CLN layoffs impact staff across North Idaho

Staff layoffs were confirmed Tuesday morning across the Community Library Network locations.  

In total, 13 part-time staff members were informed their final day of employment would be Sept. 24. 

Interim Director Lindsey Miller-Escarfuller stated in an email to The Press that layoffs are being made in an attempt to make up for some of the network's budget deficit.  

The CLN estimates the cuts to staff will save the library approximately $200,000 in fiscal year 2025. 

"The decision to lay off staff was not easy and involved a great deal of planning and consideration," Miller-Escarfuller said. "We appreciate the contributions staff have made to the library and know they will be missed."   

When asked about layoffs Monday, Community Library Network Board Chair Rachelle Ottosen said she had no information regarding the topic. The Press received no response from Trustee Tim Plass.  

Josiah Mannion spoke out of personal concern for his coworkers at the Hayden branch Tuesday and said it has caused “a lot of pain and heartache,” mainly due to lack of transparency among staff about major decisions.   

“These are all employees who are my friends and colleagues,” Mannion said.   

Mannion is a circulation specialist and handles IT for the library and said recent restructuring changes had already impacted the way the library’s staff set up over the last few weeks.  

“People have been worried over the last couple of months. This has been hanging over everyone's head that something was coming down the line,” Mannion said. “All of these decisions have been made in a vacuum with very little clarity or two-way communication.”    

The board unanimously approved a $7.9 million budget in August, agreeing to accept a 1% tax increase allowed by law. In 2024, the board refused a tax increase and adopted a budget of $8.4 million. 

"We faced a 13% budget shortfall and had to determine a way forward. Part of the plan included reducing the hours the library is open and eliminating some positions," Miller-Escarfuller said.   

Naomi Strom stressed she is not a spokesperson for the CLN, but is an employee at the Hayden branch, working as a circulation supervisor and found the recent changes to the network and layoffs “quite disturbing.” 

She said in Hayden, there are 12 remaining staff members after Sept. 24. 

Many of the Hayden layoffs included part-time circulation assistants who shelf the books. With experienced circulation assistants, it takes about 40 hours to take care of those responsibilities. 

“The people we'll have doing it won't be nearly as fast as those who were doing it for years and were really good at it so it's going to take a lot longer than 40 hours to shelve those books,” Strom said. 

Most of the youth services staff have been laid off and one staff member will be tasked with doing children's programming at Hayden to make up for the loss of staff. 

Strom serves on the steering committee for the grassroots organization, the Library Alliance of North Idaho and one concerning commonality among the workers let go was that several of them had a disability which shortened the number of hours they could work per week, keeping them part-time.  

“Quite a few people who have been let go who have disability or are otherly-abled in some way,” Strom said. “They are being unintentionally but disproportionately targeted because of the hours they can work because of their disability and that could be problematic.” 

The Library Alliance is encouraging the laid off staff to utilize their benefits through the Employee Assistance Program to receive a free legal consultation before their last day on the job on Sept. 24.  

If people with disability benefits work over 20 hours per week, they could potentially lose their disability supports.      

New leadership is coming to the library network soon as Martin Walters will assume his role as library director Monday, Sept. 16. 

The previous library director, Alexa Eccles, resigned from the network in June after 13 months. Her departure was preceded by the resignation of another director, Amy Rodda, who left the district in November 2022. 

“I think this situation was avoidable. It's very disappointing to see staff members with an incredible amount of experience, that is institutional experience and knowledge that we can't get back,” Strom said. 

The next regular meeting for the CLN is 2 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday,19 Sept., at the Community Library Network at Post Falls, 821 N Spokane St.