Bell High School’s library before and after. (From LAUSD)

For the first time since some school libraries were shuttered during budget cuts in 2008, all of the LA Unified school libraries will be back up and running when school starts again on August 16.

But according to the latest district estimates, the majority of students across Los Angeles will still be forced to rely on under-stocked library collections filled with outdated materials.

District numbers show that the average age of a book in a LAUSD library is now more than 20 years old, and that the books-per-student ratio is a shocking 35 percent below the state average. Even more dire: Most district schools have only a minimal budget to spend on bridging this gap—if they have any additional library funds at all.

“The libraries are still woefully inadequate, and some librarians are loath to take some off the shelves because they will remain empty,” said Franny Parrish, the political action chairwoman for the California School Employees Association, the union that represents library aides. “We have actually come across books with titles like ‘One Day We Will Put a Man on the Moon’ and that’s absurd. You can’t give obsolete information out, it’s a disservice to the students.”

Some school libraries were closed well before the 2008 cuts — stretching back 10 or even 15 years — and some principals decided to completely close the school libraries rather than depend on parent volunteers to run them, since they may mix up books and cause more confusion. Also, some libraries are staffed through funding by PTAs, and books are replenished by book fairs or school fundraisers, meaning that school libraries in more affluent areas now bear little resemblance to those in poorer neighborhood.

Manchester Elementary School’s library before and after. (LAUSD)

“It’s wrong to be pimping out our children by having them sell candy to raise money for books or to pay for a library aide,” Parrish said. “It’s offensive. A library should be a necessity for every school.”

Concerned about the decline of school libraries, school board member Monica Ratliff initiated a Modern Library Task Force that issued a report in June 2014 that suggested three years of strategies for the district try to reach the California school library standard of 28 books per student. At the time, LA Unified had only 17.6 books per student.

Today, district numbers show, that number has only increased 1.1 percent to 17.8 books per student.

Monica Ratliff reading a book to children at a classroom.

“It is good news that we have the renewed staffing because libraries were literally shuttered, and that was not appropriate,” Ratliff told the LA School Report. “The bad news is the book collection is out of date and too thin.”

Ratliff said the district must figure out how to update the books and find donors willing to help. All the books now at the district are worth an estimated $205 million.

“I’m sure there are book lovers out there who would want to help purchase books for our kids,” said Ratliff, whose staff looked into an update of the libraries a few weeks ago. “I interacted with some Library Aides and I appreciate that they do try to buy books of interest to students and that are Common Core-related. We just need more resources.”

The second-largest school district in the country has not had a major influx of books for its libraries since some state funding between 1999 and 2002, according to district officials. In 2011, as part of a civil rights settlement with the federal government, LA Unified had to pay for Library Aides at 80 schools with significant African-American student populations. Library Aides are usually hired for elementary schools and Teacher Librarians hired at middle and high schools can also teach classes.

“We cannot depend on parents to buy books for the libraries, it will just create more disparities in different parts of the district,” Ratliff said. “And we still need to improve staffing.”

The Teacher Librarian-to-student ratio at LA Unified is one Teacher Librarian for every 5,784 students, which is far below the national average of one for every 1,026 students. (The recommended ratio by Modern School Library Standards is one for every 785 students).

Under Superintendent John Deasy, librarians and aides were considered unnecessary and cut during the recession, but his successor Ramon Cortines vowed to reopen all of the libraries starting with high schools. Now, Superintendent Michelle King has renewed efforts to get libraries opened at all the schools again by rehiring staff, but it’s a far cry from the more than 800 Library Aides once working at the district.

Elementary schools with smaller libraries (10,000 books or fewer) usually hire Library Aides, and this year, the district has 356 of them, with 184 paired to support two school sites. Of those, 133 are assigned six hours a day at a single site and 39 are assigned three-hours at a single site, according to district spokesperson Monica Carazo. Only three Library Aide positions are vacant and are expected to be filled before the beginning of school, Carazo said.

Of 85 middle school libraries, 38 have full-time positions funded while four have part-time positions. Other positions are paid with discretionary money from the school funding, sometimes with help from PTA groups.

Of the 84 high school libraries, including span schools from 4th to 12th grades, 74 have full time Teacher Librarians who also teach classes, and 10 schools have part-time positions.

The district built 130 new schools in the past 15 years and so those book collections are newer, and the district is emphasizing their use of a “weeding” process to cull older books.

Walter Reed Middle School’s library at open house.

But after books are weeded, there’s no money to buy replacements.

The budget for new books last year for Tiffiny Federico at Walter Reed Middle School in Studio City was $1,800 — about $1 per student. That’s how much they raised at the Scholastic Book Fair, selling books to students and parents, with a percentage going back to the school to buy books for a classic library with high ceilings built as part of the FDR Work Progress program in 1938.

“My goal this summer was to research some grants and figure out how to do the Donors Choose and make inroads into the community with the parents to make the library survive this year,” Federico said. “I got rid of a lot of books, many of them hadn’t been checked out for decades, and I have no budget for more books.”

After 22 years of teaching English at Reed, Federico took over the Librarian Teacher position last year and began looking through the 22,000 catalogued items they have, including VHS tapes and DVDs. She weeded out about 10 percent of damaged and outdated books.

In her first year of training, Federico heard about other school libraries that were re-opening after 15 years and getting their inventory online. She teaches students at every grade level how to conduct research and use the LA Unified’s 18 data systems, how to find sources, and how to avoid plagiarism.

“Students feel comfortable coming here,” Federico said about her library. “During nutrition [class] we will have 50 or 60 kids coming in, playing with Pokemon cards or their role-playing games, or kids who didn’t do their homework, or some wandering around looking at books. There is always a line for the 12 computers.”

The library is one of the hubs of the school, and home to those training for the Spelling Bee, the Knitting Club and the Doctor Who Club that Federico runs. It is open at least 35 hours a week, before and after school and during lunch.

“If the students can’t find something, I send them to the North Hollywood Library where they have a big Manga (Japanese comic book) collection, and I tell the kids to ask them for a book because they have better funding to purchase it,” Federico said.

Only two years ago, nearly 65 percent of the LA Unified school libraries in elementary and middle school were completely shut down, so Federico said she sees some hope that things are changing. “Michelle King knows the importance of having a vibrant working library, and I get a good vibe that they see the importance of how a library can be the heart of your school,” Federico said. “In the past, Deasy thought libraries were a waste of money.”

To keep students coming back, Federico is planning a section of the library called a Maker Station that includes art supplies and science kits for students to work and create things.

The book theft detection device at Walter Reed that doesn’t work.

Another issue for Reed, and a big secret, is that the book detection bars at the doors of the library haven’t worked for at least two years. The scanners are supposed to sound off if an unchecked book passes through it.

“We keep them up because it still serves as a deterrent and the kids think it still works, but it will cost about $13,000 to replace it, and that’s unlikely to happen,” Federico said.

Lost or stolen books are yet another problem. Books cost about $25 each to replace, not including the cost of processing and filing them.

“Millions of books are missing because the libraries have been closed for so long,” said Parrish, who works at Dixie Canyon Community Charter School in Sherman Oaks. “If I were to tell you that at one school there was $75,000 worth of computers missing, people would flip out, but if it’s $75,000 worth of books missing from the library no one really addresses that.”

Meanwhile, the district’s Integrated Library Text Support Services promotes its library services and even has a photo gallery of libraries before and after as they are renewed and re-opened.

Ratliff said the replenishing of books has to be a priority for the school board. She said, “When introduced early, children love reading, they love books, and they love the library. I do think that we can find people who will want to donate to this cause.”

Two of the new school board members will chair their first committee meetings of the new school year.

The Curriculum, Instruction and Educational Equity Committee meets at 10 a.m. and will be run by new chairman Scott Schmerelson. The members will get a report from Cynthia Lim, executive director of the Office of Data and Accountability, analyzing the Smarter Balanced Assessment Scores. Lim’s report explains how the new test scores cannot fairly be compared to past scores and how LAUSD students in both charter and traditional schools fell below the state averages in meeting standards. However, in both math and English tests magnet schools at LAUSD scored better than the state average in all grades.

The Curriculum Committee also will receive a report about the district’s College and Career Readiness Plan presented by Linda Del Cueto, the chief of Professional Learning and Leadership Development.

At 2 p.m., new school board member Ref Rodriguez is scheduled to lead the Early Childhood Education and Parent Engagement Committee. Dean Tagawa, the administrator of LAUSD’s Early Childhood Education Division, is on the agenda to review the expansion of Traditional Kindergarten in the district.

Then, Jamila Loud of The Advancement Project will discuss “Access Gaps to High Quality Early Care and Education in LAUSD.”

At the 4 p.m. board meeting, the board will hear concerns about textbooks, as required by law: By the eighth week of school, school boards must ensure that all students have textbooks aligned with state standards in academic classes.

The district superintendent’s office said the district spent $67 million to get Common Core textbooks last year, and another $120.8 million is set for this year and next year. The district has asked every teacher and principal to certify that enough textbooks are available, and each Local District superintendent has to resolve any issues.

To offset some of the discussion that may arise from parents, deputy superintendent Ruth Pérez issued a memo dated Sept. 9 explaining that regulations do not include courses for art, computer programming or agriculture, just core and required subjects. Also, it does not require a set of textbooks to be kept in the classroom if ones are individually assigned to each student.

All three meetings are open to the public, a 333 South Beaudry Ave. The district is also providing live video and audio streaming.

Click here to sign up for the LA School Report newsletter, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Why Educators’ Wages Must Be Revamped Now
Some districts are spending more than they need to spend, based on what other districts show is possible. But does this excess spending imply that we can simply cut back on spending without harming students? EdWeek Commentary

Glendale Unified, Police Settle Suit Over Racial Profiling
The ACLU of Southern California announced Wednesday that it had reached settlements with the city of Glendale and the Glendale Unified School District on behalf of eight Latino students who alleged that officials engaged in racial profiling and illegal searches during a 2010 incident at Hoover High School. LA Times

Districts Must Return to 180-Day Instructional Year by 2015-16
Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature agree: The state should again require a minimum 180-day school year, starting in 2015-16. EdSource

LAUSD Hired Other Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse, Despite Warnings
Turns out, Joseph Piña is not the only Archdiocese employee with a questionable past and a link to L.A.’s schools. KCET
See also: LA Times

Call for Digital Textbooks Back Before the Legislature
Lawmakers appear poised to test Gov. Jerry Brown’s new commitment to online learning with legislation that would require textbook publishers to make available a digital version of the content material. SI&A Cabinet Report

Small Study Says Gender Stereotypes May Still Play Role in Who Chooses to Teach
In a small study, university scholars found that gender stereotypes play a role when men discount going into teaching. Certainly that’s not the case in California, right? KPCC

Should Doctors and Teachers Protect Their Own?
I cannot support the idea that incompetent teachers should be able to keep their jobs any more than I believe that incompetent surgeons should be allowed to keep operating. Sac News & Review Commentary

Ex-Miramonte Teacher Could Face More Charges
Mark Berndt is already facing 23 counts of lewd conduct involving students. K-NBC LA