Montclair School Bond Referendum 2022: Town Halls Scheduled

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair Public School District will hold two town halls to answer questions from the community about an upcoming bond referendum for school upgrades.

The first town hall will take place at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29 at the Montclair High School auditorium – one of the facilities slated for repairs. It will be streamed on Montclair Public TV (channel 34) and posted on the district website.

The second town hall is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13 at Glenfield Middle School, an administrator said.

WHAT’S THE DEAL?

The Montclair Public School District is launching a $188 million bond referendum as part of the general election in November to pay for “critical health and safety facility needs” across the township.

See a cost breakdown from the board here. See a list of what is planned for each school here. Montclair administrators have also released a list of frequently asked questions and their answers, which can be seen on the district website.

The upgrades would be paid for with a series of three bonds, taken out over the next five years. The first year tax increase for an owner of an average assessed home (roughly $629,000) is expected to be $258, an administrator told Patch on Wednesday.

However, some money from the state is expected to help soften the blow for local taxpayers. Earlier this month, Superintendent Jonathan Ponds announced that Montclair will receive a total of nearly $58 million from New Jersey to support the project – if voters approve it this fall.

• See related article: NJ Agrees To Pay A Third Of Montclair's Huge School Upgrade Project
• See related article: $188M Montclair School Proposal On Track For November Election

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