(Books on a library cart. Redlands Unified approved an agreement Nov. 10, 2026, to provide additional staffing hours for elementary school libraries following budget cuts in May. (Stock photo credit: SDI Productions)
REDLANDS, Calif. — The Redlands Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved an agreement Tuesday to provide additional staffing hours for elementary school libraries following disruptions to library services caused by budget cuts earlier this year.
Why it matters: The agreement comes six months after the district eliminated elementary library technician positions as part of budget reductions, leaving elementary schools without dedicated library personnel. While school libraries remain open, student access and available services vary by campus.
Details: The new agreement with the Redlands Education Support Professionals Association allows classified employees to work up to 10 additional hours per week at each elementary school, with a maximum of two hours per day, as needed.
The additional work must take place outside employees' regularly scheduled hours. Opportunities will be offered by seniority at each school, regardless of employees' regular job classifications.
During a brief discussion, Superintendent Juan Cabral clarified that the 10-hour weekly limit applies to each elementary school, rather than each employee, and that the district intends to provide the additional hours across all elementary campuses.
The board approved the agreement as part of its human resources consent agenda in a 5-0 vote. The agreement expires June 30, 2027.
What's being said: During public comments, several speakers expressed support for the additional hours while questioning whether the arrangement would adequately address staffing needs following the May cuts.
Speakers raised concerns about the training employees would need to perform library duties, the workload associated with maintaining library collections and whether the district would ultimately save money by replacing dedicated positions with additional hours for existing staff. One speaker urged the board to review the financial impact of the arrangement when it expires in June 2027.
What's next: The district intends to make the additional hours available at all elementary schools, but it remains unclear how the agreement will affect student access to library services.
The agreement does not restore the positions eliminated in May, and the district did not provide a cost estimate for the additional hours during the brief board discussion.
A former broadcast news producer, Stephanie launched CFR in 2023. Originally from Michigan, she’s made Redlands home with her husband and three kids. When she’s not reporting, she’s problem-solving at the climbing gym or trying new local restaurants.
