The School Vote Is Off. Wait, Never Mind. Also: What Happened to the $20 Million?

Why is Montclair nearly 20 million dollars in the red, and how did no one stop it? This week, we peel back the curtain on one of the most consequential crises the town has ever faced, examining how years of rising costs, missed warning signs, and avoided hard decisions brought the school district to this moment.

We also break down:

• The Superior Court ruling that invalidated the December 9 special election, the superintendent’s new plan for a March vote, and what immediate cuts mean for families, staff, and classrooms.

• What the judge found legally insufficient about the ballot language and why March 10 is now the target date for a new referendum.

• The district-wide reductions are rolling out on January 5, from eliminated programs to lost staff positions.

• What the state will and will not fund while Montclair waits for a new vote.

• A rare, in-depth conversation with Tenafly Business Administrator and Montclair resident Stephen Frost, who explains how much power a BA really has, what should have been caught, why personnel cuts were unavoidable, and whether a forensic audit would actually reveal anything new.

• Why New Jersey’s 2 percent tax cap, rising health care costs, and declining enrollment created a structural squeeze years in the making.

Also, the NBC I-Team tracks down former BA Christina Hunt in person, and we react to the footage that has now been viewed tens of thousands of times.

We then dig into the psychology of giving and receiving feedback as part of a series sponsored by Twocents. We talk with the owners of Dan and Day’s Burgers and Shakes and Paper Plane Coffee Co. about the reviews that changed their businesses, why specific feedback matters more than praise, and how Twocents’ anonymous option is helping shape everything from aioli recipes to café seating layouts.

In our Ask Our Agent segment, we flip the script. At sponsor Karin Diana’s holiday party, we ask recent transplants the same question: What surprised you most about life in Montclair? The answers span parking, walkability, community warmth, suburban culture shocks, and the Ring notifications everyone eventually turns off.

We wrap with local headlines, including free holiday parking, a township toy drive, a resident-run report called MPACT, exposing why MPS budget documents are nearly impossible to analyze, and a note to complete the school district’s new Budget Priorities Survey.

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