Author Davina Ferreira Leading Campaign Against the Elimination of Librarians in Schools

April 25, 2011 - PRLog -- Los Angeles, CA - Author Davina Ferreira, best known for her book “TAKE ME WITH YOU” publicly denounced the LAUSD Board of Education decision to eliminate librarians from schools.  In a visit to Lincoln High School on April 15, 2011 to celebrate National Poetry Month, Ferreira stated her disbelief about The Los Angeles Unified Board of Education unanimously deciding to lay off 5,200 librarians, teachers, administrators, counselors and nurses as the district looks to close a $640 million budget deficit for the next school year. The decision also included 2,370 administrators.

That would virtually eliminate librarians and school nurses, increase class sizes in fourth through eighth grade to a potential high of 44 students in middle school, and boost counselor loads to 1,000 students each.

The layoff notices were recommended by LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who said that while he hoped to negotiate with employee unions to reduce the number of layoffs he was forced to plan for the worst-case scenario to keep the district solvent.

" A world without stories, books or people guiding our youth in the magical world of literature will only make them live in a place devoid of the most profound form of learning: One that heals, saves and edifies' said Davina Ferreira from the Lincoln High School Library.

Gregg Solkovits, secondary vice president of United Teachers Los Angeles, said that while union officials understand the district's desperate financial situation, they also want to make sure the district has not spent money wastefully or on inappropriate priorities. "We recognize that LAUSD's funding has been severely cut, but we also know that this district has a long history of misplaced priorities and wasteful spending," Solkovits said.

Davina Ferreira is calling upon the private and public sectors to join forces to save school libraries.