How Should HISD Spend the 2021 Additional Federal Funds for Best Student Outcomes?

by Dorcas Hand

HISD administration is working to decide how to spend the ARP/ESSER funds. That’s the federal American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, more than $800 million coming directly to Houston ISD. During the week of May 17-21, a survey was open to the public on how that money should be spent. It is a three-year windfall, which means the district needs to spend it in ways that have staying power. 
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The survey, linked here in PDF, covered lots of potential topics - including Library Services. Yes, Library Services were directly listed. And SNL Speaks Out readers know that we consistently push the idea that school libraries improve student success at school, and we know that libraries do not exist on every HISD campus. How might libraries help in many areas the survey addresses? What are useful ways to invest this one time funding in HISD libraries? 

Besides libraries, the survey includes 

• Campus infrastructure that will support student health, especially in relation to transmission of illness like COVID: improve ventilation systems across the district to minimize both flu outbreaks and pandemic spikes. 
• Comprehensive mental health support. 
• General disaster preparedness (hurricane, pandemic): everything from providing meals to the needy to digital devices to supporting special needs, all with minimizing learning loss and maintaining federal and state standards in mind. 
• Wraparound services to coordinate sensitive areas to ensure every child is respectfully supported to successful academic growth. 

Now that we have survived COVID so soon after Hurricane Harvey, the district has experience to bring to disaster planning. 

Now, let’s consider areas that library services can impact positively. 

• Continue, improve and expand services to Title I students and Individuals with Disabilities, as well as Family Literacy efforts. 
• Level up Career and Technical offerings.
• Learning loss across the district, but especially in those areas hardest hit because families lacked consistent wifi access and/or adequate devices for all students in the home. Campuses that had libraries during the pandemic had an extra advantage in keeping literacy achievement moving forward. 
• Curriculum/Instructional Enhancements - Libraries are one method to enhance curriculum creatively, based on academic needs but without relying on cookie-cutter, expensive solutions from outside vendors.
• English Learner (EL) Supports - Libraries offer bilingual resources according to campus needs. Libraries also offer windows, doors, and mirrors to support students of other cultures to feel fully welcomed into the campus community.
• Special Education - Libraries support special curricula by finding and enabling access to appropriate resources.
• Interventions / Gifted and Talented (GT) - Libraries support all learners regardless of level or ability. That is their mission; they need a certified librarian and some funding to purchase appropriate resources.
• Library Services provides centralized support to all HISD libraries.

Research tells us that students learn to read better and to love learning more when they have access to a library of books that allows them to read widely, choose their own books, and expand world awareness at their own pace which is what libraries facilitate. “[H]ow are students dis-served when their schools lack certified school librarians? School librarians are credentialed teachers. In addition to fostering a habit of reading to learn, school librarians teach a cross-disciplinary curriculum…” Libraries can support after school programs and summer learning at the same time they include ed tech support as a normal element of their mission: locating, evaluating and disseminating useful digital resources for use in classrooms and independently by students. Certified librarians are also experts in training both teachers and students in the use of these resources.

CONCLUSION
HISD currently has 62 libraries staffed with certified librarians. It is unclear what budget those librarians have for library materials, but all funding is campus based. Yes, there are another 79 libraries staffed by teachers - again with uncertain budgets. There are 274 HISD schools served by Library Services but only 141 (62+79) have library services staffed by trained personnel; 48 have clerks; 43 are vacant; and 41 have no library at all [All data from the same link]. Given that school libraries could positively impact almost all the categories addressed by the HISD Survey, HISD should invest in its libraries so that more campuses have the advantage of library services. 
How might the district leverage this one time funding to phase in libraries for every student?

• Use some ESSER funding to open (establish a library space and purchase an opening resource collection) libraries on campuses without them now, while using internal funds (district, campus or even a grant) to fund the staffing. Perhaps begin with the most challenged campus populations, like the Achieve 180 schools. Or those that are challenged but not failing, where the additional support of a campus library could have dramatic effect. Opening libraries on disadvantaged campuses works toward equitable services for all HISD students.
• ESSER funds could replace library materials lost during COVID, on all campuses with libraries currently.
• ESSER funds could also support some interested teachers to get Library Certification. As the district adds libraries, there will be great need for certified librarians to staff those spaces. Remember that librarians are also certified teachers, and cost no more salary than a certified teacher.

This is a huge opportunity to offer library resources to a much higher percentage of the HISD student population. SNL hopes the new superintendent, the school board and the principals can be convinced of the wisdom of this path.