- NOW THIS NEWS FROM UW-MADISON.
CHANCELLOR REBECCA BLANK HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IN-STATE STUDENTS
FROM FAMILIES WITH INCOMES UNDER $56,000
WILL BE OFFERED FREE TUITION AND FEES.
MORE THAN 800 STUDENTS AND TRANSFERS COVERED.
THE COST WILL BE $3.3 MILLION
COVERED BY UNIVERSITY FUNDS AND PRIVATE DONORS.
- NOW TO THE STATE CAPITOL AND NEW LEGISLATION THAT WOULD
CHANGE HOW SCHOOL LIBRARIES GET THEIR FUNDING.
SOME SCHOOL LIBRARIANS ARE SOUNDING THE ALARM OVER
POTENTIAL LOSS OF THE STATE DOLLARS, WHILE AUTHORS SAY IT
WILL GIVE SCHOOLS MORE FLEXIBILITY AND CONTROL.
MARISA WOJCIK TAKES A LOOK AT FUNDING CHANGING TO ALLOWING THE
MONEY TO BE USED WHERE A DISTRICT MAY NEED IT MOST.
- THESE ARE THE BOOKS WE HAVE HERE RIGHT NOW.
- A PAIR OF BILLS INTRODUCED IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE LAST MONTH
WOULD STATE THE WAY STATE PUBLIC SCHOOL LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN
FUNDED FOR 170 YEARS.
UNDER CURRENT STATE LAW, DOLLARS FROM WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE COMMON
SCHOOL FUND ARE GENERATED BY INCOME FROM STATE TRUST FUNDS,
MONEY THAT GOES SPECIFICALLY TO WISCONSIN SCHOOL LIBRARIES.
THE ONLY SOURCE OF STATE AID THEY RECEIVE.
THE FUNDS ARE MANAGED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF PUBLIC LANDS, OR BCPL.
- RIGHT NOW BCPL IS TO GENERATE MONEY FOR THE SCHOOLS
AND SPECIFICALLY FOR THE LIBRARIES IN THE SCHOOLS.
AND NOW WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT DOING IS -- THAT WAS A MANDATE
FROM THE STATE.
IT'S BEEN THERE A LONG TIME.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS LET'S ALLOW LOCAL OFFICIALS THE
ABILITY TO DECIDE HOW BEST TO SPEND THAT MONEY.
- HOW MUCH MONEY IS IT?
IN 2017, MORE THAN $32 MILLION WERE DISTRIBUTED TO WISCONSIN
SCHOOL LIBRARIES BASED ON THEIR NUMBER OF STUDENTS.
SCHOOL LIBRARIANS STRATEGIZE HOW TO USE THE FUNDS.
WAUSAU EAST HIGH SCHOOL'S PAULA HAYES USED THE MONEY
FOR I-PADS, DIGITAL DRAWING SOFTWARE
OR SMART MUSIC, AN ARCHIVE OF DIGITAL MUSIC SCORES.
FOR SOME WISCONSIN LIBRARIANS THE CHANGES TAKE AWAY
THE GUARANTEE OF FUNDS THAT USED TO BE SUPPLEMENTAL
BUT ARE NOW FUNDAMENTAL.
IN RESPONSE TO SENATOR STROEBEL'S ASSERTION THAT
DISTRICTS WOULD STILL FUND LIBRARIES, MANDY MELOY SAYS IT'S
STILL NOT A GUARANTEE.
- THIS IS A STATEWIDE COMMON SCHOOL FUND, SO EVEN IF MY
SCHOOL BOARD PUT THESE FUNDS INTO THE LIBRARY, IT LEAVES IT
WIDE OPEN THAT OTHER SCHOOL BOARDS MAY NOT.
THIS IS A STATE FUND THAT PROTECTS ALL STATE PUBLIC SCHOOL
LIBRARIES IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
- FOR SOME DISTRICTS THE CHANGES AREN'T SO ALARMING.
AT THE ELMBROOK SCHOOL DISTRICTS LOCATED WEST OF MILWAUKEE, THEY
ARE CONFIDENT LITERACY WILL REMAIN A PRIORITY.
- HAVING THE FLEXIBILITY TO SPEND THE DOLLARS ON RESOURCES
WE PRIORITIZE UNDER A PLANNING PROCESS, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE
VERY COMFORTABLE HAVE EVEN WITH THE CHANGES
PROPOSED IN THE BILL.
- WHILE THERE IS DISAGREEMENT OVER HOW LIBRARIES ARE FUNDING.
MANY RECOGNIZE MAINTAINING FUNDING IS IMPORTANT.
- THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, WE HAVE -- BECAUSE OF THE COMMON
SCHOOL FUNDS, WE'VE BEEN IN A SITUATION WE HAVE SOME OF THE
BEST SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN THE WORLD.
AND A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH THIS STEADY FUNDING SOURCE
THAT WE HAVE.
- WITH INCREASED FLEXIBILITY IN HOW THE COMMON SCHOOL FUNDS CAN
BE USED, SCHOOL DISTRICTS UNDER TIGHTER BUDGETS COULD CHOOSE TO
TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF THE LIBRARIES AND PUT IT INTO OTHER
AREAS DEEMED MORE URGENT.
LONG-TERM, LIBRARIANS WANT TO PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THE
INFORMATION THEY'RE PROVIDING TO STUDENTS.
- IF WE WERE TO PULL BACK THE RESOURCES, OUR STUDENTS ARE
ACCESSING AND THE ELECTRONIC RESOURCES WE HAVE, THEY WILL NOT
HAVE ACCESS TO THOSE FROM THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND THEY WILL NOT
BE ABLE TO GET THAT FROM SURFING -- DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH OR
SEARCHING THE JOB.
- FOR LIBRARIAN PAULA TONN ACCESS TO KEY.
SHE SAYS LIBRARIES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE GREAT
DEMOCRATIC EQUALIZERS.
- THE SCHOOL LIBRARY IS CHANGING.
IT IS NO LONGER JUST A PLACE IN A BUILDING.
IT'S ANYWHERE, IN THE BUILDING AND AT HOME.
AND SO WE'VE SPENT MANY, MANY YEARS TRYING TO INTEGRATE THE
LIBRARY WITH THE STUDENTS' DAILY EXPERIENCE, BOTH IN SCHOOL AND
OUT OF SCHOOL.
- THAT WAS MARISA WOJCIK REPORTING.
THE LEGISLATION WOULD SEEK TO INVEST DOLLARS LESS CONSERVATIVE
AND ELIMINATE A STATE LOAN PROGRAM FOR GOVERNMENTS AND
SCHOOL DISTRICTS.