posted by Joe Polk at 3:10 PM /
The Allegheny County Library Association has sent a new funding formula to the Regional Asset District. Last year the ACLA wrapped up an 18-month study into how to best distribute the more than $5 million allocated from the RAD tax to the 44 libraries in the county that are not part of the Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh. The RAD board used that formula for a year but asked the ACLA to revamp the formula. That new formula was approved last night on a 34-7 vote.
Among the libraries that will see the largest gain; Sto-Rox +$33,615.36, Allegheny Valley +$28,698.94, and Braddock +$28,000.68. Among the libraries that will see the largest declines; Mt. Lebanon ($81,150.19), Monroeville ($77,487.95) and Upper St. Clair ($39,632.56). The smallest changes will be seen by Coraopolis, which will see its funding fall by $$257.74.
Read more: wduqnews.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-library-funding-formula-approved.html
Among the libraries that will see the largest gain; Sto-Rox +$33,615.36, Allegheny Valley +$28,698.94, and Braddock +$28,000.68. Among the libraries that will see the largest declines; Mt. Lebanon ($81,150.19), Monroeville ($77,487.95) and Upper St. Clair ($39,632.56). The smallest changes will be seen by Coraopolis, which will see its funding fall by $$257.74.
Read more: wduqnews.blogspot.com/2010/06/new-library-funding-formula-approved.html
Labels: Mt. Lebanon library, RAD
2 Comments:
If we want to go purely with performance, we might as well let half of the libraries in the county send in their keys right now," said Bruce Egli, director of the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale, who voted to approve the formula. How do you like that reasoning?
Mt. Lebanon is being penalized for achieving a high level of performance. Other libraries are gaining funding for, among other reasons, large populations, even though in many cases a very low percentage of those residents have library cards. Community support, which was once weighted heavily, and which is one of the goals of the RAD, has also been discounted. One trustee of a library gaining funds stated that his community did not commit more funding to the library because "there are more important things" that are needed. This is a flawed formula which is the result of a flawed process. It's not too late to write to the RAD board and express your displeasure with the results. If you need more information, please contact the library.
Joe Wertheim, President
Friends of the ML Public Library
This is a shame.
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