Governor Vilsack signs teacher librarian legislation
On June 1, 2006, Gov. Vilsack signed education legislation including the teacher librarian requirement.
Dale Vande Haar, Judy Jeffrey, Mary Wegner, Kristin Steingreaber, Sandy Dixon
Governor Tom Vilsack signed four education bills into law on June 1 in front of East High School in Des Moines. One of the bills was HF2792, which returns to Iowa law a requirement that each school district employ a qualified teacher librarian. The bills signed include provisions to further improve Iowa's schools and increase student achievement, create higher standards for incoming high school students and raise teacher salaries.
Teacher librarians inspire literacy, play an important role in teaching, lead the way for technology use in schools, and are critical for student achievement. Across the United States, research has shown that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized test scores than their peers in schools without libraries.
State Library staffers Barb Corson, Sandy Dixon, Gerry Rowland and Mary Wegner joined Kristin Steingreaber, AEA 15 Media Specialist and Dale Vande Haar, Des Moines Public Schools Library Coordinator in attending and celebrating the bill signing. Also present were Judy Jeffrey, Department of Education director and Jeff Berger, Department of Education legislative liaison, whose support for teacher librarians was a key factor in the passage of the legislation.
