Latest news with #librarycuts
CBC
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Anglophone South eliminates library worker jobs
The Anglophone South school district is eliminating 13 full-time and five part-time library worker positions, just days after the province promised more collaboration to mitigate the impact of budget cuts. Theresa McAllister, the provincial president of Local 2745 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, said she learned of the cuts in a meeting Monday morning. She put the number of positions eliminated at 17, with 15 employees affected. "The kids are the ones that will be affected, because they're saying the libraries will not close," she said. "Wonderful. But who's going to be working in those libraries?" The district says the laid-off workers will be eligible for other jobs within the school system, and the cuts won't affect students because schools now use classroom-based book collections. "Schools no longer have traditional library tasks," spokesperson Jessica Hanlon said in an emailed statement. "The decision to reduce library worker roles was part of an overall effort to maximize our budget to focus most directly on student learning in our classrooms, and make best use of our employees' skill sets." The positions were the only library jobs remaining in the district. Last week, the Holt Liberal government asked districts for new spending plans to "mitigate choices that could impact the classroom and the supports our students rely on most." That followed a month of controversy over the province's budget allocation to the seven education districts and the cuts some districts made in response. While overall funding went up, the government's earmarking of most of the money in specific areas left the districts having to reduce spending by $43 million. Letters sent to the districts last week said the Education Department wanted to collaborate with the districts and would "consider adjusting funding in relation to the proposals you submit." The new district plans were due at the end of the day last Friday. McAllister said it was confusing that Monday's layoffs happened so soon after that deadline. "We would be the last to be invited to collaborate," she said. "Let's just put that out there. So I don't know. But I aim to find out exactly how that happened or didn't happen, if they did relook, if they got extra money." Hanlon said the decision on the library worker positions is final and won't be reversed as a result of any further discussions with the government.
CBC
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Anglophone School District South cuts library workers
According to CUPE, 17 positions are being cut in Anglophone South, affecting 15 people, as the district becomes the latest to eliminate library workers in schools.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
San Diego's final budget draws criticism over cuts to Humane Society, libraries
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Organizations hit by cuts in San Diego's final proposed budget for 2026 are warning of consequences for the communities they serve. The mayor says tough choices need to be made to close the city's roughly quarter-of-a-billion-dollar deficit, but some want him to reconsider his final budget plan. 'That's not really fair because it cuts off a lot of activities for kids and free time that parents need from the kids,' said library-goer Daniel Gomez. Library-goers like Daniel Gomez are criticizing Mayor Todd Gloria's plans to reduce hours and programming at San Diego libraries. A more than $8 million funding cut in the city's final budget proposal for next fiscal year is to blame. As early as July, San Diegans could see all 37 locations closed Sundays and Mondays losing access to a range of resources. 'It leaves me to find places to get WiFi for free or a silent place or somewhere to get books so I really do not have an alternative,' Gomez said. Others say having free public services makes a real financial difference for community members. 'One of my friends was being told she's going to have to pay a couple thousand dollars to fix her car and there was all these problems and between online and going to the library she figured out how to do it herself and it cost her like $70 in parts and she did it herself,' said library-goer Robert Lawson-Owens. The CEO of the Library Foundation SD released a statement that reads in part, 'I am disappointed the City of San Diego is unable to find alternatives to across-the-board cuts…I continue to urge city leaders to commit to building sustainable revenue streams that will safeguard the San Diego public library.' The city is restoring some of the San Diego Humane Society's funding after initially planning a $3.5 million cut for animal control. 'We want to make sure our animals and people are safe,' Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of SDHS. Weitzman says they understand the city's situation and want to help. 'We're foregoing an increase that we by law have to do every year and that's to provide a living wage to our employees who are San Diego residents,' Weitzman said. But Weitzman says if the final budget for next fiscal year passes as is, the nonprofit faces a roughly million-dollar funding gap. 'To do the work that we have to do, we have to have the city agree to leave our budget right now where it is with the agreement that we will give back $1 million of the cut that they have asked us for, we cannot go higher than that,' he said. The budget process moves forward as the city council prepares to debate change before a final vote June 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
