Students tout plan to open school libraries to public

By Emily Richmond (contact)

Thursday, April 3, 2003 | 11:02 a.m.

Clark County students went to Carson City Wednesday as part of Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins' Democracy in Action program, touting a bill that would require high school libraries be open to the public.

Students from the honors government class at Basic High School told the Assembly Education Committee that opening the libraries would be a cost-effective way to increase community-wide literacy and double the number of books available to the public.

It was the first hearing for the bill, and lawmakers suggested the students may need to do some more homework.

"The cost of opening the possible 73 high schools throughout Nevada year round will cost $950,000 less than building one new library," senior Megan Darlington said. "Even after you consider operational costs such as lighting, heating and janitorial services, it still seems to be a very cost-effective proposal."

Clark County School District officials estimate the cost of opening the libraries to the public at more than $5 million a year. The students did not elaborate on their calculations.

Britney Randall, also a Basic senior, said opening the libraries would "benefit students by providing convenient resources for studying, including computers for writing papers. It would also give young people and families a safe and familiar place to go that is close to home."

The committee also heard from students who said there isn't enough free time during the school day for students to use the library and that most teachers are reluctant to issue passes for visits.

Bryan Stiles said his classes end at 2:10 p.m., giving him just 20 minutes before track practice begins. By the time he's finished with athletics, the school library is closed.

But while the students from John Wallace's government class were praised for their fledgling lobbying efforts, lawmakers and educators questioned the costs and risks for local school districts associated with the proposal.

"What would happen if the public overwhelmingly receives this idea enthusiastically and checks out books and materials, which then aren't there for the students?" Assemblywoman Vonne Chowning, D-North Las Vegas, asked.

Because of the increase in patron volume, it would take more than the one person on the job that students recommended, Ellen Fockler, library media coordinator for the Washoe County School District, said. And because most school libraries are not designed for public access, visitors would have to walk through the campus in order to enter, raising safety concerns, Fockler said.

It's also unlikely that a school's selection of material would be appropriate for public use, Fockler said.

"The library selection in a high school is built to support the curriculum and the needs of the students and staff," Fockler said. "You would need to build a separate collection to meet the needs of public patrons."

Fockler suggested the students' more immediate concern was additional library access for themselves and their classmates -- something she supported.

Agustin Orci, deputy superintendent of instruction for the Clark County School District, said he would be "thrilled' to see students able to use campus libraries for additional hours. However, given the district's budget cuts of $90 million in the past three years -- with additional cuts of $220 million looming -- increasing library access isn't possible, he said.

Orci said he couldn't support opening the libraries to the public because of the increased cost of maintaining books, computers and other materials, a viewpoint seconded by Rancho High School Principal Robert Chesto.

Chesto said he has enough trouble replacing books that disappear when students transfer to other schools or leave the district entirely.

"If the books are checked out by a member of the public and they don't return them, who's going to track them down?" said Chesto, who did not testify at the committee hearing. "Is the state going to give us money to pay for the extra staff to clean up at the end of the day and secure the building? For the state to tell us to do one more thing as an unfunded mandate is unreasonable."

Democracy in Action, a program founded by Perkins, D-Las Vegas, invites high school government students in his district to submit proposals for public policy changes. The winning initiative is then drafted into bill form and the students are brought to Carson City to participate in the legislative process.

"One of the voices often absent during public policy debates in our state's capital is that of the student," Perkins said. "They offer a unique perspective that can often provide an extremely useful viewpoint as policies are crafted in our state."

The winning submission from the previous legislative session is now law -- Foothill High School students advocated requiring children under 16 to wear life vests while riding on boats.