MONTCLAIR, NJ – Parents in Montclair are demanding answers after nearly $20 million vanished from the township’s public school budget, leaving officials scrambling to make payroll and the state stepping in to stabilize finances.
District officials confirmed that Montclair Public Schools is facing a $19.6 million shortfall, though the source of the deficit remains unclear. The discovery comes despite Montclair residents paying some of the highest property taxes in New Jersey — an average exceeding $22,000 annually.
At a meeting earlier this week, Superintendent Ruth Turner told families that the state has temporarily advanced funds to ensure employees are paid through March. In a letter sent home Monday, Turner said the state would not release additional aid because a previously scheduled vote to raise property taxes was canceled after a judge ruled the ballot language too confusing.
To meet obligations, the district is planning staffing cuts and other cost reductions. The announcement sparked frustration among parents, many of whom plan to voice concerns at a public workshop tonight.
“I think people are angry and scared,” one parent said. “We’re paying more every year and being told there’s no money left, and nobody can explain where it went.”
The state Department of Education and the district’s auditor are now reviewing Montclair’s finances to determine how the deficit developed and whether mismanagement or accounting errors are to blame.
Lakewood theft still under investigation
The controversy follows another financial scandal in New Jersey’s Lakewood school district last year, when hackers stole $15 million in a Presidents’ Day weekend cyber theft. The FBI and state investigators later recovered about $8 million, but that district’s budget remains under federal and state review.
For Montclair, state officials say their priority is ensuring continued operations while the investigation into the missing funds proceeds.
