UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Union County Public Schools is making staffing changes to account for a $10 million deficit in state funding.
The district says it’s eliminating 11 media coordinator positions at the end of the school year.
Leaders say these changes are about closing gaps in funding, but for many parents, it’s raising concerns about what this could mean for students.
The move is causing quite an uproar on social media. One parent, Jordan Benn, calls it a step in the wrong direction.
“The teachers we don’t pay enough, and the librarians are directly responsible for how much our kids can read,” Benn said.
Under the new plan, media coordinators will transition into new roles, serving multiple schools instead of one.
“You start cutting these positions, and now you’re going to have someone running from school to school covering these things, trying to give these kids the same level of care and one-on-oneness that you did before,” Benn said. “That’s just going to be impossible.”
Alexis Stadler is a UCPS parent. She’s also running for the board of education.
“They are such an integral role within our schools, so to just cut the role entirely and restructure it, or however the district is trying to spin it, is just completely abhorrent and ignorant of the literacy crisis we’re facing in our country,” she said.
Media coordinators help students develop reading skills. They also support teachers and create a safe space for children inside the school.
As the district prepares to shift to a new model, Stadler says many coordinators are now fearful and uncertain about the future.
“They are upset, they are devastated, a lot of them are concerned about the pay structure,” she said. “A lot of them have been in these roles for decades in their communities.”
District leaders say there are some vacancies, so employees won’t lose their jobs. They say media coordinators will have the opportunity to apply for these new positions, and if they don’t get one of those roles, UCPS says it will work to find them employment within the district.