Schools

Hesby Oaks Librarian Forced Back to Classroom

As layoff hearings continue, some teacher-librarians like Lesleigh Alchanati face an added frustration: job reassignment.

For teachers in the Los Angeles school district, (RIF) notices and looming layoffs have caused emotions to run high. But for teacher-librarians, the situation is especially frustrating.

One such teacher-librarian is Hesby Oaks’ Lesleigh Alchanati, who recently was spared from being laid off, but at a price: She must give up her job as a librarian to return to classroom teaching.

Alchanati got the word after she and other LAUSD colleagues packed a downtown Los Angeles basement room on April 25 for the first day of RIF hearings. They were there to find out whose layoff-warning notices had been rescinded.

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Alchanati was relieved when she heard her name called. But then she was asked to sign a form stating that the school district would rescind her layoff notice if she agreed to be transferred into a classroom-teaching job. 

“It’s kind of bittersweet,” said Alchanati. “I definitely am happy to have a job and income, but now I’m out of the library and I’m in a classroom somewhere. It wasn’t my choice. I wouldn’t have spent three years in college to get a degree to be in the library if I didn’t want to be there.” 

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Alchanati does not know which school she will be assigned to or which elementary school grade she will teach.

The reason for the job switch is that the administrative judge presiding over the LAUSD hearings upheld the "recency rule" for teacher-librarians only. The rule was established by LAUSD officials this year and states that a teacher-librarian who has not taught in a classroom within the past five years is no longer considered a qualified teacher, regardless of how many years of teaching and training he or she has. 

Alchanati has been with the district for 21 years and taught sixth grade five years ago, when Hesby Oaks first reopened.

At least four of the teachers who received RIF notices found out that they will be allowed to return to their jobs next year. It is not yet known whether the four remaining elementary teachers who have received the layoff-warning notices will be asked back. The next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.

Jude Eaton, who teaches sixth grade; Parisa Collier, third grade; Chelsie Pearson, middle school English language arts; and Alchanati had their notices rescinded in the first round of hearings in April.

However, Jennifer Preuss, first grade; Kati Davis, second grade; Danny Pattison, fourth grade; and Curtis Wynkoop, fifth grade, still await word.

“We are anxiously waiting, but not hopeful, as there are only [10] school days left and only one more school board vote on the 14th,” said Preuss.

As a qualified teacher-librarian, Alchanati teaches Hesby Oaks students research skills, information literacy, technology, communication and critical thinking skills.

But LAUSD's proposed budget only guarantees high schools a full-time librarian while dozens of middle and elementary schools could be forced to close library doors or scale back services. Hesby Oaks has been funding Alchanati through its own school budget, and plans have not yet been made to maintain library services.

“I have to protect myself and go back in the classroom. Otherwise, next year, I won’t have recency, and I wouldn’t have a job at all,” Alchanati said.

This is the reality of LAUSD's projected $408-million deficit: Duly (and dually) credentialed librarians are being returned to the classroom, leaving elementary and middle school students to fend for themselves in the book stacks.


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