In the Breaking News section of the Chattanoogan.com, I would like to respond to Commissioner Boyd’s comment below about the budget including librarians and guidance counselors.
Commissioner Boyd said the school budget presentation has classroom teachers linked with others, including librarians, guidance counselors and school lunch employees under the heading of Teachers. He said, "What I want is a list of employees who are in a classroom with a white board and how much it would cost to give them raises."
Mr. Boyd, do you not think librarians and guidance counselors touch the lives of students? An elementary librarian sees every student to provide planning time for the classroom teachers that stand at that whiteboard you talked about. They have to provide activities daily for K-5 students, in addition to keeping equipment available, order and catalog materials, pull items for classroom teachers to use, and more often than not, keep the inventory of all the equipment throughout the school on the district’s inventory system.
As a middle school and high school librarian, we meet the needs of every child in the school, run computer labs, order and receive materials, and handle all equipment needs throughout the school. Keeping up with the technology equipment in schools is a full-time job with the revolving door of teachers in the system. Next year, eight teachers are coming into my school, and rooms are being changed accordingly. When that happens, I will have an inventory sheet from 40+ individuals, requiring me to go into IFAS and update every piece of equipment in the school to that teacher/classroom. All of this goes on, in addition to meetings and evaluations.
As for guidance counselors, who do you think helps with scheduling of every child in school, talks to the kids who need help, handles all of the testing, (and that is ongoing), as well as a wealth of other duties.
You think 3 percent is some big amount, and because we don’t stand in front of a whiteboard we don’t deserve a raise. Obviously librarian/media specialists and counselors fill rolls that they didn’t fill when we were in school. You might visit an elementary library one day and just see that librarian in action. You might change your attitude.
I will close with the cafeteria workers, the most unappreciated people on campus, next to the custodian. They make nothing in salary and you begrudge them a 3 percent raise. Shame on you. For me, you can keep your money. You can use it to buy out the next superintendent that you don’t like. I will not miss a meal, and if needed for my family, would work a second job.
We are as much a part of the teaching staff as any classroom teacher, and it is an insult for you to imply that we are not worth a 3 percent increase.
Sue Powell
Hixson