STUDENTS HAVE HAD to line up at lunchtime to get into their own school libraries since hours have been reduced, say North York students.
“I’m forced to go into the cafeteria and the hallways to do homework and study,” said Tarah Bleier, a Grade 12 student at York Mills Collegiate Institute. “You can’t possibly focus in the cafeteria when everyone’s talking, you know?”
Library hours were cut last fall as the result of a need for staffing in other areas, said Gerri Gershon, school trustee for the ward. She explained that, had library hours not been reduced, the time students have to see guidance counsellors would have been affected.
School board trustee Josh Matlow said that more library cuts will follow in the fall. Thirty- six librarians may be cut at schools across the region.
“What will happen is that some schools may lose a teacher librarian, or, at some schools, library hours will be rolled back,” he said.
Matlow explained that a plan to consolidate area schools is underway. Once completed, the school board will have more money for services like libraries.
“We have a number of schools that are far below capacity…. Many staff are spread thinly throughout these schools,” he said. “When we have fewer buildings, staff won’t be stretched as widely.”
