LAS Media Director Appointed to Governor’s Educator Advisory Council

Being a voice for the Lowell community statewide and promoting the importance of library services are some things the Lowell Area Schools Library Media Director is looking forward to doing now that Michigan’s governor has tapped her as an advisor.

Christine Beachler has recently been appointed to the Governor’s Educator Advisory Council. This new appointment puts her at the table of educators who advise the governor on issues relating to public education. The council also reviews and makes relevant recommendations regarding legislation.

Beachler said she learned that the council was searching for a school librarian, and she turned in an application. She was accepted, and her term began Feb. 15. She will serve through May 2027. She does not yet have her meeting schedule but will be in Lansing with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer multiple times throughout the year.

Though a new member and not yet up-to-speed on current council discussions, Beachler is excited to help with issues facing educators.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be appointed to this committee,” she shares. “It was a huge honor to be chosen to represent school librarians, teachers, students and communities in this role.”

Beachler hopes to address the state’s student/librarian ratio as Michigan is 46th in the country in the number of school librarians compared to students, and she ties this fact to decreasing reading scores. Some schools do not have one school librarian shared between all students

“There has been a distinct correlation to the drop in Michigan’s reading scores to the number of school librarians lost across the state,” according to Beachler.

“An effective school library program positively affects the entire climate and culture of a school, is staffed by a certified school librarian, provides personalized learning environments, and offers equitable access to resources to ensure a well-rounded education for every student,” Beachler says.

Beachler adds it is also important that students have access to a “curated, vibrant, high-quality, current, diverse, and robust library collection” and that educators be committed to the “principles of intellectual freedom.”

She says all school districts should have policies in place to handle challenges to library books, and these processes should be followed because they remove biases from decisions.  “Students, with guidance from their parents and caregivers, should have a voice in what they read,” Beachler says.

In Lansing, she hopes to be a voice for school libraries, and one of her goals is to represent LAS with “pride and grace.”

“As a teacher, it is so important to see that actual practicing professionals with vision and passion for education are leading the way and helping our lawmakers understand the true issues at hand,” Beachler says about the work of the council. “That is the only way to make impactful change and give true ownership to educators.”