Big Surprise: Schools Hiring Fewer Nurses, Librarians

[Modern School]

According to recent findings released last week by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), California is issuing fewer credentials for K-12 service positions like librarians, school nurses and administrators, and schools are hiring fewer service staff.

Between the 2006-07 and 2010-11 school years, CTC issued 11% fewer service credentials, while the number of people working in service positions dropped by 9%. The biggest decline was for nurse credentials—a 26.4% drop, while the number of nurses working in the public schools went down by 13.3%. The number of school social worker credentials fell by 18.9% and 10% for school psychologists.

There was an 8.3% increase in new teacher librarian credentials in 2010-11. However, the number of librarians working in the schools fell from 1,234 in 2006-7 to 895 in 2010-11, a 27% drop. There was also an increase in speech pathologist credentials and the number of speech pathologists working in schools declined.
(To read more, see the Bay Citizen: http://www.baycitizen.org/education/story/schools-hiring-fewer-nurses-librarians/)

Modern School
http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2012/05/big-surprise-schools-hiring-fewer.html

[RandySF]

1. Our librarian was canned, too.

Now it's being run by volunteers.

[femmocrat]

2. Unfortunately, this is a place where they can cut corners.

Our district had two certified "head" nurses for four buildings and a nurse's aide in each building basically to offer ice packs and band-aids. The nurses would administer medicine, check the diabetics, and do all the mounds of paperwork (immunizations, etc.).

We had one elementary librarian who oversaw three library aides who just checked books in and out. The students didn't have opportunities to complete research or have lessons that focused on reading.

It's really a shame what budget cuts and the total emphasis on testing have done to our schools.

[Reader Rabbit]

3. Our district eliminated all its teacher librarians.

It added "intervention specialists" who focus on kids' test scores, though.

[Modern School]

4. Rectal Injections by California Teachers!!

In California, they've been pushing for allowing teachers to give rectal injections of a potential dangerous drug, Diastat, to epileptic students. Aside from the potential litigation for f-ing up and giving the injections incorrectly or for making the wrong diagnosis, or for publicly humiliating a child by strip him or her in front of peers to get the syringe up their butt, this absurd legislation wouldn't even be considered reasonable if we hadn't decimated the school nursing profession.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. And you're sure they're giving those injections in front of peers?

Because if they are, that's a violation of a ton of privacy laws and could be interpreted as a pedophilia offense. Even a nurse wouldn't do that.

Forcing teachers to provide medical care is bad enough. But you really don't need to exaggerate about it.