Budget, Communication, Advocacy

Class #10

TCB

AGENDA:– No class next week– Read the wiki: projects, observation reports,

management notebook– Future of the wiki– Wiki wisdom– Jamieson’s behavior rubric– Budget, Communications, Advocacy– Guest speaker– Next classes:

• 12/2 – Ed. Topics reports, NCLB• 12/9 – Program assignments, presentations and reviews• 12/16 – Building a Career: interviews

Assignment revisited

For Dec. 2Presentations of Ed. Topics, post narrative on wikiRead: Simpson, Ch 6,7Wiki posts

For Dec. 9Present lesson from Program assignment, post 2nd lesson on wikiRead Simpson, Ch 4, 8Wiki posts

For Dec. 16Read Simpson Ch. 10Prepare interview question responsesWiki posts

TCB

Wiki words of wisdom

“Sue’s first year as a SLT was in elementary school. She stayed for 2 years and decided it was not for her. One of the things she mentioned she had trouble with was bringing her vocabulary down to their level and to articulate herself well for their age.”

What are the attributes, pros/cons of working with different age levels?

Wiki Wisdom

“This led to a discussion about the library space and suggestions from the kids on how to make it better. Their suggestions were generally thoughtful and positive - no complaints, just a genuine interest in making the library more appealing.”

If you ask for input, do you have to use it?

Wiki Wisdom

“Now that I've completed my observation hours I wanted to evaluate Amvet and Community's Library Media Program. I am using the School Library Media Program Evaluation created by the New York State Education Department.” – Corinne

How do the libraries you have visited rate?

Wiki Wisdom

“Looking over my three full days with Johanna, I realized how much work a librarian does and it was nice to see how one library was run over a set amount of time. However if I had to do this again, I would definitely choose to observe different situations so I can get a broader experience. Luckily, I am observing somewhere in CT for my other class, so it is nice to have a different point of reference.” --Paprzyca

Which is better? Depth v. Breadth

Wiki Wisdom

Is it really the responsibility of the librarian to enforce these laws? I do fear having the stigma of being the mean librarian that is seen as discouraging teachers from using materials in classes by placing notes about fair use of videos etc. I suppose the first step is to find out what the actual law allows us to do. Is simply having that information available for teachers enough?

Discussion on wiki

Wiki Wisdom

But like I mentioned in class, I see a shift in perception, and I think we have technology, and librarian’s adaptation to same, to thank. Just look at the cover of Rachel Singer Gordon’s Next-Gen Librarian's Survival Guide

Regarding a new image for librarians check out Ms. Dewey She was brought up in a discussion in my cataloging class. She definitely presents a different image of the librarian! If you get the chance check out the website a couple of times. After loading, she has a few different intros.

Budget

Morris, Ch. 5 - The Budget BibleMorris, Ch. 5 - The Budget Bible

Morris, p. 142

“In a broad sense, a budget is a chart for a future course of action. It records the outcome of an essentially political process in which alternative plans are examined, preferences are indicated, and decisions are made. In its final form, the budget is a statement of policy - and often even a public relations tool - on which expenditures are based. The budget represents priorities in the school that are the outcome of bargaining over conflicting goals.”

“The school library media center budget is essentially the philosophy of the center stated in quantitative terms, in the same way that a school district or school building level budget expresses the educational philosophy of its community.”

Sources of funding

Local funding

State funding

Federal funding

Fund-raising

Local funding

Amherst, MA – town budget

Book budget request 98/99

Budget year 3 of 5-year plan

Budget cover sheet 04

06-07 cuts

Federal and other grant funding

Federal grants• NCLB “Improving Literacy Through School Libraries”• Internet School Library Media Center (ISLMC)• School Grants• LSTA grants

Local grants• Individual town educational associations (AAEA)

Other• WMRLS listings

Tips

Be positive: Talk about what you could do, not what you can’t do

Be positive: Assume you’ll get what you want and maybe you’ll get some of it

Stick to your mission: High achievement for all students

Be Specific: give facts and figures, not generalities

Be specific: a picture of worn out books is more effective than a wordy description (provide both)

Get support: use your parent/student/staff advisory board

Advocate constantly, not just at budget time

Invite your admins to the library. If they don’t come, write to tell them what they missed.

Don’t complain: everyone is feeling their own pain, they don’t want yours

Two budget types

Operating budget

Based on expressed need

Reflects goals and objectives

Capital budget

Large-expense, one-time items

Separate from your operating budget

Operating budget

• Combination of line-item and program budgeting

• Annual process

• Fiscal year is July 1 – June 30

• Policies and procedures are unique to each district

Site-based management

Goal: to place budget authority at the implementation level

• A team of teachers, parents, and admins are responsible for the running of the building

• Superintendent allows each building a certain total budget or each building comes up with it’s needs and presents them to superintendent

• Principal is responsible for gathering input to build the budget

• Each building may be different depending on the principal’s philosophy and goals

State law – Chapter 30B, Section 7

Procurement law states:

• No quote or bid: Under $4,999

• 3 quotes: $5,000 to $24,999

• Bids: $25,000 and over

Questions

How might a budget decision affect the school’s climate?

How many teachers and students will benefit from a particular spending decision?

Ask yourself, what is my budget contributing to this ultimate goal?

Morris, p. 189

Budget proposals

Why is your school different from other schools? Why do you need more materials/resources?

What is the impact of your identified needs? What specific materials and resources do you need?

What will be the positive effects on studetn learning if these needs are satisfied and your requests for resources are granted?

What is the negative impact if your requests are not granted?

Dickinson, p.85.

Common questions

We seem to be buying stuff for school libraries, classroom libraries, and public libraries. Isn’t that a duplication?

With electronic resources, do you still need books?

With free internet access to so many wonderful materials, why do we need databases that we have to pay for?

How does this budget compare to other schools?

Reports and Communication

Reports

Frequency of reports

Types of reports

– Annual report– System reports

• Circulation• Materials• Collection analysis• Library usage statistics

Toot your own horn

Who, what, where

(fill in the blank)

Advocacy

Advocacy

Advocacy is long-term and multifaceted. It focuses not on what the library has to offer, but on individuals and their perceived needs, which can be satisfied through libraries.

– How does the library contribute to advancing those values?

– What does your school system value?

Dickinson, Gail K. Empty Pockets, Full Plates: Effective Budget Administration for Library Media Specialists. Worthington, OH. Linworth 2003.

Advocacy is a

Planned, coordinated, continuous effort to advance the library program shared with a developed community of supporters.