WEST ORANGE, NJ — Save their jobs. That was the message from a large crowd of community members who packed this week’s board of education meeting in West Orange.
The West Orange Public School District is facing a $14 million budget gap as it fights a losing battle with rising costs, such as insurance. It will likely take a combination of sweeping cuts and a tax hike to balance the books, administrators say.
The current budget proposal contains some tough decisions, superintendent Hayden Moore warned Monday – including 75 full-time staff positions that will likely be cut.
Other austerity measures may include increases in class sizes across the district, consolidation of courses, a restructuring of the middle school schedule, transportation and busing adjustments, cuts to sports, and outsourcing some services such as paraprofessionals. READ MORE: West Orange Schools Face $14M Budget Gap, 70 Jobs On Chopping Block
A wave of concerned community members rallied against the upcoming cuts during a six-hour marathon meeting on Monday.
One of the speakers at the meeting was Josh Goldfarb, president of the West Orange Education Association, a union that represents roughly 1,000 teachers, secretaries, paraprofessionals, technology and security staff in the district.
“I'm a teacher working for 294 days without a contract,” Goldfarb told the board. “And we are here once again looking at catastrophic cuts of staffing due to a budget shortfall.”
Some speakers said they are worried about privatization, expressing concern for paraprofessionals who may suddenly have to reapply for their jobs. Others questioned how much money it would save the district – and how it would impact special education students.
A representative of local advocacy group West Orange Parents for Education thanked the board and administrators for confronting the “brutal” math behind the budget shortfall. However, the dozens of job cuts being planned aren’t the only solution, he said – the district could also raise taxes.
“Why are we protecting taxpayers before our classrooms?” he questioned, echoing a suggestion the group recently posed on its website.
Watch the public comment portion of the April 20 meeting below (video is cued to the 1:41:21 mark):
Moore said administrators are extremely sympathetic to parents’ fears. However, they also have another responsibility to the town’s homeowners, he added – and adding to an already overwhelmed budget isn’t likely to happen.
“Families in West Orange are already carrying a heavy tax burden,” he said. “With this school budget, we are already asking to burden the taxpayer an additional 2.5 percent. But to go beyond that is to ask more from families who are already stretched … that would just be irresponsible.”
A public hearing and final vote is scheduled for May 4. The district is inviting the public to share feedback and suggestions through an online form.
Property taxes are generally made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. West Orange residents also face another potential tax increase on the township level.
SUPERINTENDENT: ‘THIS IS NOT ABOUT HIDDEN MONEY’
Last week, Moore gave the school community an update on the situation, which he called “one of the most difficult financial challenges our district has experienced.”
Moore – who has children in the district – emphasized that there is no misappropriation of funds.
“This is not about hidden money,” he wrote. “This is not about a lack of care for our employees or our students. This is about the responsibility to right-size the budget so that West Orange can remain financially stable and educationally strong.”
“The district can no longer fiscally sustain the current staffing levels nor can we operate as if this deficit does not exist,” Moore said. “We cannot afford to maintain every position, every structure, and every program exactly as they are while realistically working on creating long term fiscal stability.”
Moore said administrators hope to make some of the job cuts through attrition – not filling vacancies as they come up, rather than terminating a current employee.
“Like many of you, I love this district,” he said. “I love West Orange. I love our students, our families, our staff, and our teachers. I deeply appreciate the educators who pour their energy, talent, compassion, and commitment into our children every single day. I know the impact our staff members have on students’ lives, and I do not underestimate the pain that comes with every conversation about reductions.”
Here are some of the other cost-cutting measures being planned, he said:
BIGGER CLASS SIZES – “Elementary class size will likely increase to 25, and middle and high school class sizes are projected to increase to 30. Schedules have been adjusted, where applicable, to reflect the full instructional load permitted for our teachers ensuring they can responsibly instruct five to six sections.”
OUTSOURCING PARAPROFESSIONALS – “As we review options during this difficult budget process, our intent is to explore partnerships with qualified vendors that may allow us to onboard our current paraprofessionals through an outside provider, while keeping them working in our schools, in their current roles, and, whenever possible, with the students they already know and support.”
SPORTS – “Our high school sports program will see some reductions. However, we are no longer able to afford our middle school sports and intramural program. I am formulating a partnership with our middle school parent boosters and Township Recreation Department to help in this area and offer some athletic opportunities at this level.”
Things have changed a lot over the past few decades when it comes to running a school district, Moore said during Monday's board meeting.
“The cost of operating a school district has increased immensely – that’s a fact,” Moore said, pointing to the rising price of building maintenance, gas, electricity, technology, health care benefits and salaries.
Watch the superintendent’s recent comments about the budget below (video is cued to the 1:12:05-mark):
Moore isn’t the only West Orange school official to blame longstanding financial realities for the current budget gap.
Last year, the West Orange Board of Education issued a plea to state education officials, urging them to rework the school aid system in New Jersey – which also heavily influences property taxes.
“For years, the West Orange Public Schools has suffered under the weight of an unfunded formula,” the letter charged.
“One of the biggest problems with the current structure of the formula is that a district’s local fair share can increase at a rate that far outpaces its ability to raise funds through the local tax levy,” the board wrote.
West Orange isn’t the only school district in Essex County that is struggling with financial gaps this year. Other budget woes and potential staff cuts have been reported in Montclair, Newark, Livingston, Bloomfield and South Orange-Maplewood, among other towns.
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
West Orange, NJ Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.