Richland 2 parents and staff urge board to preserve librarians, media assistants amid staffing changes

Cindy Simons, a media specialist at Round Top Elementary, told the Richland 2 Board of Trustees that media assistants were informed their positions would be eliminated and replaced by a new hybrid “Media and Technology Assistant” role that splits duties between the media center and district technology support. She said the change would require current assistants to reapply and could leave media centers understaffed as those employees are pulled for classroom coverage, testing and other duties.

“All media assistants were informed that their current positions will be eliminated and replaced for the upcoming year with a newly created hybrid job, the Media and Technology Assistant,” Simons said, arguing the change would “compromise the function of our media centers” and hurt students who rely on consistent media-center support.

Amy Whitfield, a librarian at Blythewood High School and the district representative for secondary libraries, asked the board to prioritize retaining five school librarian positions identified for reduction and requested two certified librarians at each high school. Whitfield said librarians lead inquiry-based learning, digital-literacy instruction and professional development, and that reducing librarians would disproportionately impact students in high-poverty schools.

“We respectfully request that you prioritize the retention of 2 certified librarians at each high school,” Whitfield said, explaining that librarians are often the only certified teacher who works with every student in a building and that cutting positions would hamper equitable access to books, research tools and academic supports.

Miss Lisa Bishton spoke in support of keeping the college information specialist position, saying the role has helped students with college applications, workshops and scholarship access. Bishton said the program has helped facilitate more than $1,000,000 in scholarship awards for district students.

Board members did not take immediate action in response to the public comments during the meeting; trustees later voted on employment recommendations and certified releases during the same session. Multiple board members asked staff for more detail — including written language for referrals and clarifications about which responsibilities would move to other roles — and presenters said they would provide that material.

The public speakers’ requests add to broader budget and staffing discussions already on the board’s agenda, including policy changes and the district’s budget survey responses.