Governor signs bills to expand broadband in California

By Rachelle Chong posted on October 4, 2013 in Digital Divide, Legislation, News 

Posted by Rene Hohls

This article on the recent bills signed into law in California expanding broadband service is a reminder to us all that we may be moving towards a digital world and digital services in libraries, but the virtual world is not accessible to everyone. Not yet anyway. No matter where you stand in politics or your views on government involvement with access to information in our society and our schools, it is impossible to ignore the fact that in many states, even tech-savvy California, there are still millions of people who cannot access information on the Internet.

This article mentions students specifically as the beneficiaries of the newly expanded broadband services and potential grant-funded digital access, but much of what is available to students will depend on the school they attend and the district funding decisions made by the local school board. The distance between the ideal learning commons we discuss in this class and the actual learning environment in which millions of students across the country operate is vast.

It is important for us as the gatekeepers of information, and in most cases the technological access to that information, to recognize where students and teachers are coming from and try to always meet them where they are. And if they are in Mendocino County, it will be a physical learning commons - not a virtual one. Not yet anyway. 

California Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF)

Jen Alfonso-Punzalan

Cabral, E. and Chu, C. (2013).  An overview of the local control funding formula.  Retrieved from http://www.lao.ca.gov/reports/2013/edu/lcff/lcff-072913.aspx.

As a library/media teacher, and hearing about the change in the LCFF here in California over the summer, I wanted to learn more about what LCFF is and what changes it might bring to our schools.  This report was written by the Legislative Analyst's Office: California's Nonpartisan Fiscal and Policy Advisor.

It is interesting to note that one of the eliminated categorical programs is School Library Improvement Block Grant.  It is also interesting to note that two of the eight state priority areas that school libraries can make a positive impact is in "Student Achievement" and in "Implementation of Common Core State Standards."