Schools Open Without Librarians

The high school and middle school are without librarians this school year after the district pared the positions to meet budget constraints first identified last winter.

In the short-term, school administrators are looking for ways to use existing staff to help fill the gaps from the loss of the librarians.

Looking ahead, School Committee Chairman Rick Kraft is hopeful the positions will be restored though no timetable has been set for making that happen, he said.

The chairman said last month that there was serious concern both on the Committee and in the community at large that Swampscott was starting the year with no librarians in the system.  

"We have and will again express that concern to the Superintendent," the chairman said, "and request he and the administrative team evaluate the situation to make sure both direct and indirect benefits from a library program are taken into consideration when evaluating budget priorities going forward - with the hope that a creative solution can be crafted which will help us realize substantial educational value from our library resources."

Last winter, proposed cuts were identified by the former superintendent, the assistant superintendent, business manager, SPED director, and principals, who sought reductions that would have the least impact on students in the district overall, the chairman said.

The cuts were needed because there was a reduction in the portion of the overall budget available for discretionary allocation, the chairman said.

In short, there was less money.

The School Committee evaluated the proposals and found them to be reasonable what with the reduction in funding, the chairman said. 

The cuts ended up including a special education position at the high school, as well.

In the end, however, some cuts were averted. The district restored elementary school class sizes when the town apportioned an additional $100,000-plus. In addition, a high school task management position was preserved.

All but one employee was reassigned to new jobs from the positions that were cut.

After July 1, under the new interim superintendent, Garry Murphy, the district opted to hire a fulltime high school math teacher and additional substitutes at the high school to oversee directed study periods this year.

The changes were needed to meet education standards and support the increased number of credits needed for students to graduate, 120. 

The hires cost about $100,000, money that was not included in the 2013-14 budget. But the interim superintendent said he was confident he would be able to shift spending in the budget to meet the new 120 credit threshold.

Looking ahead, the School Committee chairman said he and fellow committee members "are optimistic that with the fresh perspective Dr. Murphy brings to the district, the school administrators may find new creative ways to accomplish more with nearly the same amount of funding."