Proposed Montclair School Budget Would Hike Taxes, Make Staff Cuts

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The average Montclair homeowner would see an $851 tax hike under the school district’s latest proposed budget, which also includes a wave of staffing cuts.

Administrators gave a preliminary presentation about the 2026-2027 school budget at the Montclair Board of Education meeting on March 18. Watch video footage here, or view it below.

Currently, the tentative spending plan would come with a 3.92 percent increase to the school portion of a local homeowner’s taxes. This includes the partial use of a health insurance waiver.

The district’s business administrator, Dana Sullivan, outlined nearly $6 million in proposed cuts, including 23 middle school teachers, four high school teachers and five elementary school teachers. Other staff positions under consideration for reduction include two central office positions, two custodians, two secretaries, a nurse and a school resource officer.

Freshman sports would be eliminated, and $1.5 million cut to transportation costs is also on the table.

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The proposed budget would also come with $395,760 of staff additions, including a middle school counselor ($88,000), middle school security ($88,000), an elementary school world language teacher ($88,000), and part-time lunch aides at the elementary and middle schools ($131,760).

The cuts are being proposed despite a potential 6 percent increase in state aid under Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s draft budget. Related: How Much State School Aid For Montclair? NJ Releases Latest Totals

In 2025, the average Montclair resident paid $22,487 in property taxes on a home valued at $639,628 (not including credits and deductions).

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Here’s how that played out in Montclair for 2025, according to state data (percentages rounded up):

• School – 56.7%
• Municipal – 26.5%
• County – 16.9%

CUTS IN MONTCLAIR SCHOOLS

The Montclair Public School District is facing a looming budget gap that had swelled to $20 million at one point.

The financial woes – which predate the current superintendent and business administrator – have been blamed on the district “spending beyond its means,” with the hiring of unbudgeted staff, unpaid bills and other unbudgeted expenses contributing to the deficit.

In an effort to balance the books, the district put a referendum before voters, whowere asked to approve or reject two different questions. The first question would approve a one-time $12.6 million tax hike. The second question would greenlight a permanent $5 million per year increase.

Voters narrowly approved the one-time tax increase – but rejected a permanent hike to the tax levy.

The one-time tax increase will be in addition to any potential hike approved under the new budget.

>> READ MORE: All Votes Finally Counted In Montclair School Election: Here Are The Results

Prior to the referendum, Montclair school administrators warned that cuts are unavoidable – regardless of how the election turned out.

Administrators have already looked to staff cuts as one way of balancing the books. More than 100 staff members in the Montclair Public School District were laid off or impacted by a “reduction in force” notice last fall, although some of them were eventually hired back.

Last week, the board of education unanimously voted in favor of a resolution to close Renaissance Middle School and turn it into a pre-K facility. The move is expected to save the district nearly $2.3 million per year.

>> READ MORE: Decision Made On Plan To Close Montclair School

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