Students urge district to preserve Campo Verde librarian and library services
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Summary
Two Campo Verde High students told the Gilbert Unified District governing board they oppose recent staffing cuts that removed a certified librarian, saying the change harms student reading access and literacy supports.
Two students from Campo Verde High School told the Gilbert Unified District governing board March 25 that recent staffing changes that removed the campus librarian threaten student access to books and to support services.
Lizzie Stone, who identified herself as the president of Campo Verde's book club and as a member of the class of 2025, told the board she uses the library daily and that recent budget-driven staffing cuts have eliminated the librarian position that she said helped students discover books and run programs such as book fairs and the 'Blind Date with a Book' display. Stone described the library's role in introducing her to a series she continued through public libraries and said the campus recorded 3,442 book checkouts at Campo Verde during the 2023-24 school year.
Another speaker, Stella Pavoni (surname pronounced "Pavoni" during the meeting), identified herself as a junior and a member of Campo Verde's book club and spoke about the role of the campus librarian, Miss Flaherty, who the speakers said has worked at the school since it opened in 2009. Pavoni said Flaherty holds qualifications in English literature and curriculum and that losing a certified librarian harms students' academic and social-emotional supports. She cited a national literacy statistic — that roughly 40 percent of students nationwide do not read at a basic level — and told the board that the district should not reduce certified library services while literacy challenges remain.
The students asked the board to reconsider library staffing decisions and to prioritize retention of qualified librarians. Board members invited the public comment and acknowledged they had received several emailed submissions the same night; no formal action or vote accompanied the public comments.
Board and senior staff responses during the meeting focused on listening and thanking the students for speaking. Superintendent Shane McCord and board members did not announce any immediate staffing changes during the meeting; they moved on to the published agenda.
The speakers' testimony adds to ongoing local discussion about library staffing and programming as the district finalizes its fiscal-year budget revisions. The board will consider budget matters later in the meeting, including a budget revision that moves $11 million from maintenance and operations to unrestricted capital to increase interest-earning capacity and support facility needs.
Community members who testified asked the district to maintain library staffing and to track how reduced librarian presence might affect student reading and engagement going forward.
