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Hancock schools seek library funding assistance from city

HANCOCK – Monica Healy will ask for support for the Hancock Public Schools library from the Hancock City Council Wednesday by informing it about the needs of the library and requesting funding assistance.

“We are just going to talk a bit about the change in funding,” Healy told the Hancock Board of Education at its Monday meeting.

When the school district was funded by local taxes, the library had the money it needed for operation, Healy said. The library no longer receives tax money and is funded by the school district budget.

Some people do donate to the library, Healy said.

“Anybody can give us donations,” she said.

Since the change in funding for the library, Healy said it hasn’t had a full-time paid librarian. That is one of the features she would like to bring back if more funding is raised. Some programs at the library were either dropped or reduced, and she’d like to bring some of them back.

At its regular meeting in July 2015, the council voted 5-1 to place a request for 2 mills to join the Portage Lake District Library on a ballot this year. It was hoped it could be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot, but Michigan law doesn’t allow a community to leave one library district – the school district library – for another library district – the PLDL.

Healy said it is important there is someone in place to oversee the library on a permanent basis. Currently, there is a volunteer who is in charge of the library, whom she said does a good job.

“Basically, what we’re looking for is to get a library director,” she said.

Healy said she will let the board know how the meeting with the City Council went.

The board also approved some personnel issues by hiring Julie Meyette as an elementary paraprofessional aide, Matt Strong as boys varsity basketball coach, Cody Dillinger as boys junior varsity coach and Matt Dennis as boys middle school basketball coach.

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