Q&A Session Held For $188M Montclair School Bond Referendum: Video

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The League of Women Voters of the Montclair Area and the NAACP recently held a virtual question and answer session about an $188 million series of proposed upgrades in the Montclair school district.

During the information workshop, members of the Montclair Board of Education answered questions about an upcoming school bond referendum that would pay for the upgrades. Montclair voters will be asked to cast a ballot for the referendum in the November general election.

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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, a district spokesperson told Patch.

However, 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: $188M Montclair School Proposal On Track For November Election

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