ABOVE: Sherrie Curry, a former Shadydale Elementary school librarian, holds the first book she ever owned, “Cowboy Country” at Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center on July 20, 2023 in Humble. (Photo by Karen Warren)
Teachers, parents and politicians are sharing strong reactions to a new policy change for HISD schools. HISD Superintendent Mike Miles is shaking the table: at 28 campuses under his “New Education System” (NES), librarians are being eliminated.
At these schools (which include Felix Cook, Jr. Elementary School, Forest Brook Middle School, and Kashmere, Wheatley and Northside High Schools), librarians and “media specialists” will be eliminated. (The two positions are similar, but librarians earn a degree in “library science.”) School libraries will remain open; students can still check out books under an “honor system.” But some libraries will be converted into “team centers” where disruptive students will be sent. There, they may work alone or watch lessons virtually. Miles shared that the decision is partly about “prioritizing resources to meet specific outcomes, including closing the achievement gap, raising student proficiency, and preparing kids for the future.”
HISD superintendent Mike Miles talks with members of the Editorial Board inside a typical classroom during an NES school walkthrough for principals and administrative staff at Shadydale Elementary School in Houston, TX on July 18, 2023. (Photo by Sharon Steinmann)
The move drew criticism from parents and educators. Malaki Sims, an HISD parent, shared that he felt shocked when learning about the decision. Although his children are not enrolled at an NES school, he worries about the students who are.
“I think it’s pretty ridiculous. When I grew up and went to the library, I needed direction on what I may have wanted to read or books I should’ve paid attention to based on my interest. The librarian’s role is to guide you and help you improve your reading and comprehension skills,” Sims said.
Deborah Hall, who spent 40 years working for HISD and co-founded the group Students Need Libraries, is also concerned about the change: “It’s sending an entirely wrong message. Five years from now, that student who was sent to the Zoom Room (former name for Team Center) in the library, may associate reading and libraries with a punishment.”
Hall added that the move will increase inequities (especially for students who already may lack access to books and libraries in low-income neighborhoods). “Closing libraries will increase inequity. Looking at one school with a library and a school without a library, it’s not the same. These students with the library have a lot more advantage in their educational journey,” said Hall.
Sherrie Curry, a former Shadydale Elementary school librarian, holds the first book she ever owned, “Cowboy Country” at Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center on July 20, 2023 in Humble. (Photo by Karen Warren)
Former Shadydale Elementary librarian Sherrie Curry is also bothered by the change: “When you start taking away access to the library, you’re taking away access to information,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s just going to make the kids feel like reading is less important.”
This is especially concerning given the state of literacy in the county and the country. The City of Houston’s website contains a sobering statistic: “According to the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIACC), 32% of Harris County adults are functionally illiterate, meaning they do not yet have the literacy skills they need to successfully perform their role on the job, in their family, or in society.” And according to the educational organization Reading With A Rapper, 56% of Americans read at a 6th-grade level. These organizations will have to stand in the gap if literacy declines any further.
Mayor Sylvester Turner blasted the move. “You cannot have a situation where you’re closing libraries for some schools in certain neighborhoods and there are other neighborhoods where there are libraries fully equipped,” Turner said during a City Council meeting. “What the hell are you doing?”