The Maryland State Department of Education recently proposed an amendment that would take away the requirement that every school have a full-time certified school librarian. Although the department has since backtracked on the proposal, the move comes at a time of growing apathy with reading and literature and an already decreased number of librarians in several schools throughout Montgomery County.

Community members were given the opportunity by the state to speak up through email until March 9. In a message to the Sherwood community, Librarian Stephanie Flaherty urged the community to write in opposition to the proposed amendment.

Sherwood, and the county at large, has already seen a decrease in librarian staffing over the past 20 years. “MCPS prior to 2009 had much higher school library staffing. There used to be two certified librarians and as many as 4 media assistants in high schools. After 2009, all MCPS schools have one certified librarian and staffing of media assistants are determined by enrollment,” said Flaherty. “When I started at Sherwood, I had two assistants– a full time and a part time. Now we have just one part time assistant.”

This widespread shift is not unique to MCPS or even Maryland; according to a report by the School Librarian Investigation, better known as the SLIDE project, the number of school librarians decreased drastically throughout the course of and following the covid pandemic. At the same time, however, many districts have gained employees. Namely, of the districts that reported losing school librarians, almost two out of five reported gaining district or school administrators, and one out of three gained instructional coordinators.

Flaherty’s letter came at a crucial time, with many Montgomery County community members speaking out in regards to various concerns, some regarding the Maryland Freedom to Read Act. The act, which went into effect in 2024, was designed to ensure that students and librarians have access to assorted collections. Because the proposed amendment removes services from trained professionals who provide children with a variety of diverse skills related to reading, it has been viewed as a divergence from the act.

In addition, certified school librarians receive a greater degree of training than do public librarians. “As a school librarian, I was required to take 15 additional credit hours for the certification. The courses focus on situations and needs specific to schools/academia, such as literacy, how to evaluate literature for academics, instructional design, and technology specific to classroom learning,” said Flaherty. This extra training, therefore, provides a foundation for supporting students and could prove harmful if removed.

Although there have been no funding allocation changes for school library media specialists in MCPS, other counties throughout the country have implemented such changes, and this trend, as well as that of literacy awareness, may continue if advocacy is scarce.

“Literacy rates have fallen in almost all Maryland districts, MCPS included. The answer is not to cut the staff who support literacy,” said Flaherty.