The second in a series by Cliff Lewis

According to David Calender, Library/Media Department Facilitator for the School District of Lancaster, the district would do well to allocate funds to each school library from a central source, rather than channeling them through each school principal. Calender asserted that funding for certain beneficial yearly purchases—like graphic novels—can be easily redirected by principals to other competing priorities. Some principals, however, do not share Calender’s assessment.

Gary Hess, principal of Burrowes Elementary, allocated more per-student funding for library books than any other school in the district last year. Hess told NewsLanc that a large portion of this allocation was directed to the purchase of new graphic novels, which, Hess said, has created a powerful motivation for older students to access the library. Hess told NewsLanc that his initial reaction to Calender’s proposal of centralized budgeting “would be ‘no.’”

However, according to Hess, a centralized budget could wind up redistributing library funds in a such a way that principals like himself could be unable to make such ambitious investments.

In response to concerns like this, Calender maintained that a central budget would simply provide each library with a predictable baseline for their annual funding. “At least it would be a level playing field,” Calender said, explaining that principals like Hess would remain free to allocate additional funds from their school budget for library materials.

Ollie Jones, principal of Carter & MacRae Elementary, allocated $0 for library books last year—technically. Jones contested the use of that figure without an explanation. She explained that her library had actually received a private donation of $5,000 last year. In this regard, Jones asserted, her budgetary freedom allowed her to use funds that otherwise would have gone to the library to alleviate other pressing needs within the school.

From Calender’s perspective, cases such as this do not detract from his argument for centralized budgeting. “When grants come along, it’s a very nice way to supplement things. But a grant or donation should not supplant [regular] funding for a school library….This is the budget you can count on to be constantly updating your collection and ensuring current materials.” The arrangement at Carter & MacRae, Calender asserted, could actually send the message that principals need not budget for their school library as long as private donations are anticipated.

Jones, who oversees a student body with a 20-40% rate of homelessness, maintained that funding arrangements are never ideal in such a financially-strapped environment. “You have to balance limited resources to impact the most good,” Jones said, “We sit down here with the budget, and everyone has a wish list. Then we try to figure out how to best do that….Who would know how to do that other than the principal?”