The Wrangell School Board voted unanimously Monday to open a new K-12 certified librarian position that will also focus on media and literacy instruction, but some say the district should adjust existing roles instead of creating a new one.
Wrangell Superintendent Joshua Garrett said the position would manage both school libraries; in the secondary level, teach media literacy and research.
He said, “The goal is to inflame the love of reading in our students across the entire district.”
Garrett said the role would also help students navigate artificial intelligence and what it means for education.
“Not necessarily accepting whatever artificial intelligence means for us, but to be thinking about, to be preparing for it, because life is here now,” he said.
But not everyone supports creating the new position.
Some think the district should address other staffing needs first
Second-grade teacher Aly Howell told the board the district should address other staffing needs first.
She said, “Essential roles are being temporarily filled by volunteers, community members, while some remain unmet entirely.”
Howell said those gaps include crossing guards, the loss of homework club, and a lack of certified intervention specialists.
“Temporary solutions cannot replace stable, appropriately credentialed staffing.”
She asked the board to consider retitling the position as an intervention specialist or expanding the job description to ensure the the position supports the most vulnerable students.
“Temporary solutions cannot replace stable, appropriately credentialed staffing,” Howell said after explaining how the elementary principal fills roles when needed.
Superintendent Garrett responded that the new role is not intended to be an intervention position and said the district already has the staff needed to provide those services.
Position will cost the district roughly $73,000
He noted the district employs five certified Alaska Reads specialists that could fill that need and said addressing learning challenges is a matter of using existing staff more precisely.
Alaska Reads specialists support the lowest performing 25% students in kindergarten through third grade. Those students receive extra intensive assistance every day through the program.
The board ultimately voted unanimously to approve the new position. The position will cost the district roughly $73,150 this school year, with $41,000 going toward salary.
