Montclair School Referendum: How Much Would It Raise My Taxes?

MONTCLAIR, NJ — If a $188 million school bond referendum passes this November in Montclair, residents with a home valued at $628,952 will see an average annual tax impact of $732 until the bonds are repaid. That’s the estimate from the Montclair Public School District, which recently released a “tax calculator” for property owners as the November general election nears.

The district’s tax calculator can be seen here (scroll down to the section that reads “How do I calculate the impact on my own tax bill?”)

Estimated tax impacts as seen in the calculator include:

• Home valued at $100,000 – Year 1 increase is $41, annual increase until repaid is $116
• Home valued at $300,000 – Year 1 increase is $123, annual increase until repaid is $349
• Home valued at $500,000 – Year 1 increase is $205, annual increase until repaid is $581
• Home valued at $750,000 – Year 1 increase is $307, annual increase until repaid is $872
• Home valued at $1 million – Year 1 increase is $410, annual increase until repaid is $1,163

The actual taxes may differ from the estimates based on changes in interest rates, timing and size of bond issuances, district administrators noted.

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

The district’s school buildings are 96-years-old on average, officials have noted. Except for Bullock School, which was constructed in 2010, no new school has been built since 1936.

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.

Some money from the state is expected to help soften the blow for local taxpayers. In September, 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: Q&A Session Held For Montclair School Bond Referendum (Video)
  

Property taxes in New Jersey are made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here's how that broke down in Montclair last year:

• School – 57.2%
• Municipal – 25.9%
• County – 16.9%

The average residential property tax in Montclair in 2021 was $20,320 for a home valued at $628,952. That was a $357 increase from 2020 – a difference of 1.79 percent.

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