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rom: Daniel Tompkins [mailto:dtompkin@BATES.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 10:30 AM
To: MELIBS-L@LISTS.MAINE.EDU
Subject: Results of Per-Pupil Expenditure
Dear Me-Libbers,
Many of you have asked me to share the results of just how much high school
libraries spend on the purchase of books. While this survey is less than
scientific; it's all we've got. Ladies and gentlemen, the numbers are in.
I heard from about 20 high school librarians located around the state. Not
including the zero dollars I've experienced, the range runs from a low of
$10 per student to a high of almost $41 per student. The average (the figure
I was attempting to discern) was, big surprise, $20 per student.
In the ME-LIBS archive, I located notes of December 2000, from Deb Locke of
Westbrook High School (and a few others) reporting that the Maine Department
of Education was recommending a figure of $20 per student for books only.
Click on the following link for more information.
http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?A1=ind0012&L=melibs-l#38
Sylvia Norton, School Library/Technology Planner Coordinator for the Maine
Department of Education/Maine State Library, suggests looking at the "School
Library Journal" (SLJ) average book price. According to SLJ (March 2003
issue), the average book price (all titles) for 2003 was $19.18. Click the
following link for more information.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA279496
Sylvia also reported that some librarians are using the new Comprehensive
Education (CEP) requirement of Chapter 125 for instructional materials.
Click the following link for more information.
http://www.maine.gov/education/compedplan/
Other assistance came in the form of suggesting a minimum expenditure of 1%
of the per-pupil expenditure (PPE) of the school administrative unit. Click
on the following link to search for your PPE.
http://www.maine.gov/portal/education/k12.html
To the folks who responded, thank you. Some of you provided additional
information to bolster the cause for adequate funding, while a number of you
expressed sincere shock and dismay in learning that a school would consider
zero funding for the purchase of books an acceptable practice. I've provided
links to everything I could on the off chance that other school librarians
were suffering the same misfortune as Medomak Valley and could use the
documentation to defend their quest for adequate funding.
Update: My budget figures were due to be turned in to the principal's office
last Friday. Using the information gathered, I've submitted a book budget of
$14,400, based on our population of 710 students.
Sincerely,
Dan Tompkins
P.S. If you have comments about the about information, please share your
thoughts with the list.
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