The UELMA Board voted on October 4 to join efforts with
the Utah Library Association (ULA)
, the Utah Education Association (UEA), and the Utah PTA in urging members to support the Our Schools Now initiative and to vote “For” on Question #1, which will be on the ballot in November’s election.
Should Question #1 pass, the Legislature has agreed to enact the Teacher and Student Success Act which levies a 10 cent tax on motor fuels that would raise over $100 million dollars for education. School librarians are specifically named in the proposal, and school library programs would directly benefit from this new funding. This is a unique, important, and high-impact way to address deficiencies in education funding in Utah, and improve student achievement through better school library programs across the state.
The Board’s vote to support Question #1 reflects our organization’s commitment to the value of school libraries and the fact that School Librarians play a key role in the academic success of students and which has been shown in many studies.
The UELMA Board believes that their vote of support will send a clear message to legislators, partners, and voters that full funding for education, school libraries, and school media specialists is the best way to support the success of our children and that our students deserve a quality education which includes a quality library program in their school. Click here to see how your school can be directly affected.
We are encouraging our members and school librarians across the state to take the Pledge to Vote for Question #1 at http://www.saveschoollibrarians.org/votefor1.