OHIO to Fund 21st Century Student Learning Through School Libraries

Good news from Ohio. The state will fund school librarians to build strong school libraries for its students. See following announcement from Ohio School Library Association.

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Hello AASL Affiliates-

Sorry I could not share this news while we were meeting in Chicago- but we just found out the details of the state budget that was passed by the Ohio House and Senate yesterday. Ohio will be funding 21st Century student learning through professionally staffed school libraries!

Starting in fiscal year 2010, under Governor Ted Strickland's evidence-based Education Reform and Funding Plan, over the next ten years, Ohio will phase in funding for licensed librarian and media specialists in Ohio's schools. For each Organizational unit as defined in Section 3306.04 of HB 1, $60,000 will be phased in for "The licensed librarian and media specialist factor." The organizational units will be determined by dividing the number of students in the district by grade levels (418 students in grades K-5, 557 in grades 6-8 and 733 in grades 9-12). In smaller school districts the number of organizational units is one unit; each district will have at least one organizational unit regardless of the formula ADM.

On Monday, July 13, the Ohio Legislature's Conference Committee voted to accept HB1 as voted on by Ohio's House of Representatives <http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText128/128_HB_1_RH_N.html>. In Sec. 3306.10. (A), lines 41188 through 41207 are based on Governor Ted Strickland's Evidence-Based Education Reform and Funding Plan.

Sec. 3306.10.
(A) The technology resources support component of the adequacy amount for each city, local, and exempted village school district is the sum of the following:
(1) The licensed librarian and media specialist factor;
(2) The technical equipment factor.
(B)(1) The licensed librarian and media specialist factor shall be calculated by multiplying the number of the district's organizational units times $60,000.
(2) The technical equipment factor shall be calculated by multiplying the district's formula ADM times $250.
(C) The licensed librarian and media specialist factor and the technical equipment factor for each city, local, and exempted village school district shall be adjusted by multiplying the calculated amounts by 0.20 in fiscal year 2010, by 0.30 in fiscal year 2011, by 0.40 in fiscal years 2012 and 2013, by 0.60 in fiscal years 2014 and 2015, and by 0.80 in fiscal years 2016 and 2017.
(D) Each school district shall account separately for the amounts received for technology resources support under this section and report that information to the department of education.

Library Media Specialists in Ohio want to thank the organizations that helped us support us with the campaign- The State Library of Ohio, The Academic Library Association of Ohio and AASL for their involvement with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

Marie Sabol- 2009 OELMA President
Deb Logan- OELMA Advocacy Co-Chair


Please Note: This email and any response to it is being archived for later retrieval and may constitute a public record and therefore may be made available upon request in accordance with Ohio Public Records law (ORC 149.43).
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