15-1. Staffing Ratio for Librarians

The BOARD shall work toward the goal as funds become available to achieve the ISBE recommended ratios of one librarian for every six hundred (600) high school students or major fraction thereof and one librarian for every four hundred fifty (450) elementary school students or major fraction thereof. Schools may use existing holistic positions to hire librarians. In addition, the existing Interventionist and Instructional Coaching positions may be redefined as librarians or a position with shared librarian/interventionist/coach responsibilities when schools have a library-media specialist certified staff member or qualified candidate. Such shared positions shall have a commensurate reduction in their interventionist/coach responsibilities. CPS in partnership with universities will subsidize a librarian cohort to upskill existing CPS educators with principal support, in order for them to earn the Illinois library media endorsement. The program will support 40 current educators per year for the duration of the contract.

The parties will work towards a goal that every school in the district has a librarian by the last year of this Agreement. To that end, the parties shall jointly advocate for additional state funding for the school district for librarians. But, in any event, the Board shall ensure a net increase of at least 30 new librarian positions per year in FY26, FY27, and FY28. These positions may include redefined positions with shared librarian/interventionists/coach responsibilities.