Public commenters urge Sunnybrook SD 171 to staff new Nathan Hill library with licensed librarian

At its regular meeting, the Sunnybrook SD 171 board heard two public commenters press the district to place a licensed school librarian in the newly opened Nathan Hill library rather than leaving library duties to staff filling multiple roles.

“I was recently had an editorial published … licensed school librarians have been proven through study after study to have a direct positive effect on student achievement,” said Kristen Rodmaker, who identified herself as representing the Association of Illinois School Library Educators. Rodmaker cited the Illinois State Board of Education’s guidance recommending one licensed librarian per roughly 450 students and urged the district to staff library spaces accordingly.

Elisa Bellowos Davis, president of the PTA, told the board the PTA’s social-media post about library staffing was intended to prompt conversation and said the district already has a “homegrown” licensed librarian who has been trained by district-supported programs but is currently assigned to classroom duties until more teachers are in place. “Knowledge is power,” Davis said, asking for clearer public communication so parents are not left with the impression the district lacks any licensed librarian.

District speakers responded that the district has procedures to address accommodations and staffing and that a licensed staff member is available to support students but that classroom coverage needs come first. The board did not take formal action on library staffing during the meeting.

Why it matters: Licensed school librarians are connected in state guidance to literacy and information-literacy goals; parents and advocacy groups argued that a staffed library would better realize the investment in the new facility. The exchange made clear the concern is as much about transparency of district communications as it is about assignment decisions.

The public-comments sequence closed without the board announcing a policy change or a timetable to assign the licensed librarian to the Nathan Hill library. The meeting adjourned at 7:09 p.m.