LEV D. ZILBERMINTS
EAST ORANGE – Schools in the East Orange school district have cut 93 positions due to a huge mistake in expecting more state aid when putting together and approving this year’s budget.
“Local Talk” did its usual diligent research. Several sources, such as nj.com, RLS Media, Shore News Network, and the East Orange School district and other sources, were checked for information. What follows is the article.
Last week, on October 17 and 18, the school district had two half days for its 9,303 students. According to nj.com, the teacher’s union president, Keith Hinton, said that last Thursday’s closure was due to school staff calling out sick as educators face losing their jobs before the end of the year.
According to Shore News Network, the layoffs will take place December 15.
The East Orange School Board met in a public meeting for five hours on Wednesday, October 16. That meeting, according to reports from nj.com, was very contentious, with emotions running high.
Teachers laid off hours before the School Board Meeting
According to RLS Media, “For many teachers, the cuts feel deeply personal. Some were notified of the layoffs through Rice letters – a legal requirement in New Jersey that informs employees when their jobs will be discussed by a public body, giving them the opportunity to attend the meeting and request the discussion be held in public.
Many received these letters just hours before the meeting, heightening the sense of shock and frustration.
“I’ve been just as much in the dark as many of you through this process,” one local union representative said in a statement to fellow educators. “We fought to ensure there would be a transparency and inclusion in these decisions, but I realize that in many ways, I was kept at a distance, much like many of you were,” RLS Media reported.
The October 16 East Orange School Board meeting
According to nj.com, “At Wednesday’s school board meeting, East Orange Superintendent Christopher Irving said the district faced a $5 million shortfall when he started his job earlier this year. While state aid to the district has been consistent, the cost of running the schools has increased, he said.
The current $25 million budget shortfall will impact the May and June payroll, Irving said at the meeting, which was attended by more than 450 people. The job cuts will largely affect substitute teachers, social workers, literary coaches and math coaches.
The staff cuts include 22 substitutes, 36 math or literacy coaches, 12 social workers and five Spanish teachers, according to TapInto East Orange/Orange.
“If we don’t do something soon, the state will step in,” Irving said at the meeting.
In the nj.com piece, “The Essex County district, which serves 9,303 children, will do its best to help move cut personnel to other school districts, including Elizabeth, South Orange – Maplewood, Paterson, Union and Orange, the superintendent said.”
Key data
According to an October 18 nj.com article, “East Orange received nearly $175.3 million in state aid for the 2024-2025 school year, according to state statistics. That is a $199,500 increase, or about 0.1% more than the previous year.
The district has lost students over the last few decades. Enrollment in the district dropped 7.7% between the 2007-2008 and 2022-2023 school years, according to the most recent available enrollment data.
The superintendent told WNBC-TV he started his new position in July and found the district had a $6 million to $8 million deficit.
Working without a contract
In the same nj.com article, “The East Orange Education Association, the union representing the teachers, said in an Instagram post Wednesday (October 16) that they are working without a contract. The post said the teachers are “tired.”
“We are all fed up,” the post said. “We all want a fair and reasonable contract, but we must all come together collectively as one voice to be heard!”
But, the post also said it would not be legal for teachers to call out sick at once and any job actions not sanctioned by union leadership needed to stop. They did not specify what actions teachers might take.
How did the East Orange school district get into the financial hole?
According to msn.com, East Orange Mayor Ted Green addressed the situation Friday, October 18, saying the new superintendent discovered the deficit, and now everyone is chipping in to help out.
“I think it’s oversight. When sometimes you have folks in office and there’s oversights, and then you have someone come in and they start dotting the ‘I’s and crossing the ‘T’s and looking into the fine print, it’s an oversight. I believe that we’ve got to get better with that,” he told CBS News New York.
According to the October 18 nj.com article, “East Orange Superintendent Christopher Irving told WABC-TV the school board mistakenly thought it would receive a larger increase in state funding to balance its budget. But, East Orange did not receive the same increases in state aid that some neighboring districts received for the 2024-2025 school year.
“Around us, Newark received $100 million, and our colleagues in Irvington and Orange received almost $15 – $30 million respectively,” Irving said. “And we got $200,000. And for us we know that’s unfair … Irving did not explain why it took until October for the school board to address the budget problems when projected state aid numbers were announced in March, and the state budget was approved in June.”
Parents React
Angry parents vented their frustration on the school district’s Facebook page, nj.com reported.
“You are breaking up our school and destroying our school family by taking away our coaches and teachers,” one parent wrote, all in capital letters. “What will happen to our kids now? We need our teachers and coaches,” nj.com reported.
Another parent was upset that students would be out early after only a half-day of school.
One commenter wrote on social media, “They could’ve sent a blast last night and gave parents an opportunity to make arrangements for their children.”
According to RLS Media, “Parents in particular, worry that the cuts could lead to larger class sizes, fewer resources for students, and less individualized attention for those that need it most.
As reported by RLS Media, one parent said, “We put our children in the hands of these teachers and staff every day, and now we don’t know what’s going to happen. This feels like a betrayal.”
According to msn.com, parents also expressed shock, as their children face another half day of school on October 18.
“Make this make sense. Where’s the money?” Mother Maria Irvin said outside the school Friday. “The mayor needs to answer a lot of questions, lots. You see new parks being built, you see these high-rises going up, and you see this school system that’s already terrible going down even more.”
“They’re knocking off teachers, and the kids need these teachers. The kids look up to these teachers, and they have a lot of things that they’re going through throughout their homes, and the teachers are sometimes a psychiatrist,” said Ilyas Williams, who brought his nephew to school. “To take away a mentor, as such, would just be detrimental to the kids,” msn.com reported Mrs. Irvin as saying.
The superintendent said schools took a half day because many families and teachers are mentally exhausted from the ordeal.
Statement by the East Orange School District
East Orange Mayor Ted Green, Superintendent Dr. Christopher Irving and Board President Andrea McPhatter released a joint statement, dated October 17, 2024.
“On Wednesday, October 16, the East Orange Board of Education made the challenging decision to implement layoffs, affecting 71 in-school staff members and four district employees. This step was taken as part of a broader plan to stabilize the financial complexities currently facing the East Orange School District (EOSD). We want to emphasize to all members of the East Orange school community that these adjustments are being made with careful consideration and will not diminish the quality of education that our students receive. Many of our instructional coaches, who possess valuable classroom experience, will transition back into school environments, thereby facilitating a seamless learning experience for our students even amidst the adjustments.
“In addition to supporting our students, we are fully committed to assisting all affected employees in their job searches. In the first week of November, we will host In-District Transition Career Fairs with six neighboring school districts: Elizabeth, South Orange & Maplewood, Irvington, Orange, Union, and Paterson, each of which has expressed willingness to engage in job placement efforts for our laid-off staff.
“Currently, the EOSD is grappling with a staggering projected deficit of $8million for the 2024-2025 academic year. This financial shortfall has been exacerbated by significant overages in several critical areas, including food service, transportation costs, and out-of-district tuition. These challenges have compounded over time, making it imperative for us to take decisive action now to secure the long-term financial viability of the East Orange School District.”
State intervention?
“You should assume all options are on the table. Our commissioner wanted to meet today, and they could not. I think early next week… he’s going to meet Monday. We cannot have a community as big as East Orange continue like this,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said on Friday via msn.com.
Unanswered Questions
A crisis like the one in East Orange has many unanswered questions. Why did not the previous East Orange Superintendent do something about the financial shortfall? Why has the teachers’ union been working for two years without a contract? Why did East Orange not act on the budget shortfall until after the school year had already begun? Where is the money going?
