Our children and young adults are in the midst of a Literacy Crisis, with reading scores declining and reading for pleasure collapsing. International data recently highlighted that increased digitalization, longer screen times and falling rates of reading for pleasure have coincided with weaker literacy outcomes. Struggling readers also show significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression, making reading difficulty a mental health risk, not just an academic one.

Meanwhile, we gutted the one program in our schools built to counterbalance all of it: School Library Programs.

Decades of research show that High-Quality School Library Programs led by Certified School Librarians result in improved literacy and academic outcomes across all student groups, but particularly among students who have limited access to books and other resources. Additional benefits include better social-emotional and self-regulatory development, and better overall mental well-being.

A High-Quality School Library Program could further support the Montclair Public Schools district by providing flexibility to enhance each school’s individual magnet theme, meeting unfunded state mandates (e.g., Gifted & Talented), narrowing our achievement gaps and building & strengthening our community.

Since the 2008 School Funding Reform Act, School Librarians have been included in the standards that help define the programs and services that New Jersey deems necessary for students to achieve a thorough and efficient education. School Library Programs form part of the foundation of a well-rounded education, supporting every subject and every student. They are not an enhancement or intervention. School Library Programs are essential to the success of New Jersey’s implementation of the science of reading and act as a deliberate counterbalance to the overuse of technology in schools. With the expected implementation of first in the nation information literacy standards, the School Librarian is the professional most qualified to teach media, information and AI literacy.

But current laws and regulations have left School Library Programs and School Librarians vulnerable to budget cuts. This has resulted in the complete elimination of School Librarians in the Montclair Public Schools district in 2026. For 2026-2027, the district has allocated 0% of its $160 million General Fund budget to School Libraries.

We are therefore respectfully urging you to commit to the following as part of the Districtwide Strategic Plan and the 2027-2028 budget:

1. Make a verbal commitment to developing a 5-Year School Library Strategic Plan within the Districtwide Strategic Plan, covering districtwide School Library Program curriculum, staffing, facilities, resources & technology, professional development, community collaboration, parent involvement and budget (total proposed funding of 1.0%-1.5%* of the General Fund budget phased in over five years). The School Library Strategic Plan will also include requirements for the preparation of an annual report that will incorporate a program assessment and evaluation using qualitative and quantitative criteria.

2. Fund Phase I in the 2027-2028 budget: one High School Certified School Librarian who also serves as Director of School Library Programs, plus one Assistant Librarian — not a library assistant or an aide — print materials, technology and subscriptions.

Our schools need High-Quality School Library Programs led by Certified School Librarians​. As the district moves out of crisis mode and into the strategic investing phase of its turnaround, it must consider whether ensuring access to High-Quality School Library Programs is a good use of taxpayer dollars and whether doing so will help the district achieve its mission of providing a thorough and efficient education for all of its students.

*Note: We acknowledge the NJDOE’s current lack of guidance and funding for School Library Programs and the budget constraints facing Montclair and other districts throughout the state. We are therefore simultaneously petitioning the NJDOE to establish an Office of School Library Programs, adopt New Jersey School Library Teaching & Learning Program Standards, create an earmarked School Library Program appropriation and fund a School Library Shared Services Program and a School Library State Aid category. Visit
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/new-jersey-needs-school-library-programs?source=direct_link& to support a statewide petition for New Jersey School Library Programs.