In another sweeping effort to mitigate a weighty budget deficit and work towards achieving future financial stability, Evanston-Skokie District 65 has announced plans to eliminate all middle school librarian positions beginning next year, according to multiple district officials.
The district currently has three middle school librarians at Haven, Chute and Nichols Middle School.
Following these administrative cuts, the librarians will be “reassigned” to district classrooms next year, filling in for teaching positions that were recently dissolved due to ongoing budget concerns, according to Tamara Mitchell, District 65’s chief financial officer. The libraries themselves will not close, she added.
But the decision has not come without widespread opposition from community members, with dozens of speakers signing up to voice their contempt with the district’s move to eliminate these positions at its April 20 Board meeting.
“Starting next year, for the first time in nearly a century, Nichols [Middle School] will not have a real library program or a full-time certified librarian,” said Kefira Philippe, who has served in the position for the past 21 years, she told Board members on Monday.
“Libraries cease to exist without full-time professional librarians. What will it cost our students before you come to the same realization?” Philippe questioned.
A spokesperson for District 65 did not elaborate on where the impacted librarians would be placed next year, but did clarify that the employees were notified “in person, by their supervisors,” of the role reductions.
In a message sent to district families and community members on April 18, Superintendent Angel Turner wrote that the district valued “the many contributions of the educators who serve in these roles” and that the Board was “grateful they will continue to support students in other educator positions within our schools.”
“We will work closely with middle school librarians, the library department chair, and school leaders to determine next steps,” Turner said, “including exploring partnerships with local libraries and organizations to support access to materials, literacy, and welcoming library spaces.”
Turner added in her letter that “additional reductions will still be necessary across the district,” as it works to close its structural deficit.
Chief Financial Officer Mitchell reaffirmed to the Board on Monday that the district still needs to cut over $6 million from its budget for the upcoming school year, in accordance with its Structural Deficit Reduction Plan.
Mitchell confirmed the estimated total budget reductions for FY27 are currently projected to be about $5.6 million, a lower estimate than provided the week prior, after officials decided to keep seven of the nine school counselors they formerly moved to eliminate.
Preserving these positions will require additional cuts for the next school year, officials said.
Mitchell announced plans to resign from her position as CFO back in February, following a turbulent period for the district that has been marked by school closures and Board resignations.
The unionized library positions are represented by the District 65 Educators’ Council, which includes a majority of licensed administrators and teachers within the district.
Kelly Post, the Educators’ Council’s president, told the Pioneer Press in an email that the librarians will be reassigned “based on their certifications in accordance with our contract.”
“DEC values all our educators and their roles. Middle School Librarians are vital to their school communities. Their colleagues and their students will be deeply affected by this decision,” Post said.
The Association of Illinois School Library Educators also responded to the district’s decision to eliminate these positions in an April 19 letter addressed to the School Board.
“As the sole professional organization of school librarians in the state of Illinois, AISLE encourages you to look at the many benefits of school libraries, including full-time librarians,” the statement read.
“In this information age, a librarian is more vital than ever for preparing students for college and post-secondary careers.”
