Bill would support library media specialists in Washington State

Calling school library media specialists “an endangered species,” Washington State Senator Tracey J. Eide (D-Federal Way) introduced a bill January 22 that codifies through a per-pupil formula how many credentialed school library media specialists should be employed by each district and offers some $55 million to fund the initiative. The bill also allots $12 per student in state funding for library materials--a first in Washington State, which has relied exclusively on local levies for school libraries.

For further information, read the full news release in the American Libraries section of the American Library Association website.