Fleischer addressed a statement from the public finance watchdog group Truth in Accounting, which cited the Montclair schools’ audit report advising of a $23.9 million “unrestricted” deficit for the year ending June 30, 2024 as a concern.

“They have pushed these costs into the future,” Sheila Weinberg, founder and CEO of the national public finance watchdog group, told Montclair Local. “You can think of it as your credit. This is how much they put on the taxpayers’ credit card that they’ll have to pay off in the future.”