Evanston District 65 Cuts Middle School Librarian Roles As Budget Reductions Continue: Report

EVANSTON, IL — Evanston/Skokie School District 65 will reassign middle school librarians at Chute, Nichols and Haven for next school year as it works to close a $6.3 million budget gap, according to district budget cuts reported by Evanston RoundTable.

District 65 Chief Financial Officer Tamara Mitchell said at Monday’s board meeting that moving the librarians into other educator jobs would save about $387,000. Kelly Post, president of the District 65 Educators’ Council, told the RoundTable the librarians will be reassigned based on their certifications in accordance with their contract.

Superintendent Angel Turner said in a statement Saturday that “the difficult decision has been made to reassign middle school librarians” and that the district plans to keep middle school library collections on-site while determining next steps.

Turner said the district will work with librarians, the library department chair and school leaders, including by exploring partnerships with local libraries and organizations.

The RoundTable reported that Illinois public schools are not required to employ librarians, though the Illinois State Board of Education recommends one full-time licensed school librarian for every 450 middle school students.

Read more from the Evanston RoundTable: As District 65 cuts librarians, experts say districts consistently underestimate what they lose