SAVE OUR SCHOOL LIBRARIES
The Ontario School Library Association (OSLA) is bringing together the voice of educators, parents and concerned Ontarians across the province to let the Ontario Ministry of Education know that every student in Ontario needs a properly funded and staffed school library!
Ontario School Libraries at Risk
This past April, the Ontario Ministry of Education changed the way schools are funded. This new funding model eliminates protected funding for school libraries and library staff. What does that mean? It is now easier for school boards to reduce or eliminate school libraries and the essential staff that keep them running.
Experienced school library staff serve a critical role in their school communities by providing literacy and curriculum support to students and classroom teachers alike, offering resources, and boosting student success.
Over the past two decades, hundreds of thousands of students across Ontario have lost access to their school libraries – and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this alarming trend with direct impacts on student literacy and success. The new education funding model now adds additional pressure to already at-risk school libraries and their staff.
The government has also eliminated its own accountability measures for school libraries implemented in 2021. School boards are no longer required to report to the Ministry of Education on how or if they’re funding school libraries or aligning with provincial expectations.
Without accountability or enveloped funding, school boards will continue to cut school library funding in response to growing budgetary challenges province-wide.
DIGITAL TOOLKIT
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NEWS & UPDATES
- Read OSLA’s letter to the Minister of Education (May 2024)
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FAQ
Petitioners must be residents of the Province of Ontario. Petitioners can be of any age (i.e., those under the age of majority (18 years old) can sign). Each petitioner must provide their full name and address to verify their eligibility, along with their original signature written under the text of the petition. Electronic petitions cannot be presented to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Learn more about petitions.
Please mail your original document(s) to the OLA office by September 30, 2024.
Please return signed pages to:
Ontario Library Association
Centre for Social Innovation
192 Spadina Avenue, Suite 205
Toronto, ON M5T 2C2
Every year, the Ontario Ministry of Education publishes information on education funding for publicly funded school boards. This past April 2024, the Ministry of Education introduced a new education funding model called Core Education Funding for the 2024-2025 school year.
The Core Education Funding model replaces the previous Grant for Student Needs.
Under the Grant for Student Needs, there was a protected funding envelope for school library staff and resources known as the Supplemental Library Staffing allocation. This enveloped funding has been eliminated in the new Core Education Funding. School boards are no longer required to spend specified funds on school library staff and resources.
Funding for library staff and resources is now included in the Learning Resources Fund under the Core Education Funding, which covers non-classroom staff and non-staff classroom costs.
The OLA recognizes and appreciates the invaluable contribution of library technicians to the Ontario library sector. The OSLA represents all school library professionals and uses inclusive language as much as possible in its advocacy work. As such, the Save Our School Libraries campaign uses ‘school library staff’ and ‘school library professionals’ throughout its communications.
In recognition of the Ministry of Education’s specific interest in curriculum achievement, we specifically refer to the ‘teacher-librarian’ position where most effective. The use of ‘teacher-librarian’ in the campaign is intended to strategically engage the Ministry by linking the role of the school library to the Ontario curriculum. As accredited teachers, teacher-librarians serve to bridge the gap of understanding for the Ministry in prioritizing school libraries as part of student academic success.
Our Save Our School Libraries campaign is focused on the principle that all aspects of the school library – all library professionals, including teacher-librarians and library technicians, physical space, and resources – are instrumental to keeping school libraries open and active.
We are asking the provincial government to mandate that the Ministry reinstate previously enveloped funding and accountability measures, and further enhance these to ensure that they are consistent with the provincial per-student funding formula, thereby protecting and expanding the critical roles of library technicians at schools across Ontario.
Our province-wide campaigns are oriented towards driving change within the public-school sector, where students are most vulnerable to the impacts of budget cuts and the loss of school libraries.
School library professionals in private schools seeking support can access OSLA’s resources here.
If you require a French version of the petition, please contact Lily Kwok, Advocacy & Research Officer, OLA, at lkwok@accessola.com
Please email Lily Kwok, Advocacy & Research Officer, OLA, at lkwok@accessola.com
