An attempt to gain funding for the Parsippany school district's anti-bullying efforts is in progress.
At its Thursday night meeting, the okayed a plan to apply to the state Department of Education for $328,657 to cover the cost of its ongoing , which has been in place since the start of the school year.
Superintendent of Schools LeRoy Seitz said that when the state announced that schools had to take part in the program to fight HIB—harassment, intimidation and bias—it did not provide funding for the program.
Last January, the state’s Council on Local Mandates ruled that the 2011 law known as the .
Seitz said at the time that .
In response to the council's ruling, the Christie administration gave school districts throughout New Jersey until May 11 to apply for a share of $1 million in new funding to pay for the costs of implementing the law, which include training and additional staffing.
Given the number of school districts in the state and the fact that only $1 million is to be apportioned, there is concern over how far the money can go. The Parsippany request alone amounts to about a third of the money available for the entire state.
That being the case, Seitz warned board members not to expect much.
"I'll be happy to get $3," he said.
At the same time, the superintendent asserted that the anti-bullying efforts are needed—and that they are working.
"We've helped kids being bullied," he said. "We've had a positive impact on schools and in the community.
"However, to think there is not a cost is not reality."
A recent survey by the New Jersey Association of School Business Officials and the state’s School Boards Association found districts applying for anti-bullying funding are spending as much as $40,000 or more for added stipends, programs and training.
A little more than 200 districts, about a third of the total, say their costs alone exceeded $2 million, the NJASBO said.
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