THE STATE PER CAPITA AID PROGRAM IS UNDERFUNDED BY 62%, THEREFORE WE ARE SEEKING FULL FUNDING OF $9.7 MILLION PER N.J.S.A. 18A:74-3.

The Per Capita State Aid Program is direct aid to every local library. Funding of $9.7 million would restore the program to full funding as specified in N.J.S.A. 18A:74-3, which would provide $1.11 per person of state funding for library service in New Jersey.  The current funding is $3,676,000, or approximately $0.42 per person. To fulfill the commitment to the state per capita aid program we seek an additional $5.9 million.

State aid to school districts was over $10 billion in FY2012, which included an increase of $804 million in the last year.   As a major educational component in the community, public libraries serve the entire community, including serving as a key resource for homeschoolers, many charter schools, senior citizens and the unemployed.