Hopatcong Teachers Could be Fired Before Fall

Six Hopatcong teachers were told on Thursday they might not have jobs in the fall.

Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano said the teachers were given reduction-in-force or non-renewal notices in anticipation of a failed school budget, which goes to vote April 27.

"I wouldn't lose the six [teachers] if the budget passes," he said Friday afternoon.

History, however, isn't on Maranzano's side. Hopatcong has voted down each of the last seven school budgets.

Maranzano said the district's $35 million 2011-2012 budget proposal, which would raise school taxes on the average Hopatcong home $109, already includes the loss of one administrative position. It comes on the heels of last year's 28.5 teacher layoffs and substantial program cuts—the result of losing $1.7 million in state aid, a failed budget and the borough council's order to remove an additional $730,000 from the budget.

Maranzano said the teachers given notices were chosen based on seniority in particular categories.

"People who get notified aren't people you choose to get notified," he said. "It's a strictly mathematical equation. It goes by certification, length of time performing the job and state laws saying you must dismiss the least senior people, regardless of who they are and how much they contribute."

The head of Hopatcong's teachers union, Jeff Ryder, said the action didn't surprise him.

"It hasn't been unexpected for a number of years," the high school history teacher said. "It seems that every year, in order to get ready for the budget vote, it just seems that they create a budget that's so tight that there always seems to be some cuts in it. It's not unexpected. It's unfortunate, though. When you keep cutting and keep cutting, I don't know what's left at the end of that conversation."

Maranzano said the conversation would involve more teacher cuts if the budget fails and the council tells the Board of Education to significantly reduce the budget.

"Here's where it could get worse," Maranzano said. "I'm anticipating [cutting] six [teachers] given any kind of minimal reduction in school funding … but if the budget goes down and I get some kind of indication that there will be a significant drop in school funding … I've got another list of people who would have to be notified."

Under state law, teachers must be notified about losing their jobs by May 15, Maranzano said. He also said most, if not all, of the teachers cut would be from Hopatcong's elementary schools.

"If I have to [cut] deeper, it's going to affect my elementary schools disproportionally because it's the only place I can pull teaching staff from," he said. "It's the only place I can pull people from and maintain programing. … We are trying to maintain the integrity of our educational program, albeit with higher numbers of kids in the classroom."

Maranzano said the move wasn't a "scare tactic."

"It's just plain reality," he said. "If I lose $100,000, I'm going to lose a lot of key people in my work force and there's no way I can avoid that."