D41 Parents Upset Over Elimination of Library and Technology Aides

Glen Ellyn School District 41 parents challenged the board of education to find a different solution to managing the needs of its schools rather than terminating 11 library and technology aide positions. 

Earlier this year, District 41 Board of Education eliminated those positions to offset the need to hire more full-time technology department staff. Calling it a “revenue neutral option,” Superintendent Ann Riebock said the board-approved plan is the best way to meet the district’s expanding technology needs. Riebock added, the new full-time technology staff members will have a “high level of expertise."

Despite the board’s reasoning for the staff reorganization, district parents expressed concern over the elimination of technology and library aides during Monday night’s board meeting.

“They are important student resources,” district parent Jennifer Malick.

Malick raised concerns the elimination of technology aides would negatively impact the classrooms that increasingly rely on technology if there are computer glitches or crashes.

With media aides covering libraries and technology, Malick said response time to such crashes or glitches would be delayed.

“The tech aides can quickly respond to those problems when they happen,” Malick said. “The longer wait times will negatively impact the way teachers use technology in their classrooms.

Under the departmental reorganization, Riebock said the teachers would not face long waits for any repairs. With the elimination of the technology aides Riebock did say some students working in the technology lab would not receive as much one-on-one time with technology instructors. However, she said district staff is hoping the students will use the lab time to hone skills the technology skills they learn in the classroom.

During the board meeting Churchill second-grade staff demonstrated the increasing use of technology in the classrooms with a mathematics demonstration on a Smart Board. Following that demonstration, board member Sam Black said he was excited to see the use of technology in the classrooms.

Board member John Kenwood said he attended a joint and parent teacher association meeting last week, and the reorganization was a hot topic of discussion. After hearing the concerns raised in the meeting, he urged district staff and his fellow board members to make certain the eliminations were in the best interest of the district.

In addition to the loss of the technology aides, Malick said the schools libraries are already understaffed and rely on parent volunteers to handle the tasks.

As a volunteer in the school library, one parent praised the librarian at Churchill. She said the librarian is able to help students select books for various projects or for their reading enjoyment.

“And she knows all the names of the students…this is the library aide you want to eliminate,” she said. 

Riebock said she is setting up meetings with district staff this week to explain the staff reorganization plan and its impact on District 41. She said the reorganization has been mischaracterized in emails and letters and she hopes the meeting will change perceptions. Riebock said they will continue to listen to concerns raised by parents, but hopes they will approach the district’s reorganization with an open mind.