The DeWitt Library Board of Trustees circulated a fact sheet stating the reasons for the J-D school district to fund us in the amount of $7,500. The attached a chart of local support for libraries that listed Onondaga County suburban libraries' funding sources, the majority of which got some or all of their funding from their school districts. DeWitt Library was an exception, receiving $104,ooo in 1982 and $115,000 in 1983, entirely supplied by the Town of DeWitt. Some of the reasons for urging J-D school district voters' support were: "The Library is specifically chartered to serve the residents within the Jamesville-DeWitt School District; The Library is open four school evenings a week. . . . This approximates over 30 hours a week of public library time available to students when their school libraries are closed; Special collections to supplement school assignments are always available to students and teachers upon request;" and "Of the twenty member public libraries in the Onondaga County Public Library System, only four do not receive local support from their respective school districts (Dewitt, LaFayette, Marcellus and Solvay). Liverpool and Baldwinsville receive total support from their school districts. Neighboring libraries . . . . receive between 12% and 78% of their total support from their respective school districts."
In addition to the fact sheet, the Library sought to include Proposition #2 on the school district ballot, which stated "Shall the Board of Education of the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District levy and collect a tax in the amount of $7,500 for the support of the DeWitt Community Library, pursuant to Section 259 of the Education Law?" Then, in the November 27 Board meeting minutes, under New Business, they state:
"Presentation to the School Board
"Don Ely has been notified that DCL will be on the school board agenda for 9:00, December 10. He will give Dr. Ambrosie a fact sheet and a copy of the page "Local Support" from the OCPL Annual Report to be sent out with the agenda to school board members. For the next week, Janet and the library staff will monitor how many school children are using our library facilities.
"Don expects our presentation to be brief and based on an appeal from one board to another, each of which is aware of the other's problems. He does not expect the school board to make a specific commitment but is sure they will ask for an indication of the amount of support we expect from them. All board members should attend this important meeting."
The DeWitt Community Library did not, of course, become a school district library, but remained a fully town-funded operation until this year. Starting in 2010, the Town of DeWitt will no longer fund the Library through grant money, but instead we will be fully funded by J-D School District taxpayers. J-D has always acted as our tax collector, but now residents of that district will also be able to vote on any budget increases we may propose in the future.
Click on the thumbnails below to see full-sized versions of the fact sheets related to Proposition #2.



















