I used the actual 2017-2018 MSAD #28 budget and categories as passed by the voters of Camden and Rockport on April 12, 2017. I compared them to Maine statutes regarding libraries. Anything additional that I added I have put in as Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) funded or grant (as if I did a successful go fund me campaign). Also we did receive a STEM4ME grant for a makerspace so I added that that as well.
I used the LFCC categories as well as the categories of expenditure that exist in the MSAD#28 budget.
*Priorities Explained
Items marked as “high priority” items are basic “cost of doing business” items that are in line with state and district goals and standards. The district deemed hiring a certified teacher librarian for the middle school as a high priority when the former library media specialist retired. Because MSAD # 28 is a small district with fewer than 800 students and the elementary school already had a certified library/media specialist, the district was well within the 800 students to one teacher librarian state guideline. They chose instead to keep the position as a certified library/media specialist and because there are no librarian training programs in Maine the district decided to pay for two courses per year for a certified on-staff teacher to become a certified library/media specialist. All of the parts of the teacher librarian’s compensation including the professional development courses are also deemed high priority because they are needed in order to staff the library.
Other high priority items are the online circulation software, books and periodicals, and databases.
Medium priority items like supplies, professional organization memberships, and programming are all things that are necessary to the operation of the library, but that can be stretched if necessary.
Everyone in town and certainly anyone looking at the budget knows that a new school is coming in 2020. Low priority items are things that we don’t have now but would move us into the ideal library direction. Also if they are put in the budget now it helps make a case for adding it to the new school furniture budget.
Maine Statutes
Chapter 125 is the Basic Approval Standards: Public Schools and School
Administrative Units legislation. It addresses attributes such as facilities, safety,
staffing, procedures for periodic reviews, and alignment to learning results. With
regards to the school library, Chapter 125 specifically requires:
Section 9. INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT RESOURCES
9.01 Library-Media Resources
A) Each school shall maintain a library-media program that includes
books, written materials, online Internet resource materials, multimedia materials, and
information technology that support the curriculum. Resources will be appropriate to
the ages of the children served by the school. A certified library-media specialist shall
oversee the library-media program in a school administrative unit. However, this shall
not be interpreted to mean that each school must have a certified library-media
specialist.
B) The library-media resources, including access to the Internet, shall
be accessible to all enrolled students and personnel during school hours. The school
administrative unit shall have a policy governing access to library resources by students
in approved equivalent instruction programs in accordance with state law and Me. Dept.
of Ed. Reg. 130.
C) The Comprehensive Education Plan shall address updating and
maintaining library-media resources.
References
MSAD #28 2017-2018 Budget Detail School Board Approved 041217. (2017). Fivetowns.net. Retrieved 24 July 2017, from http://www.fivetowns.net/sad/budgetDevel.cfm
Rule Chapters for the Department of Education State of Maine (2017). Maine.Gov. Retrieved 24 July 2017 from http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/05/chaps05.htm
Maine School Librarian Handbook (2016). Maslibraries.org. Retrieved 24 July 2017 from http://www.maslibraries.org/page-1406262
State Priority Related Resources - Local Control Funding Formula (CA Dept of Education). (2017). Cde.ca.gov. Retrieved 25 July 2017, from http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/statepriorityresources.asp