Efforts continue to try to find a way to avoid deep cuts at the Hancock Public School Library.
The Portage Lake District Library Board has called a special meeting this Thursday at 7 pm to discuss options. Supporters of the Hancock Library are encouraged to attend.
The Hancock Library is owned by the school district, and is located at Hancock High School. It has been staffed and managed in recent years by the Portage Lake District Library, with the costs paid for by the district. The arrangement was designed to be temporary, until a permanent source of funding could be arranged.
School officials are now facing a budget crunch, and have proposed a significant reduction to the library budget.
The Portage Lake District Library cannot legally use any of its budget to support a library located outside of its library district.
The Hancock city council has also discussed the situation, but also faces legal barriers to providing funding for a library owned by a school district that spans multiple jurisdictions.
The Hancock Board of Education will vote on its 2025-2026 budget at its regular meeting a week from tonight.
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