SB#6380 passes the Senate 49-0!!!
6:20
What an incredible moment to hear Senators’ speaking passionately, earnestly and profoundly about school libraries, librarians and how important they are to others and have been to them. Click here for the full Senate floor debate and speeches on school library funding which resulted in a 49-0 vote in favor. FAST FORWARD TO 1:02:20.
SB#6380 would provide emergency bridge funding starting this September to keep Washington school libraries open! The bill also recommends that a Joint Task Force reviewing the definition of basic education (hasn’t been significantly revised since 1977) consider school library programs as they prepare to redefine basic education and create new funding formulas to deliver 21st Century education in the state of Washington.
It was unbelievable to witness this moment, my only sadness is that Susan and Denette were not here so we could be together. The Senators’ mentioned the grassroots movement repeatedly, your work paid off.
We are now 50% of the way there, the bill now passes to the House side and begins the process all over again.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO NOW:
1. THANK your senators for voting this bill out of the Senate.
2. Call the legislative hotline 1-800-562-6000 and ask the House and the Governor to support and fund school library funding in this session.
3. Email your Representatives as soon as possible and ask them to champion this effort. Remember a positive tone is most effective, use concrete examples about why this is a top priority for you and your community.
We will let you know who are the most important Representatives to reach.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for working so hard, our sponsors said they were both proud and impressed with the level of grassroots impact everyone made. Your work made them be able to do their work. We should all be ecstatic about a 49-0 Senate Vote in a supplemental year. To hear both Democrats and Republicans stand side by side and call for funding for this was incredible.
Keep the ideas coming about how we continue to grow the coalition and our movement. If you haven’t contacted your Mayor, your Chamber or CEO’s to endorse this effort it wouldn’t hurt to go into the House process with some big announcements of endorsements.
3Moms
February 13th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Lisa, Susan and Denette - YOU ROCK! as the kids would say.
Denette called with the jaw dropping news this afternoon. Yes, it would have been sweet if all 3 Moms had been there today. (Maybe next time?)
For the next step, let’s try to reach out to more PTGs and parents.
If we get a 100 parents actively involved, the bill will pass out of the House, also. I will do my part.
Congrats, Ladies!
February 14th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Tucson Unified School District Board Cuts Teacher-Librarians
In a 3-2 vote last night, the Tucson Unified School District Board voted to force elementary schools with fewer than 350 students to choose between a half-time teacher-librarian or a half-time counselor.
See http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/225023 for details.
February 14th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
how amazing that 3 “regular” people (though, we know that Lisa, Susan and Denette are far, far from “regular”) have impacted the government system in Washington State so powerfully. What an inspiration to everyone trying to keep from getting cynical in a crazy world.
Now…as Kathy says…we have to get mobilized…again!
March 14th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Great job ladies. I love hearing success stories that will benefit our kids futures.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
A great job by the hree moms. We will stand besides your cause for our children and the community in general. Book is an intelegence by itself and a source of imagination and knowledge.
“Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty.” Albert Einstein.
So do not close libraries they value that encomapps knowledge and imagination. No school without a liberary no liberary without school.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I am mother to say how I will be disappointed and distrupted with a move to cut or shrink liberary time and support. My children diretly dependednt of reading, writing, math and science knowledge that can be aquired through reading and utilizing a liberary. Knowledge can be transparent by knowing the past, and present and imagination and knowledge add up throught this accumulated power of intelegence and determine one’s future. Let us keep our door of school open and the liberary as well.