Pennsylvania

JPZenger

(6,819 posts) Fri Sep 13, 2013, 09:18 AM Sep 2013

At 2 best academic high schools in Phil, libraries locked because of lack of staff

Last edited Fri Sep 13, 2013, 12:13 PM - Edit history (2)

http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20130913_Budget_crisis_shutters_libraries_at_2_top_schools.html

"When Central High School opened its new library in 2005 - a $4.5 million research and media hub funded by alumni - Apple named it a national model. Students visited it more than 147,000 times last year, more than 800 visits a day. Masterman School's library, also bolstered by fund-raising, bustled with students, too, from early morning till late afternoon.

But now both libraries - the academic hearts of two of Philadelphia's most prestigious schools - have been shuttered. They are the latest victims of the schools' financial crisis. The district did not fund librarians - so principals at Central, Masterman, and any number of other schools had to cut those positions, along with counselors, assistant principals, and teachers.

....At Central, pupils had access to more than 20,000 volumes, 60 computers, and several printers and scanners, she said. The library also has a room designated for college admissions officers to meet students, a staff lounge, and a home for Central's extensive archives. Founded in 1836, it is the second-oldest public high school in the nation."

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Over 4,000 positions have been eliminated from Phila. schools, including almost all of the guidance counselors, nurses, librarians and assistant principals, as well as hundreds of teachers. Some schools don't even have math teachers available for their students. Meanwhile, Corbett is sitting on $50 million that was authorized for Phila. Schools for this year. He won't release the money, because the teacher's union won't approve a 13% pay cut for themselves.