What will happen to property taxes if the districts do not consolidate?
Under consolidation, in the short-term, taxes would stay largely the same in Westfield and decrease slightly in Montello. However, because of how the state funds schools, if the districts did not consolidate, both would need to consider options for survival that would include significantly raising taxes, making deep cuts to programs and staff, and/or, in Westfield’s case, closing more schools. In the long term, if the consolidation referendum does not pass, the Westfield and Montello school districts will almost certainly need to independently pass operational referenda, which will most likely lead to the tax rate increasing beyond what it would for a consolidated district. Both district boards thus see consolidation as a way of ensuring that students have access to necessary educational offerings while also being responsive to the needs of taxpayers. 10) The most recent Baird report shows that for Montello, taxes would increase slightly if consolidation occurs, while it seems that Wes
