The Washington Moms have helped make history again. For the first time, media specialists and library materials are now officially part of the state’s definition of basic education for "prototypical" schools. After months of wrangling, Washington lawmakers late last night passed the basic education reform bill, which includes a permanent line item for school library materials—and an allocation of funds to pay for a certified librarian in every K–12 school by 2018.

From left: Denette Hill, Lisa Layera Brunkan, Susan McBurney, and Marcelo Layera, the mastermind behind their Web site.

“This is a huge victory for teacher-librarians,” says Lisa Layera Brunkan, one of the three women who, along with Susan McBurney and Denette Hill, comprise the tenacious trio known as the Washington Moms. “It’s putting a stake in the ground—it’s saying that they’re relevant and necessary for 21st-century education.” For close to two years, the three mothers have lobbied hard to ensure that media specialists get the money and recognition they deserve. And their massive grassroots efforts--complete with Web site and online petition--have paid off. In March 2008, they convinced their legislature to allocate $4 million for school libraries for the 2008–2009 school year. Media specialists across the state have been grateful for the mothers’ hard work. “I so appreciate everything you have already done, and what you continue to do for our students and their libraries,” Robin Kimball, a librarian at the Spokane-based Opportunity Elementary, wrote in a recent email to Brunkan. “I would have been unable to buy books this year—due to another severe budget cut this last fall—if not for the library grant in which you played a pivotal role!”

Lisa Layera Brunkan was pregnant throughout last year's legislative session, and in November, baby Amelia joined sister Isabella and brother Jack. Photo: Laura Layera

But the mothers wanted more than a just one-time $4 million allocation. Once again sacrificing their time, families, and even their marriages, the moms spent another year making sure that media specialists were included in their state’s efforts to redefine basic education. The last time that happened was 30 years ago. Why is that so important? If media specialists are considered a part of basic education, they’re not "a luxury" that can be axed—and they’re guaranteed funding by the state in the education budget, Brunkan adds. But getting the bill passed wasn’t easy. Both the House and Senate killed their respective bills in February when they couldn’t agree on the right language. Then both chambers came back in March determined to get the bill done. And they did—with the media specialist provision intact. Representative Pat Sullivan, a cosponsor of the House bill, says he had a personal interest because he has three daughters in Washington public schools and knows “firsthand how critical librarians are to their success.” He added that media specialists were identified early on in discussions as a “critical piece in providing our students with every opportunity to be successful.” The new basic education reform bill isn’t perfect, however. Although school districts will for the first time receive an allocation to fund teacher-librarians, they aren’t required to do so. The bill also doesn’t specify any dollar figures yet. But the moms are OK with that because librarians are no longer “invisible”—they’ve been singled out as part of the basic education funding formula. Now it’s up to librarians and their communities to advocate that districts spend the money for school library programs. If there is one thing teacher-librarians around the country can actively do in the short-term, Brunkan says, it's to hire the best lobbyist that their state organization can afford to have someone "on the ground every day in your statehouse." “It’s more than just rhetoric,” she adds. “In order for the profession to survive, teacher-librarians have to get out there and prove that they’re the chief information officer and the hub of the school.” Like the rest of the country, Washington’s funds are scarce, and the state has projected a $9 billion deficit. As a result, the education reform bill will take a long time to phase in. “Although things won’t change overnight, we have to be realistic,” Brunkan adds. “And we have to know when to celebrate.”