Trump administration cancels grant aimed at improving Philadelphia’s school libraries.

The federal government has officially canceled a grant awarded to the Philadelphia School District aimed at establishing a national model for reopening school libraries staffed by certified school librarians. This decision arrives amidst ongoing federal budget cuts affecting multiple agencies, including the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences (IMLS), which initially granted Philadelphia approximately 0,000 distributed over three years for the Urban School Library Restoration Project.

The cancellation notice was confirmed last week by district spokesperson Monique Braxton, who stated that the district is currently assessing the implications of this development. Braxton emphasized the district’s commitment to prioritizing reading and literacy, although specifics regarding alternative funding or plans for restoring libraries remain unclear.

This news has generated concerns among educational advocates, particularly given that Philadelphia has one of the lowest ratios of school librarians among major U.S. cities. Currently, only three schools—Central, Masterman, and Penn Alexander—employ full-time certified school librarians. Two additional schools, South Philadelphia High and Shawmont Elementary, have certified librarians who also serve in other teaching roles. This situation stands in stark contrast to the 176 certified librarians in the district four decades ago, when there were 259 schools.

The IMLS grant was intended to serve as a catalyst for revitalizing school libraries in the district by studying successful initiatives in other municipalities, creating a pipeline for new and diverse school librarians, and formulating a comprehensive five-year restoration plan. To date, only the initial phase, which involved researching other libraries’ successes, has been completed. While some funds have been disbursed for this purpose, a portion remains unreleased as a result of the grant’s suspension.

In light of the budgetary challenges facing the district, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. has proposed a .6 billion spending plan, which relies heavily on utilizing 0 million from district reserves. Despite these measures, the district anticipates a million deficit next year with projections indicating potential shortfalls of up to billion over the next five years.

Advocacy for the restoration of school libraries continues, with stakeholders expressing frustration at the lack of communication from district officials regarding these critical issues. Jean Darnell, the newly appointed director of library science, remains on leave and has highlighted the absence of a dedicated budget for library revitalization efforts. The path forward appears uncertain, particularly for those engaged in promoting literary resources within the educational landscape of Philadelphia.