Montclair School District Faces $11M Shortfall, New Administrators Say

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Bills have been going unpaid in the Montclair Public School District, which is grappling with an $11 million shortfall, administrators say.

Speaking at a community meeting on Wednesday, the district’s new superintendent, Ruth Turner, and interim school business administrator, Dana Sullivan, said they inherited a tricky financial situation after taking over their jobs on July 1 – including a series of unpaid purchase orders.

Turner issued a statement about the looming financial gap on Thursday.

According to the superintendent, there is a projected deficit of nearly $11 million in the 2024-2025 budget. Contributing factors include “unanticipated costs, prior-year expenses and staffing not accounted for in the adopted budget.”

“I also shared the important steps we've taken in July to clarify our financial position and the ongoing work to post all receipts, reconcile outstanding purchase orders, and confirm final revenue figures,” Turner continued.

“While the deficit is significant, we are addressing it directly, guided by our commitment to protecting core instruction, ensuring equity, and making strategic – rather than across-the-board – decisions,” Turner said.

“We are consulting with state and local officials, external auditors, legal counsel, and our staff associations, and reviewing the 2025-26 budget process to prevent the recurrence of past issues,” the superintendent said. “In addition, we will be preparing a corrective action plan to strengthen financial oversight moving forward. “

Turner said that questions and comments can be forwarded to mpsfeedback@montclaink12.nj.us

“Thank you for your partnership and continued support as we move forward—together—in service of our students,” she said.

The Montclair Board of Education adopted the 2025-2026 budget in May. Prior to the budget vote, administrators contended with a separate, $2.45 million gap, which resulted in cuts to the district’s central offices, among other measures.

• See Related: Montclair Schools Will Make 5 Staff Changes Due To Budget Constraints

Administrators previously said that a homeowner with a property valued at $631,882 would pay $12,025 for the school portion of their taxes under the spending plan – an increase of $496 from last year’s $11,529.

Patch reached out to the board and district administrators after the budget was approved, seeking to confirm the tax impact numbers for local homeowners. We did not receive a reply to multiple requests for information, including an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request.

Other local news outlets have recently reported experiencing issues with OPRA requests to the Montclair Public School District.

The district’s previous business administrator, Christina Hunt, resigned after the latest budget cycle. Her resignation became effective on July 1.

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