MONTCLAIR
Montclair Toolkit
Everything you need to speak up for a School Library Program in Montclair: print-ready handouts you can view, download or print, templates you can copy and customize, and the responses to the pushback you're most likely to hear.
Become an advocate
Ready to do more than sign? The Montclair Advocacy Booklet is the full case in one place, for anyone who wants to speak up for a School Library Program in Montclair.
Print-ready handouts
Open any handout to view, download or print it.
Montclair parent handout
The short version of the Montclair booklet, sized for a PTA table, a back-to-school night or a neighbor who has two minutes. Print it double-sided.
View or download the Montclair parent handoutMontclair School Librarian Comparison
A side-by-side look at a Certified School Library Media Specialist and a parent or community volunteer, for anyone who hears that a volunteer can cover it.
View or download the Montclair School Librarian ComparisonMontclair School Library Comparison
How a School Library compares with a public library, a classroom library and a home library, with Montclair's numbers.
View or download the Montclair School Library ComparisonTalking points
Short answers to the questions people are most likely to hear when they speak up for School Library Programs.
View or download the talking pointsTemplates you can copy
Tap any template to open it. Copy the text, then fill in the highlighted parts with your own details.
Public comment script — Board of Education meeting
About 90 seconds, meant to be read aloud before a budget vote.
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My name is [your name], and I'm a parent in [district] with a child at [school]. Tonight I'm asking the Board to fund a School Library Program before this budget is finalized.
Right now, [describe your district's situation — for example, "our elementary schools share one certified School Librarian across four buildings" or "our last certified School Librarian was cut two years ago"]. That means our students are missing [what's missing — curated books matched to their reading level, research and information literacy instruction, a protected space to read].
New Jersey already prices a certified School Librarian into what it calculates a thorough and efficient education costs. This isn't a new expense — it's a service our district already budgets for and isn't fully providing.
I'm asking the Board to commit to [your specific ask — a five-year School Library Strategic Plan, restoring a cut position, or funding a shared position across schools] in this year's budget. Thank you for your time.
Speak before the budget vote, not after — once a position is cut it is far harder to restore.
Letter or email to your Superintendent
Asks for a five-year School Library Strategic Plan and a funded first phase.
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Subject: Requesting a School Library Strategic Plan for [district]
Dear Superintendent [name],
I'm writing as a parent in [district] to ask that the district commit to a five-year School Library Strategic Plan, approved by the Board and filed with the State, covering curriculum, staffing, facilities and budget for our School Library Program.
[Add a sentence or two about your own child's experience — what the library does or doesn't offer them today.]
As a first phase, I'd ask that next year's budget fund one certified School Librarian serving as District Library Program Director, along with support staff, materials, technology and subscriptions.
New Jersey already includes a certified School Librarian in the base per-pupil cost of a thorough and efficient education. This is a service our students are already paying for.
I'd welcome the chance to discuss this further, and I'm happy to bring other parents who share this concern.
Sincerely,
[your name], parent at [school]
Letter or email to your Board of Education
For before a scheduled budget vote, asking for a specific line item.
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Dear Board of Education Members,
I'm writing ahead of the [date] budget vote to ask that the Board fund a School Library Program in [district]. [Describe the current gap — no certified School Librarian, a position shared across too many buildings, no dedicated budget line.]
New Jersey already prices a certified School Librarian into the base cost of a thorough and efficient education. Funding this now closes a gap the State already expects our district to cover.
I'm asking the Board to include [your specific ask] as a line item in this year's budget, and I plan to speak on this at public comment. Thank you for considering it.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Talking points
Tap a question to see a short response.
"It's nice to have, but I don't know if a library or a librarian is necessary."
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School Library Programs support literacy instruction across all subjects, teach information literacy — including AI literacy — and foster a love of reading, literacy and learning. They're a critical part of a school's educational foundation, not an extra.
"Everything is online now, so why do we need a School Librarian?"
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Being online all day is the problem, not the solution. The School Librarian is the counterbalance — and the professional New Jersey's information literacy law names to teach media, information and AI literacy by September 2027.
Can a volunteer or an aide cover the work of a School Librarian?
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A School Librarian holds a master's degree, an instructional certificate and a year-long school residency. Trained aides and volunteers support a librarian; they don't substitute for one.
"Don't we already have a public library nearby?"
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It's a different mission, a different collection and different hours — and getting there needs a caregiver with time and transport. The School Library is the one collection every child can reach without any of that.
"The school already has a library room, so doesn't it already have what it needs?"
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A library is a room; a librarian is a person; neither on its own is a service. One New Jersey district in four employs no School Librarian at all — and when the librarian goes, the room often follows.
"Can we really afford to fund a School Librarian?"
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We can't afford not to. New Jersey already prices a certified School Librarian into what it calculates a thorough and efficient education costs — we're already paying for it. The question is whether your child is actually getting one.
Not in Montclair?
The general Build Your Toolkit has the same handouts and templates for any district, plus letters to legislators, the Governor, the Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education.
Add your name
Signatures from inside the district carry the most weight with the Board of Education.
Sign the Montclair petition Learn more about the Montclair petition The Montclair Report CardKnow where the facts come from
Every figure on this page is sourced, with links to the originals. Knowing where a number comes from helps you answer tough questions with confidence and back up what you say.
Know Your SourcesEvery figure on this page is sourced at schoolsneedlibrarians.com/sources.