Baby boomers who graduated from urban public schools might walk back into their old school libraries today and feel right at home. In the stacks, they could easily find many of the same books they used as children--books that invite readers to consider exciting careers as an "airline stewardess" (a great job for the girl who hasn't yet gotten married and settled down, the author informs us) or books that urge us to dream about the day that humans will set foot on the moon.

Debra Lyman Gniewek, a Philadelphia school librarian and AFT member, says there are many reasons for this crisis of neglect in urban school libraries, including some poor school-based budgeting decisions and insufficient or stagnant funding at the state and local level. But at the top of the list of contributing factors, she believes, was Congress's decision in 1974 to move from a program of grants targeted specifically to elementary and secondary libraries to a federal block grant. "In the very large districts in urban areas, practically nothing has been spent" since funding was folded into a block grant, says Gniewek. "Unless the money is earmarked for school libraries, I don't see how the money will get there. ... It's a lifeline for libraries."

Unlike funds set aside to support specific activities (i.e., a "categorical grant"), federal block grants combine resources intended for several programs into one cash pot and let states and local authorities decide where to spend it, choosing from a broad menu of options. The theory is that by giving more authority to state and local officials you support flexibility, efficiency and spur effective reform.

But the rhetoric of block grants doesn't match the reality.

When it comes to efficiency, turning over funds to state and local authorities doesn't necessarily mean lower overhead and more money for schools. "The Use of Federal Education Funds for Administrative Costs," a study prepared for Congress by the Education Department's Planning and Evaluation Service, reveals that a greater share of the federal education dollar reaches classrooms than do state or local funds. Education Department administration costs amount to only 0.5 percent of elementary and secondary funds, the study shows.

When it comes to equity--ensuring that the most disadvantaged schools and communities get priority--state and local authorities have consistently underperformed the federal government. A 1998 General Accounting Office study shows that Title I, the largest K-12 federal program, is seven times more focused on disadvantaged populations than state and local funding is.

And when it comes to supporting proven reform, school libraries show that block grants also don't make the grade, says the American Library Association. Despite a growing body of research showing that modern, well-maintained school libraries boost student achievement, "Many rural and urban school libraries across the country have school library collections that are old [in many cases with copyright dates of 1965 or older] inaccurate, and deteriorating from use," ALA president Sarah A. Long recently warned Congress. ŅA dedicated funding stream for school libraries existed under the original [Elementary and Secondary Education Act]. When it was folded into the...block grant of the 1970s, school libraries lost the funding to properly update their collections."

That point is reinforced by the school library shelves themselves, says Gniewek. Many of the books still bear stamps indicating they were purchased back in the pre-1974 era when funds were specifically targeted for library materials. When the program was converted to a block grant, funds for books dried up, she says.

Coal mine canary

What's happening in school libraries could be the shape of things to come. Block grants have become central to the battle on Capitol Hill over how to reauthorize the $15 billion Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which is the largest federal assistance program for K-12 schools and includes Title I. The block grant concept also became an issue in Campaign 2000 (see sidebar) with presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush embracing very different views on block grants and the federal role in education.

A bill approved by a key Senate committee and backed by GOP leaders would allow 10 states and 20 districts to block grant Title I and other programs contained in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). States could tap the funds simply by agreeing to participate in a five-year accountability plan that critics say offers no real safeguards to ensure that funds are used to improve achievement. Participating states could use the funds for any purpose, including vouchers. The plan also would incorporate a "funds-follow-the-student" voucher-like format that would allow parents to take Title I funds out of a public school to purchase supplemental educational services for their children.

Democrats countered with a number of amendments intended to support concrete, commonsense reforms such as class-size reduction, school modernization and professional development for teachers--and to target those funds on the neediest schools and communities. On largely a party-line vote, members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee shot down these amendments and approved the block grant plan. Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts called the block grant proposal a "blank check to states in hopes that improvement is made" and vowed to take the fight to the full Senate.

"It's tragic that the Republicans have chosen to destroy a 35-year-old bipartisan commitment to our nation's poorest children," AFT president Sandra Feldman said following the committee vote. "Since its inception, Title I has targeted funding to our neediest children and schools. In this radical scheme, those funds would become simply a blank check that states can use for failed experiments like vouchers or any other fly-by-night reform."

The block grant proposal also has drawn fire from Education Secretary Richard Riley, who says, ŅI have yet to have one [parent or teacher] tell me to go back to Washington and support block grants.

"Parents have a very different set of priorities. They want specific and concrete help to reduce class size, to increase after-school opportunities, to modernize our schools and to get technology into the classroom and into the community. This bill goes the opposite direction and actually moves us one step closer to turning the Title I program into a voucher program."

Charity case

Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) says that public school libraries offer a strong cautionary tale about the problems with block grants. "This is graphic evidence that, by block granting federal programs, you lose both focus and support--and ultimately federal dollars," said Reed, who is sponsoring legislation to get library assistance out of block grants and into a dedicated funding stream.

Despite scarce resources in an era of block grants, school librarians across the nation have made heroic efforts to keep programs afloat. The stakes are particularly high in urban school libraries, says Deborah Grill, school librarian at Philadelphia's Theodore Roosevelt Middle School. Visiting a regular library after school is not an option for many students, she says. "Many parents are just afraid to let them out."

Grill played a key role in putting together an application that won Roosevelt a $14,000 Reader's Digest Invest in Power Reading Grant last year. The three-year award will not only boost materials but also pay for time to allow classroom teachers and Grill to plan jointly. "We were very fortunate to get the grant, but not every school is going to be that lucky."

For many schools without funding, book drives and donations, begging and scrounging have become last lines of resort. And the fruits of these efforts are often questionable at best. "You get people who want to donate their 10- and 20-year-old college textbooks," says Grill, who says Congress must take much of the blame for what's happening. "Giving states all this money and telling them they can do what they want with it--that's not leadership. When you elect people, you expect more."

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001