October 14, 2010 06:35 AM UTC

But of course it's all about the children

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• by: cologeek

When a school district cuts the librarians out of the budget, volunteer parents step in to keep the school libraries open.  But that doesn’t sit well with the Massachusetts Teachers Association.  

From the Boston Herald:

The regional school system cut librarians from the budget in order to keep more teachers on staff. Parents stepped up to volunteer at the libraries so students could keep studying. But as the Boston Globe reported, “the volunteer effort ended on Oct. 5 – the same day it began – after volunteers were warned by a staff member that a grievance was being filed.”

It seems that if a union member, adding to the union coffers, can’t fill the position, then it should remain vacant.  No matter what damage it does to the education of the children.

Of course the usual suspects are blamed by the union.

Union supporters blame tight-fisted taxpayers unwilling to pay their fair share. What a shame, they moan, that skinflint homeowners won’t pony up to pay Marian the Librarian’s salary.

But,

In fact Raynham and Bridgewater passed Prop 2 overrides this year. And the budget for the school system has jumped from $32 million to nearly $60 million in a decade, while enrollment remained flat.

So, school district cuts librarians from budget.  Concerned parents volunteer to keep libraries open at no pay.  Union comes down on parents like a ton of bricks.  Yep those kids are lucky the union cares about their education.