With the Long Beach city budget deadline of September 15 quickly approaching, the City Council is attempting to quickly decide which programs and services should survive and which are expendable in order to balance an $18.5 million deficit. After a strong community effort two years ago to save the Main Library, libraries across Long Beach are again on the chopping block.

One local teacher is looking for solutions to keep libraries open, especially for the students most in need. Wilson High School English teacher Devon Day has taught locally for many years and is a very active member of the Freedom Writers Foundation, keeping a love for writing alive in her students, some of whom face extreme challenges every day just to attend school. In the letter below, which the lbpost.com is proud to present, Day describes what could happen if some of her students lose library access. She and other local teachers are considering attending an upcoming Long Beach City Council Budget meeting next Monday, and Day is open and willing to consider suggestions as to action that can be taken to further this cause.

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To whom it may concern:

This summer I have been carefully watching the effect of city and state budgets on education. I have learned through calling several Long Beach Public Libraries that Family Learning Center tutors’ hours have been cut and in some cases, the Family Learning Centers have been closed. I have students who depend on the public libraries to do their school work and computer research. In general, all public libraries will close by 7 PM. Students attending night school will have little opportunity to complete work in public libraries during the evenings. In Long Beach high schools, librarian’s assistants have had their hours cut from 5 days a week to 2. I hope to present 3 compelling reasons to continue to support our city’s libraries—both public and school libraries.

1. The drop out rate for LBUSD is hovering around 20%. Most of those who drop out of school are Hispanic or African American boys. By limiting access to tutors or adults in the library available to assist those at-risk students, the academic playing field becomes skewed in favor of those students whose families can afford computers, printers, and the internet in the comfort of their own homes. At-risk students see what they are up against and many will do whatever it takes to compete. They will go to the public library. They will skip lunch and go to the school library. They will seek out teachers who are willing to stay after school or stay in their classrooms during lunch to assist students who need computers and working printers. But, these students often need help from an adult who can get them started with internet research and even basic computer skills. By keeping at-risk kids in school through our support and encouragement, our community will gain the benefit of educated young adults who might go on to trade schools or college if given assistance during their critical high school years.

2. As public library hours are reduced, the demand on public high school libraries will be even greater. Who will help those school librarians serve populations of 4300 or more high school students without full time help? How could a substitute ever handle the job? I expect my class size to increase but the fact is high school librarian’s jobs will increase by 60%, trying to cover the work normally done by the high school library aide.

3. As pressure to reduce the police force in order to balance the budget increases, consider the
following:

  • 85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.
  • 60% of all prison inmates are functionally illiterate.
  • Penal institution records show the recidivism rate for illiterate offenders is 70% who have received no instruction while institutionalized.
  • The Department of Justice states, “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure.” Over 70% of all American inmates cannot read above a fourth grade level.

I urge you to support both public school library programs and Long Beach Public Library
Programs. Our teens are the future for tomorrow and we need to do all that we can to make
sure they graduate from school reading and using basic technology. Providing at-risk students
with the library support they need, we will benefit not only our community but our nation stay
competitive in the global economy.

Sincerely,

Devon Day, English teacher
Wilson High School