South Orange-Maplewood BOE Meeting Takes Emotional Turn

A Columbia High School senior put a human face on the proposed South Orange-Maplewood school budget cuts, telling the school board Monday night cutting the position of Student Assistance Counselor (SAC) would be detrimental to students.

An emotional Ellie Williams spoke during the meeting, imploring committee members to take into account teens, like herself, whose lives have been impacted by an SAC.

"There was highly self-destructive behavior," Williams said, referring to emotional problems and a suicide attempt. "Please, think of me, or think of the girl who is cutting herself. You have eliminated the only person in their lives that helped."

"This isn't just about money. It's about people's lives," she added. 

The district will face , according to recent projections issued by the adminstration.

The board is currently addressing a $2.8 million shortfall in the 2013-14 budget. On Thursday, it will hold a special public session at 7:30 p.m. to conduct a public hearing on the budget, then it will vote on the final budget. 

On March 4, the BOE passed a $104,473,642 preliminary budget for 2013-14 with an operating budget with a 2.47% tax impact and an "all-in" total tax impact of 2.93%. 

Philip Lester, one of two SAC counselors, told committee members eliminating one of the positions would be a reckless decision. He said students with substance abuse and other issues would be left with no recourse.

"Serving kids in an emotional crisis allows the district to thrive. They're not recognizing that," he said.

Committeeman David Giles said the committee is frustrated at where it is headed.

"We feel the pressure of imposing further tax burdens on the community and of continuing progress," he said. "I recommend we pro-actively do what we can to see if there is anything the board can do to address the cost drivers driving costs up in our budget. We have to find any way of generating greater revenue for the district."

Board member Jeffrey Bennett believes it is time to work with the state to find a solution, adding the formula used to distribute funds is inadequate. The way schools are funded in New Jersey has to change, he said.

"Montclair gets 60 percent more than we do on a per-student basis," he said.

Later, Superintendent Brian Osborne thanked Williams for her courageous comments and said she raised a level of awareness of what students sometimes go through. Board President Beth Daugherty called Williams' argument compelling.

As she was leaving the meeting, Williams, a peer counselor herself, said she is looking forward to Thursday's meeting.

"I'm planning on bringing a small army on Thursday," she said. "We'll see where it goes."