The Montclair public schools superintendent is asking all community members to fill out a survey that they say is crucial and will directly inform the development of the 2026-27 school budget.

It's an anonymous survey that asks what matters most, what investments should be protected, and where could the district make trade-offs.

The topics include priorities for academic programs, staffing, and services.

Also, rankings of critical areas like curriculum, mental health, operations, arts, athletics, and technology.

Superintendent Ruth Turner says participation is vital to shape the year ahead for Montclair's students.

The survey is open now and will close on Jan. 30, at 5:00 p.m.

This comes as the Montclair School district likely to raise taxes to fix it's nearly $20 million budget gap.

The district will hold a special election in March.

A vote was supposed to take place earlier this week but a judge called it off saying the ballot questions were confusing.

The questions are now being revised.

In the meantime, the district plans to move forward with the staffing cuts they announced in October.