Montclair Public Schools are moving forward with a plan involving significant staff and program cuts as the district works to close a budget gap now estimated at nearly $20 million. The planned reductions are set to take effect following winter break on January 5.
Principals across the school district sent letters via email to families late last week outlining the scale of the planned changes. Curriculum-support roles in math and reading for elementary and middle schools are being eliminated. Instructional aides in kindergarten classrooms are being removed. Restorative justice initiatives, elementary world languages and school-based counseling services will also be cut.
Montclair High School will make changes resulting in fewer security officers on campus and the loss of both a school librarian and a math teacher. Student counseling services are being reorganized alongside staff reductions. Technology courses, secretarial positions and counseling at lower grade levels will also be scaled back.
The reductions follow an announcement from earlier this year addressing the deficit and anticipating more than 100 job losses. The district continues to investigate unpaid costs tied to transportation, health benefits and special education services that accumulated over the span of multiple years. New Jersey state law bars school districts from operating in deficit, forcing Montclair to act quickly.
A request for voter approval to raise additional tax revenue had been scheduled for this week, but a court decision canceled the referendum. Other options under review include seeking an advance in state aid. Property taxes in Montclair already rank among the highest in New Jersey.
The story has become noteworthy in a community defined by premium homes, wealth and strong schools. District officials state that current measures are necessary to keep operations solvent while a long-term plan is developed.
Further updates are expected at upcoming Board of Education meetings. In the meantime, district administrators will finalize staffing assignments and adjust programs ahead of the new year.
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