SPRING BRANCH, Texas — Spring Branch ISD is doing away with librarians to address a $35 million budget shortfall.
Next school year, Spring Branch ISD libraries will operate as media centers. The media centers will be supported by a team of district-level media specialists, and a new ‘media center assistant’ position will be at each campus to support day-to-day operations, the district said.
This decision is upsetting to the families who believe librarians are essential to public education.
“It’s devastating news to her," Cody Dolan said about his wife who has worked in Spring Branch ISD for around nine years. "She’s very passionate about her job."
Dylan said his wife's role as a librarian goes beyond books.
“She has a robotics club in her library," he said. "She has a video game-creating club in her library. She has something every day, before or after school that kids can go to because libraries are really the hearts of schools."
He said his wife is not worried about her job, but she's concerned about kids losing an essential part of their education.
“What is that going to do to them," he said. "What is that going to do to their development? What is that going to do to their lifelong passion for reading that she hopes to develop?
Librarian jobs aren't the only district staff jobs being cut next school year. SBISD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Blaine said campus job cuts include elementary and middle school counseling programs and athletic training staff.
The district said it has informed impacted staff of opportunities for them to find other roles.