Table Of ContentMake a Big
Impact @ Your School
Board Meeting
Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna
Make a Big Impact @ Your
School Board Meeting
Make a Big
Impact @ Your School
Board Meeting
Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna
Copyright 2012 by ABC-CLIO, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
DelGuidice, Margaux.
Make a big impact at your school board meeting / Margaux DelGuidice and Rose Luna.
pages cm
The "at" symbol is used for the word "at" in the title.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-59884-899-1 (hardcopy : alk. paper) · ISBN 978-1-59884-900-4 (ebook)
1. School boards · United States. I. Luna, Rose. II. Title.
LB2831.D36 2012
379.1'531· dc23 2012008460
ISBN: 978-1-59884-899-1
EISBN: 978-1-59884-900-4
16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5
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Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
CHAPTER 1: The School Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER 2: Cultivating a Strong Relationship with Your Principal . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
CHAPTER 3: Cultivating a Strong Relationship with Your Superintendent . . . . . . . 19
CHAPTER 4: Cultivating a Strong Relationship with Your Teachers, Clerical Staff,
Student Volunteers, Parent Volunteers, and Community Members . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
CHAPTER 5: Strength in Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
CHAPTER 6: Be Your Own Public Relations (PR) Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
CHAPTER 7: Getting on the School Board Agenda and Planning
Your Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
CHAPTER 8: The School Board Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
CHAPTER 9: The Follow-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
CHAPTER 10: Broaden Your Reach Using Web 2.0 Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
CHAPTER 11: Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Introduction to the Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Appendix A: Library Usage Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
Appendix B: Agenda for District Librarians’ Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106
Appendix C: Minutes for District Librarians’ Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Appendix D: Press Release for the School Board Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
Appendix E: Fact Sheet for District Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Appendix F: Media Release Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Appendix G: Press Release for Library Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Appendix H: Library Event Write-Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Appendix I: Promotional Flyer for School Library Month
Celebration (Elementary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Appendix J: Promotional Flyer for School Library Month
Celebration (Secondary) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Appendix K: Parent Contact Letter for Winners of School
Library Month Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
Contents v
Appendix L: List of School Library Month Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Appendix M: PowerPoint for the School Board Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Appendix N: Checklist for the School Board Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Appendix O: Memo to Faculty Members to Nominate a
Student for a READ Poster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Appendix P: Memo to Faculty Members Listing Students Selected
for READ Posters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Appendix Q: Parent Letter for Release of Student Picture
on a READ Poster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Appendix R: Additional Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
vi Contents
Introduction
In this book you will learn how to promote your school library beyond the building level
and really make an impact where it matters most, with those who make the decisions
about your school district and library. We will provide tools and tips that will help you
reach out to your community members so they will not forget you and why the library
is so important. This book provides practical, hands-on advice that is relative and useful
to school librarians from Allentown to Anchorage. Since we are aware that most people
donÊt have the time to „reinvent the wheel,‰ we have published appendices in the back of
this book with a CD that includes a generic school board presentation and other relevant
forms that you can tailor to suit the needs of your individual district and community. Do
not wait until your program is in danger. Take action now and save your future. It is time
for you to make a big impact @ your school board meeting!
Maybe you are not sure if you have the time and energy that it takes to rally for your li-
brary program and present at a school board meeting. If you need some incentive, take a
moment to imagine the following scenarios.
Imagine a high school with no football team, no basketball team, and no lacrosse team.
Now take that image a step further. Imagine if there were no fall, winter, or spring sports
at high schools across the country. Picture the outrage on the faces of parents and students
when they realize that the big homecoming game has been cancelled. Imagine the tears of
sadness that would occur if young adults across the nation had to face high school with-
out game days, pep rallies, and after school practices. Think of the fury they would feel if
they found out that college scholarships based on athletics were no longer an option.
Now think about this scenario. In an effort to save money and slash the budget for the
upcoming year, a school board approves cuts that would virtually eliminate all music and
arts programming on the K(cid:259)12 level. Imagine an elementary school with no music or arts
programming. Students would not have the opportunity to perform during the winter or
spring concerts. Parents would not get to videotape their children on stage, all dressed
up as they play or sing a musical holiday melody. Future artists would miss out on vital
lessons that could prepare them for college or an artistic trade. Again, scholarship oppor-
tunities would be lost and the chance to cultivate the unique skills of budding artists and
musicians would be wasted.
In both of the situations just described, the community that supports the schools in crisis
would not stand for such cuts. There would most likely be a large rally on the part of par-
ents, PTA members, community members, and even local businesses to have these vital
programs reinstated in the schools. Students and parents would work together to mobilize
groups to take action. The bottom line is that people would make noise.
WouldnÊt it be nice if the library enjoyed this kind of community support? This book out-
lines a number of ways to develop a strong relationship with your community and build that
kind of support. If you donÊt think it is necessary, imagine this next scenario that is very easy
for librarians to relate to. The administrative assistant from your schoolÊs business office
sends you a short e-mail. The subject line reads „budget.‰ Your palms sweat and your heart
Introduction vii
races as you click „open new mail.‰ The e-mail is brief and caustic. In response to the fiscal crisis
occurring on the state and national levels, your budget for library materials is being slashed by
15 percent, effective immediately. Furthermore, your budget for next year is being cut by over
30 percent, and, due to a district-wide hiring freeze, your library aide will now work for another
department within the building. With increasingly sweaty palms, you hold your head and picture
the superintendent for personnel compiling a list of „periphery positions‰ that are unnecessary
and could easily be cut. Could your position be next? You take a moment to look around your
bustling library and then it hits you. W ho is going to come to the defense of your library program?
To get the support you will need to protect your program and improve your job security, the
first step is to make sure administrators and community members understand the value of your
program.
Facing the Truth
As unfortunate as it may be, the scenario described here is becoming increasingly common
in school libraries across the country. When faced with budget cuts, due to a loss of state or
federal aid, most school districts realize that the easiest way to balance a budget is to reduce
salary costs by cutting the staffing. The path of least resistance for most administrators is to
cut positions that are not viewed as essential by the community to the overall function or well-
being of the school. Sadly, due to an abundance of misinformation and outdated misconcep-
tions regarding the role of the media specialist in the school setting, librarians and their aides
are usually the first and hardest hit personnel (Rich 2009). Even when the administrators do
understand the value of libraries, they are often faced with hard choices. Due to the visibility
of the sports program, cutting that will certainly result in complaints from the community. Will
anyone notice if they cut the library?
A number of examples across the country demonstrate what has happened when a community
has spoken up to defend a sports or arts program. At Highland Park Elementary School in Salt
Lake City, Utah, a community member who happens to be a supporter of the fine arts rallied a
crowd of parents, teachers, and students, encouraging them to write, call, or e-mail their legis-
lators. The purpose of this rally was to protest a budget cut that would eliminate full-time art
specialists in 52 elementary schools (Stewart 2009). In August 2009, parents in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, rallied to save a unique high school arts program facing demise due to a lack of
funds during tough economic times (Redemann 2009). In March 2009, parents angered over
the possible loss of sports programs in the Mt. Diablo School District in Concord, California,
began a blog to update community members on the future of Mt. Diablo sports. The blog in-
cluded links to watch school board meetings live from home, open letters to the School District
Board, and comments expressing the fury of parents, students, and educators (Mahler 2009).
While examples can be cited of when the community has spoken up to defend libraries, they
are not nearly as numerous as they should be. One of the most successful stories occurred in
March 2008. The famous „Washington Moms‰ convinced their state legislature to allocate four
million dollars for school libraries for the 2008(cid:259)2009 school year. In April 2009, after months
of petitioning, that same tough trio finally achieved success when Washington lawmakers
passed a basic education reform bill that allocates funds to pay for a certified librarian in every
K(cid:259)12 school by 2018 (Whelan 2009).
viii Introduction
The story of the „Washington Moms‰ is an incredible example of grassroots organization and
community support, yet in comparison to these numerous stories of parents and community
members across the country rallying to support programs that are not library based, the ques-
tion then becomes, „How do I get my community to speak up for my library?‰
Make Some Noise for Your Library
The best way to gain community support for your library program is to get out into the com-
munity and make sure everyone knows about the wonderful things going on in your library.
Numerous avenues are open for school librarians to make this noise and generate positive
public relations, however, the most efficient way to reach all levels of administrators and com-
munity members is to present at a school board meeting. Every school district is different. The
diverse cities and towns across the country with different demographic makeups have specific
needs based on a several factors. Being sensitive to that fact, there are still basic „best prac-
tices‰ that will dictate the difference between a mediocre and a stellar presentation.
Take Charge of Your Future
Many school librarians live with the same fears. If people arenÊt aware of what you are doing,
it does not matter how wonderful your program is or how many times students and classes
visit the library. It does not matter how much technology you incorporate into your lessons or
how many times you teach a class how to access databases and evaluate online information.
You give it your all every day and yet the fear still lingers; it is the fear of having your budget
cut, losing your library aide, or worse·the fear of losing your job. Your administrator may
appreciate the clean and crisp charts you construct each year at budget time showing the in-
creases in circulation statistics and library usage, however, your principal answers to a higher
power, that being the superintendent and the school board. Is the positive message about your
library program reaching them?
The superintendent, school board, and community members are ultimately the ones with the
power over your position. They control your funding. When the public is not happy as taxes
rise and morale is low, your library program is in danger. Do you think that you are not re-
placeable? Do you feel confident that your position is safe simply because you are a prep cov-
erage? Even though the bottom line is that school libraries increase student achievement, they
seem to always be among the first programs cut from a school districtÊs bottom line.
As school districts across the country fight to keep their budgets out of the red, you can do
your part to keep your program viable. It is time to fight for your library and use this book to
help you make a big impact @ your school board meeting!
References
Mahler, Meghan. 2009. „Parent Editorial: Sports and the Parcel Tax·Â . . . no Plan, No
Guarantees and If the Parcel Tax Does or DoesnÊt Pass, We May Not Get Sports
Back.Ê ‰ MDUSD Parents: Get Involved For Change NOW! (blog). March 10.
Accessed June 2, 2010. http://mdusdparents.blogspot.com/.
Introduction ix
