Vote YES/YES on March 10th
Yes for fiscal stability.
Yes for fiscal accountability.
Yes for our public schools.
Last updated: Jan. 11, 2026
• Learn why Montclair Public Schools are underfunded and why we face a $17.6M budget crisis.
• Learn about the vote on March 10, 2026, to close the budget gap through taxes.
• Learn how we can improve accountability and fiscal responsibility so this does not happen again.
We can fix this. Together.
Strong local leadership and engaged residents can solve this without putting Trenton in charge of our budget.
Montclair has the tools:
An elected Board of Education that represents the community.
Strong local leadership that embraces transparency, accountability and community engagement.
An activated and engaged community.
Montclair has the values:
Public schools should be supported by our community.
Our magnet system is worth protecting.
Montclair residents can, and should, be active and engaged in how our schools operate.
We believe in Montclair. We can work through this together.
We are a grassroots community of Montclair residents advocating for Voting YES/YES on March 10th and better accountability from Montclair Public Schools. Learn more about us and join us.
The crisis
First, our schools accumulated a $12.6M debt from past overspending.
Second, even after the school-wide cuts that were made on Jan 1, 2025, we are $5M short of what we need for our 2025–2026 school budget because the costs of serving our students was not fully budgeted for the previous year.
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 $5M by resetting your baseline property tax to close the recurring budget gap and avoid a state monitor.
Why vote YES/YES
• Corrects for the years of damage caused by a state law that prevents the District from increasing property taxes to keep up with the pace of rising costs.
• Protects $1.76M in annual state aid.
• Preserves local control of school financial decisions so that we can collectively decide which programs to keep, which programs to cut, and which additional revenue sources to seek out.
How did we get here?
Mismanagement by previous administrations
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 make initial cuts needed to operate in that environment.
Can you summarize all this info on one page?
Election Day:
Tuesday, March 10th 3-8 pm
How Do I Vote?
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 March 10.