Lester B. Pearson board students, parents protest librarian cuts

Parents and students protested cuts to the education system atSt.John Fisher elementary school in Pointe-Claire this morning with a read-in.

About 60 people showed up and read silently for 25 minutes before school began to support librarians affected by the cuts.

In May, all 18 elementary-school librarians working for the Lester B. Pearson School Board received notices telling them their jobs will be eliminated.

The librarians work at all 36 elementary schools within the board.

The board is trying to cut $14 million out of its budget.

ParentNathalie Gilbert has three children at the school and said the loss of the librarians will be felt deeply.

"My children love to read and the [librarians], they're just a wealth of information, basically walking encyclopedias," she said.

The Lester B. Pearson School Board,one of Quebec's largest, overseesEnglish schools from Verdun to the West Island and further west off-island.

Board chairwoman SuanneStein Day said in March the board would have to consider several options, including school closures and the cancellation of programs after the provincial government tabled its most recent budget.