It has come to my attention that the Frontier Regional School Committee is recommending a budget that cuts the high school librarian position. This is very disturbing to me and many other people.

I have volunteered and worked in our local libraries for over 30 years. I’ve heard and seen how other districts libraries have suffered from their librarians being cut. I know the aides that they put in the place of the librarian do their best but they are not trained academic librarians. An academic librarian supports the curriculum for the grades in their schools. The collection is developed to help the teachers with the demands of providing tried and true information. The fiction selection is chosen out of the interest of the readers. The school librarian provides current material that engages students to read more.

One friend who works at Frontier reminded me that “without a certified librarian we won’t have access to important resources. And with literacy down librarians are vital.” Another former school librarian and a regional current town director reminds me that “a public library cannot offer the same services that a school library provides. School librarians provide access to age-specific literature, support curriculum, teach, researching information, literacy skills, help students evaluate sources and identify misinformation, and guide thoughtful use of emerging tools like AI, all of which are especially important at a time of growing concern about literacy and critical thinking skills. This is the message that needs to be shared when school libraries are under threat.”

And a parent wrote me and said the librarian “broke through barriers for students who needed support in so many ways.” And my daughter reminded me that she found the library to be a safe space when she was at the school.

Frontier is a competitive school academically, athletically, and has developed a wide range of after-school programs. This may seem like it’s offering something to everyone and that the library will still be there with an aide on hand to offer so many of the same things. This will not offer the same support to the entire school.

I invite residents of Conway, Deerfield, Sunderland, and Whately to protest this budget cut.

Julie Cavacco

Deerfield