Budget Cuts Could Be The End Of Parsippany Middle Schools' Reading And Writing Program

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Amid a round of budget cuts, the Parsippany Board of Education is proposing eliminating the middle school's reading and writing program, which would alter the structure of the school day.

Under the proposed change, the reading and writing program would no longer be its own class. Instead, the skills taught would be integrated into the English language arts, science, and social studies courses.

The school day is currently nine periods, with each class being taught 40 minutes a day, or 120 hours over the course of the year. Under the new proposal, each of the eight periods would be 46 minutes long, totaling 138 hours over the year.

14 teachers will be laid off as a result, the Board of Education said in a proposal detailing the changes.

The Parsippany-Troy Hills Education Association has come out against the proposal to eliminate the program.

"As a professional education association, we are concerned with the administration getting rid of the reading and writing program, which will negatively affect literally thousands of students," Jay Duhl, the associations vice president, told Patch. "We accept that personnel cuts occasionally happen depending on enrollments and other factors; it comes with the territory. It's the wholesale elimination of the program and the consequences it will have on the children of Parsippany that we question, especially given the fact that the District is currently sitting on a 2.7 million dollar surplus."

The Board of Education has said integrating the program will better prepare students for standardize tests, such as PARCC and the SATs.

"Integration of ideas across broad curricula is an effective strategy to facilitate connections for the learner such as Common Core, NGSS, NY Social Studies, ELA Curriculum Design," the board wrote in the proposal. They also said expanding periods would allow students to engage in more in-depth discussions.

The board has denied having a surplus, and said this budget will allow them to create one.

Other proposed changes include eliminating two high school assistant principals, five elementary media secretaries, and 10 elementary office aides, and reducing home instruction and out of district tuition.

The next Board of Education meeting will be held Thursday, May 4 at 7 p.m. at Parsippany Hills High School.

You can see the full budget proposal here.

Image via Shutterstock

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