Every school needs a librarian — Chicago Teachers Union

 

Chicago Teachers Union’s latest policy paper

The critical need for more nurses, social workers, librarians and substitute teachers.

This summer, CPS laid off eight school librarians, bringing the number of schools with a library staffed by a certified school librarian to just 90. Access to libraries in CPS has long been one of the district’s deepest resource disparities, with Black schools systematically robbed of librarians by budget cuts over the last decade. The latest cuts meant that as of this summer only 10% of majority Black schools had a librarian, compared to 27% of majority white schools. Building back libraries in our district cannot just be left to the discretion of school leaders and subject to potential future budget cuts. Instead, they should be treated and funded as an essential element of the infrastructure of school resources and curriculum for all our students.