Literacy Coaches, Media Specialists Axed

School media specialists, tech specialists and literacy coaches are getting the axe.

The Pasco County School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to cut roughly 175 positions, according to the Tampa Bay Times. But the specialists, techs and coaches have the ability to request a classroom teaching position or apply for one of 80 new specialist positions that will blend the media, literacy and tech roles.

School Superintendent Kurt Browning said the move will save $5 million next year for the district, which is facing a roughly $28 million budget deficit, the Times reported.

Supporters and media specialists crowded April's school board meeting to lobby officials to keep the existing roles intact. A media specialist is not a librarian who simply finds you a book, they said, but someone who navigates the “tangles and brambles of all kinds of apps,” troubleshoots technology and helps students differentiate between reliable and unreliable Internet sources.

“I urge you to consider the impact on future generations,” Gulf High School graduate Casey Ernsberger had told the board. 

But district officials Tuesday said something must be done to save money following years of cuts.

"I am very reluctant, but there is a hole there and we've got to fill it,” board member Steve Luikart said, according to the Times.

What do you think of the move by the board to merge the roles of media specialists and literacy coaches? Tell us in the comments section.

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