THE REPORT CARDS

Where New Jersey Stands

New Jersey has already decided a School Librarian belongs in every school and already priced one into what a thorough and efficient education costs. But no one ensures that a School Librarian is still there.

What the district data shows

25%
of the 535 districts in New Jersey operate without a School Librarian — 133 districts, 95,668 students
84%
of students — over 1 million children — are in a district with a School Librarian ratio worse than the recommended 600:1
1,123 vs 2,478
School Librarians employed vs. the number the State recommends — short more than half
2.0×
the library spending gap: $275 per pupil in the wealthiest districts vs. $143 in the highest-need

Small and elementary districts have nobody at all

58% of the smallest districts and 64% of K–6 districts employ no School Librarian. Most are too small to sustain a full-time position on their own.

Large and high-need districts have one, stretched thin

Only 3% of the largest districts lack a librarian, but the median ratio is 1,136:1 — and as high as 13,894:1. The position exists; the service does not.

The law requires School Librarians — and already pays for one

Tap any citation to read the actual text.

The service requirement

N.J.A.C. 6A:13-2.1(h) — every district must provide library-media services under a certified specialist.

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"All school districts shall provide library-media services that are connected to classroom studies in each school building, including access to computers, district-approved instructional software, appropriate books including novels, anthologies and other reference materials, and supplemental materials that motivate students to read in and out of school and to conduct research. Each school district shall provide these library-media services under the direction of a certified school library media specialist."

What the specialist does

N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-14.14 — the School Library Media Specialist (SLMS) endorsement requirement.

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"The school library media specialist (SLMS) endorsement is required for any person who serves as a school library media specialist in grades preschool through 12. The functions include delivery of instruction in information literacy skills and the development and coordination of school library media programs and resources... Media are defined as all print, non-print and electronic resources including the technologies needed for their use."

The State already priced one in — it just isn't enforced

Since the 2008 School Funding Reform Act, a certified librarian is built into the base cost of a thorough and efficient education.

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The 2007 Educational Adequacy Report set School Librarian staffing using the same panels of superintendents, principals, teachers and board members that set staffing for teachers, counselors and nurses. That cost is raised through local property taxes and state aid. No state authority requires that any of it is actually spent on a librarian. The ratios themselves are shown just below.

First in the nation on information literacy In effect

N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-4.4 — the law in effect now.

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"Each school district shall incorporate instruction on information literacy in an appropriate place in the curriculum of students in grades kindergarten through 12... The school library media specialist shall be included in the development of curriculum concerning information literacy whenever possible."

The new information literacy standard Pending

NJSLS-CLKS 9.3 — pending adoption, with implementation anticipated for September 2027.

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In 2026, Information Literacy, covering how students evaluate sources, judge credibility and use AI tools responsibly, becomes its own standard (9.3) within the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Career Readiness, Life Literacies and Key Skills, with implementation anticipated in September 2027. Certified School Library Media Specialists served on the committee that wrote the Information Literacy standard, including AI literacy. They are named in the statute and are expected to play a critical role in its implementation.

The School Funding Reform Act ratios

From the 2026 Educational Adequacy Report: the number of certified School Librarians the State built into the base cost of a thorough and efficient education.

1 : 400
Elementary students per certified School Librarian
1 : 600
Middle school students per certified School Librarian
2 : 1,600
Certified School Librarians per 1,600 high school students

But there's no funding support

No federal funding

There has been no dedicated federal funding for School Libraries since 2011.

No state funding

New Jersey does not separately provide State funding for School Library Programs.

And no protected line

Public libraries in New Jersey have had a dedicated municipal appropriation since 1884, so they never compete against police and fire. School libraries never have.

Add your name

Sign the statewide petition urging the Governor, the Commissioner of Education and the Legislature to include School Library Programs in the school funding overhaul. Then come back and explore the other ways you can help on the Take Action page.

Sign the statewide petition Learn more about the petition

More district report cards are coming

We are gathering information on other districts to provide a report card on each. Montclair's is the first. Review it next, or skip to the Take Action section.

The Montclair Report Card or Take Action

Every figure on this page is sourced at schoolsneedlibrarians.com/sources.