Just received the following note from Sylvia Norton:
An update!!
Landmark victory for school libraries and students today!
Does your voice matter? Yes, it does!! Thank you for helping us achieve this important milestone.
It’s official and, incredibly, it’s virtually UNANIMOUS. Thanks in large part to the enthusiastic response to your calls and a boost from mega-author James Patterson, the US Senate today voted 98 – 0 in favor of the bi-partisan Reed-Cochran Amendment to S. 1177, the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015! This amendment will explicitly make effective school library programs part of the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Prior to the vote, both Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) spoke eloquently in support of this amendment and the importance of school libraries. Their work has been invaluable in garnering attention for the important role that an effective school library program plays in a student’s education.
BUT . . . while this is an important “win”, our work is not quite finished. Stay tuned as the bill moves forward! Next steps for this bill will be: continued discussion on the Senate floor, a Senate vote, and then -- once the House has finished work on its own H.R. 5 -- the House and Senate will appoint a conference committee to resolve any disagreements and arrive at a bill that both can agree on.
GO school libraries!!!