The Brownsville Independent School District on Tuesday officially cut the ribbon on renovated libraries at 11 elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools, turning them into modern Learning Resource Centers.
BISD has now renovated the libraries at 52 schools under an $8.2 million LIBRO grant over three years from the U.S. Department of Education, spending about $100,000 per school, a little more at middle schools and early college high schools, said Edwin Barrera, LIBRO Grant director.
Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony was virtual. Each school had prepared a video telling students, parents and the community about their new library, which was broadcast throughout the district. School and administration officials then cut the ribbon on each new library.
The renovations included new flooring, new furniture, colorful murals, cafes, kivas and maker space areas where kids can get messy doing everything from robotics to coding to hands-on learning.
“We wanted to provide equity for these schools,” Barerra said. “Some of them were built before they even had libraries, they were just classrooms, so it was difficult to have maker spaces and kivas. We remade storage rooms into cafes and we gained spaces by opening up walls. Each one’s a little bit different. It was based on a proposal from librarians and principals, what functions they wanted and a little bit of their culture.”
Doing the renovations during the pandemic “was sometimes good because the kids were not there, and sometimes bad because of worker shortages and supplies not arriving on time,” Barrera said. “We believe that we now have some of the best libraries in the state if not the country, although very few people have seen them because of COVID.”
Barrera said the LIBRO grant also included e-book kits of more than 400 books that kids can take home to read with their parents, who are provided a Spanish version if needed.
Only one school, Porter Early College High School, remains to have its library renovated under the grant, which was renewed for a fourth year, Barrera said. Renovations have already begun there.
Superintendent Rene Gutierrez and principals at each school said the renovations turned the libraries into modernized, welcoming and inviting places for the children.
Nellie Cantu, the deputy superintendent for business and operations, said the new libraries represent an investment in the future.
“This is not just for this year, it’s for future generations to have an impact on the community,” she said. “It’s not only for the students, it’s for parents to help students to motivate them to read.”
