Montclair Needs a School Library Program

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, over many years and under several district administrations, the one program in our schools built to counteract all of it was gutted: 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.

School Library Programs are essential to the success of Montclair’s continued implementation of the science of reading and act as a deliberate counterbalance to the overuse of technology in schools. With the requirement of first-in-the-nation information literacy standards, the School Librarian is the professional most qualified to teach media, information and AI literacy.

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 and strengthening our community.

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.

Superintendent Turner and the current Board of Education now have the opportunity to rebuild Montclair’s School Library Program.

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

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.