Lost In the Library

Friends in Washington State: Please express your support of this critically important bill that has been introduced in the Washington State Senate. SB 5551 updates current laws related to School Library Information and Technology Programs. 60% of schools do not have a librarian, an important certificated professional who can make a world of difference in student instruction and knowledge. Bellevue School District middle and high schools have not had librarians since 2009 and SB 5551 mandates that all districts with 2000 students or more must have a teacher librarian at each school by September 1, 2026. There are serious budget considerations, but the impact of this single staff member on an entire school of students and teachers cannot be underestimated, especially in light of the terrible misinformation that has become our world. PLEASE tell your legislator that you support this bill. This affects all of us, it's not just people who have children in school.
https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary/?BillNumber=5551...
Committee hearing is tomorrow morning, Tuesday, February 11th.

Consider going to Submit Testimony and select "I would like my position noted for the legislative record". Note that this is public information.

Send a message to learn more

Bellevue School District is surveying young adults who graduated from BSD between 2017 and 2022 to learn what the district has done well and where there is room for improvement. For those who complete the survey, you’re encouraged to include feedback on whether or not a lack of instruction or guidance by a librarian affected your research capabilities as a student or an adult.

BSD Recent Graduates Research Study The Bellevue School District (BSD) is currently conducting a research study to learn from the reflections, insights, and experiences of our recent graduates.

Bellevue secondary schools have lacked a teacher librarian since 2009. Local attempts to fix this have failed, so efforts at the state level would go a long way towards providing students and their teachers with this vitally important instruction.

Ready to stand for School Teacher Librarians?

We stand at a crucial moment for school libraries in Washington and need your help.

The Washington State senate will consider SB 5102 regarding K12 school library information technology programs in the coming session, beginning Jan. 9th. We anticipate a House bill to be forthcoming. You can track its sponsors, language, and progress at the link above. This bill will ensure that every school district in Washington will have a school library program overseen by a certified Teacher-Librarian.

For immediate action:
Call and email your state senators and the members of the Senate Education Committee, expressing your support for SB 5102, school library programs, and certified teacher-librarians.
Find your State Senator here: https://loom.ly/bQbZpLE

Bellevue Schools continue to not staff their secondary schools with librarians.

Help us with our new campaign to change the statistics around providing school library programs for ALL WA students!

https://loom.ly/xMNdJJw

Washington Library Association WLA School Library Division

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This is an excellent resource for up to date information to support the work of school librarians.

Knowledge Quest | AASL