Children don’t need librarians and books! They need in-school detention centers!
https://governorsfoundation.org/gelf-articles/early-literacy-connection-to-incarceration/
2/3 of kids who aren’t reading at grade level by 4th grade end up in prison or on welfare. Why would Texas want to reduce literacy in their schools?
Easier to control your populace if they just have a 4th grade education and are directly dependent on the government to eat. But don’t worry about the Texan economy, they’ll be more than happy to siphon unearned money from blue states that actually create something of value instead of more culture war bullshit
New Superintendent Mike Miles announced earlier this summer that librarian and media specialist positions would be eliminated at the 28 original schools being overhauled under his reform program, New Education System (NES). Both the librarian and media specialist positions are similar, but librarians typically have an advanced degree in library science.
HISD said the 57 additional schools that opted into NES will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The library assistant (not even a trained librarian) had such a huge impact on the culture of my high school. He wasn’t particularly well-liked, as he was the rule enforcer (no playing Flash games on the computers during lunch – I think you could play before school), but he’d put a stack of photocopied NYT crosswords out on his desk at the entrance to the library every morning and so many kids did the crossword.
It’s not just steering kids to books like the quoted parent said; at the schools I went to, it was often non-teaching staff who you felt were looking out for you as an individual, often because you interacted with them mostly one-on-one. Certainly, there were teachers who played a huge role in my life, but I will remember the name of the custodian at my primary school for far longer than I’ll remember the names of some classroom teachers. (I already don’t remember the name of my 2nd or 5th grade teachers, now that I’m thinking about it.) The library is basically the only place you can stash a kid “to do an independent study” (aka let the smart kid amuse themselves), or take a make up test, or hang out when the school elevator is busted and they can’t get upstairs. I guess you can use a “disciplinary center”, but let’s be real.
