A Superior Court judge has canceled a Dec. 9 referendum in Montclair, derailing a high-stakes vote that was meant to rescue the school district from a nearly $20 million deficit.

Judge Robert Gardner halted the election on Tuesday, even though 1,700 voters had already mailed in their ballots, according to the district. He sided with residents who sued the district, arguing two ballot questions that could have resulted in tax increases were confusing and lacked necessary detail.

The Board of Education approved the referendum in October in an effort to close a $19.6 million deficit, a gap new district officials attribute to “incompetence” by former leaders.

The district had hoped voters would approve two tax increases: a one-time hike of about $1,100 for a home valued at $640,000 and a p

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