal good, a moral absolute, an end in itself, it is the happiness and health of children."  -Alison Gopnick</span><br></div></div></div></div>
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