By Matt Rooney
Ironic? A bit.
Mikie Sherrill pitched $12.4 billion in K-12 funding during her FY 2027 budget speech delivered Tuesday afternoon; mere hours later, her adopted hometown of Montclair (one of the state’s bluest spots on the map) voted down two school funding referenda.
It was close:
Montclair, NJ referendum to raise taxes to deal with school funding deficit
41/41 precincts in
Question 1
🟢 YES 4,783 (50.4%)
🔴 NO 4,703 (49.6%)Question 2
🟢 YES 4,621 (48.8%)
🔴 NO 4,852 (51.2%) pic.twitter.com/8QVEtFnwXF— umichvoter (@umichvoter) March 11, 2026
There is an important local factor likely driving the results:
The district is commencing an audit after an $18 million budget hole was discovered.
I’d like a statewide audit!
