Vote YES / YES
for the tax levy on Dec. 9
Last updated: Nov. 21, 2025
• Montclair schools face a $19.6M budget crisis.
• Voting YES / YES places the Montclair Public School District on solid financial footing and allows us to maintain local control of our financial decisions.
The crisis
Our schools accumulated a $12.6M debt from past overspending.
The 2025–2026 school budget has a $7M deficit because recurring costs were not fully budgeted for.
What’s on the ballot
Question 1
Vote YES to: Pay off the $12.6M debt with a one-time tax payment and avoid a state monitor.
Question 2
Vote YES to: Raise $7.6M by resetting your baseline property tax to close the recurring $7M budget gap, modernize accounting software, pay for a forensic audit of accounting records, and avoid a state monitor.
Why vote YES / YES
• Stabilizes baseline school revenue so the District can keep up with rising costs.
• Protects $2.1M in annual state aid.
• Preserves local control of school financial decisions.
• Funds accountability mechanisms including modern accounting software and a forensic audit.
Q1: How should we pay off the $12.6M debt?
Vote YES for a one-time tax payment to pay off the debt.
Cleans the slate and redirects energy on the budget moving forward.
See how much it costs you here.
Avoids a state monitor and places Superintendent Turner in charge of balancing our budget.
Prevents loss of $1.26M per year in state aid for the next 10 years (the repayment plan in the event of a NO vote).
Vote NO to receive a $12.6M advance on state aid to pay off the debt.
Uses future revenues to pay off a past debt.
$1.26M is deducted from annual state aid the District would otherwise receive for the next 10 years.
A state monitor is assigned to the district for the next 10 years. The monitor has complete control of district financial decisions and will determine how to balance the budget given the annual deduction reduction in state aid.
Q2: How do we close our recurring $7M budget gap?
Vote YES to reset baseline property taxes and increase recurring revenue.
See what this will cost you here.
Places the District on a firmer financial footing so it is better equipped to handle the rising costs of healthcare, transportation, etc.
Avoids a state monitor and places Superintendent Turner in charge of balancing our budget.
Reduces the cuts ultimately needed to balance the budget. Although some mid-year cuts are inevitable as we works toward fiscal stability, the larger tax base moving forward reduces the cuts needed this year.
Vote NO to reject a tax increase to address the budget deficit.
Puts a state monitor in charge of determining how to balance this year’s budget — through a mix of mid-year cuts and a one-time advance on state aid.
An advance on state aid is NOT available to cover our budget deficit for the 2026-2027 year or thereafter.
The monitor will continue to be in charge of balancing the budget for the next 10 years, when state aid and an increased baseline tax revenue aren’t available.
Whatever advance on state aid the monitor elects to take to address this year’s budget gap, would reduce the annual aid the District would receive over the next 10 years.
How did we get here?
Mismanagement by the previous administration
The prior superintendent and business office accrued $12.6M in unpaid invoices from previous years (busing, food service, out-of-district placements, etc.) and created a 2025–2026 budget that was $7M short.
They did not disclose this to the Board of Education or the public. A review by the current administration found no missing or stolen funds — just years of spending beyond the approved budget.
Economics of running a school are getting harder
In Montclair, over 80% of school funding comes from property taxes.
State law caps property-tax increases at 2% per year, but inflation and school costs are rising faster, so revenues cannot keep up with expenses.
At the same time, state and federal rules require more services for our most vulnerable students, while state and federal funding for those services has declined.
Additional Resources & FAQs
Why trust the new administration?
Overhauls to operating procedure
Checks and balances to pay for bills
Every expense tied to a budget line
Separation of powers to limit individual authority
Real-time alerts to flag budget overruns
Public Q&A and quarterly town halls
Detailed, line-item budgets
Monthly public dashboards
Accountability in Action
Transparent dialogue: 5+ Town Halls in four months plus countless meetings with community groups and concerned citizens. Furthermore, formerly closed BOE sessions are now open to the public.
Immediate fixes: Comprehensive financial record review, a new auditing firm, and overhauls to operating procedure in Central Office.
Courage under pressure: Superintendent Turner has already done what previous administrations have failed to do: publicly address the difficult budget situation and outline the cuts needed to operate in that environment.
Check out the Superintendent's detailed plans for increased accountability:
The road to fiscal stability
A reduction in costs coupled with the tax revenue from a YES / YES vote.
Although a YES / YES vote will reduce the cuts we make this year and beyond, Superintendent Turner acknowledges that we still need to make significant mid-year cuts. This is because in addition to fixing this year’s budget gap, we need to position ourselves to be able to pay for healthcare, transportation, and other operational costs which are all projected to increase, significantly. On top of it all, we must begin to build up our budget reserves — our “fund balance” — which provides the buffer necessary to manage unexpected midyear spikes in costs.
A YES vote on Q2 is the only way to mitigate the systemic problem of costs increasing faster than the 2% cap on property tax increases.
The path to fiscal responsibility won’t be easy, but a YES / YES vote will provide the infusion of cash needed to put our schools back on solid ground.
Election Day:
Tuesday, December 9th 4-8 pm
What’s on the ballot?
Question 1: Vote YES
Pay off $12.6M debt with a one-time tax payment, and avoid a state monitor.
Question 2: Vote YES
Raise $7.6M by resetting your baseline property tax to close $7M budget gap, modernize accounting software, pay for a forensic audit of accounting records, and avoid a state monitor.
How much could this cost me?
No one wants to pay more taxes.
But our schools need to be placed on solid financial footing to ensure that all of our kids can receive a quality public school education that reflects the values and priorities of our beloved town.
Save Montclair Schools is a political committee formed by a grassroots group of volunteer parents who represent all Montclair public schools. We are committed to advocating for a YES / YES vote on Dec. 9.