Second-grader Julie Bayer and fourth-grader Rafi Bayer sat quietly on the floor of the Wilburton Instructional Service Center during a packed Bellevue School Board meeting Tuesday. The brother and sister pair, wearing royal blue Lake Hills Elementary T-shirts, were there to show support for their school along with parents, teachers, students, and professional educators.

They were there to show their concern for the decision by the Bellevue School Board to reassign all secondary librarians to classroom positions and transfer the full-time counselor position from Lake Hills Elementary for the 09/10 school year.

The school board made the decision following cuts to the state education budget by the Legislature.

With the announcement of a districtwide reduction of 60 FTE [full-time equivalent] positions, principals at Bellevue schools were required to make cuts to certificated positions outside of the classroom including counselors and librarians.

“It was a desperate move in desperate circumstances,” explained Board President Chris Marks. “However, the outcry has been huge and we have heard it. We will continue to look at the situation to see if there are any possible remedies. We don’t have that to offer to you right now, but I just want you to know that we heard you.”

More than 20 people addressed the board, including Mike Eisenberg, Dean Emeritus and Professor at the University of Washington Information School.

“The very thought of Bellevue schools not having full-time librarians is inconceivable to me,” Eisenberg said. “Bellevue, to not have librarians, are you kidding me? This is home to the high-tech giants like Microsoft. For this district to cut librarians at the secondary level is embarrassing.”

Each middle and high school independently eliminated the certificated library staffing for next year. Libraries will be open, staffed by library assistants, and accessible to students and staff. The current librarians will be placed in teaching positions. Information literacy will continue to be taught in elementary school and supported by regular

classroom teachers in secondary schools, district officials say.

“You have a room full of stuff, but you don’t have a library,: Eisenberg said. “A library is a complex system requiring professional teaching, services and management. It’s not simply a warehouse,” he explained. “…So, you can call these “rooms with stuff” but you can’t call them “libraries.” I have nothing against clerical staff. But, trying to run a library with a clerk is like running a pharmacy with a cashier.”

Bellevue parent Jeani Littrell-Kwik created a Website dedicated to librarian-reassignment issue in Bellevue secondary schools. The Web site, www.bsdscholars.org, outlines the issue and includes a petition to keep librarians in the Bellevue schools.

“My goal was to simply get the information out there so everyone can be well-informed on what is going on in our schools,” said Littrell-Kwik.

According to the district Web site, librarians will remain in the elementary schools.

For schools such as Lake Hills Elementary this is a relief, yet, there is another concern among parents and teachers. Due to budget cuts, Lake Hills Elementary will lose the full-time counselor position currently held by Jean Vrbka.

“Last year, the school eliminated the administrative assistant position and now we are being told we also won’t have a counselor for next year,” said Robin Tzucker, a second-grade teacher at Lake Hills. “Children who are in crisis are children who have trouble learning. Every single teacher in our school can speak to that.”

Tzucker pointed to numerous incidents where Vrbka went out of her way to help a student in crisis.

“There’s a student who doesn’t come to school because of home issues and domestic violence. On several occasions, Jean has reached out to the mother and visited the home to ensure the child makes it to school and gets fed,” Tzucker explained. “The mother of the student has grown to trust Jean and is ready to take steps to make a change in her life and the life of her family. If Jean leaves, what happens to that mother and that student?”

Beyond her role as the school counselor, Vrbka acts as the point person for outside services including Jubilee Reach Center, Youth Eastside Services, Asian and Consejo Counseling.

“My fear is that if we cut Jean, we will lose the support and services of all the valuable outside resources that these students need so badly to succeed,” she said.

Lake Hills Elementary is considered the highest needs building in the district, with 60 percent of students speaking a first language other than English and 60 percent qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches.

“I couldn’t even begin to count the ways our school counselor has helped a student work through a crisis,” said Kristine McLane, the Lake Hills Elementary Librarian. “What she does here is crucial to the student’s success and future.”

The five members of the board addressed several questions brought before them at the board meeting and thanked the community for coming out and expressing their concerns.

“Public comments are appropriate, relevant and helpful as you bring insight for what you believe in,” said board member Judy Bushnell. “You all came from different perspectives with one common value.”

Bushnell suggested the solution to the problem may lie in the extra enrichment funds.

“I think as we look at the really awful budget cuts that we have, our problem is that so much of our budget is formed by our people. We tried really hard to preserve the elective program which is where Bellevue is richer than the districts surrounding us. That is where are extra enrichment funds are and it is something we are all going to have to think about as a whole community,” said Bushnell.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.