South Brunswick schools facing 'significant losses', more than 60 jobs cut

SOUTH BRUNSWICK – The 2024-25 school budget was sealed by a unanimous vote Tuesday − or is it?

With a $1.4 million cut in state aid, the budget for the next school year includes "significant losses" of programming and staffing. As it currently stands, the $170 million budget has a $6.2 million shortfall due to a combination of the 2% tax cap, the loss in state aid and the reduction in other state aid, namely the stabilization aid.

The district was allotted $14.2 million in state aid for the 2024-25 school year, which is a decrease of $10.4 million since 2018-19, the last year before the "new" state aid formula took effect.

Superintendent of Schools Scott Feder remains hopeful despite the current state of the district's budget.

The state Assembly has already voted 52-20 in favor of restoring budget cuts and extending the final budget due date. That bill, co-sponsored by District 16 Assembly members Roy Freiman and Mitchelle Drulis, would appropriate $71.4 million to help school districts close budget gaps caused by reductions in state aid.

More: Bill to help school districts with state aid cuts passes state Assembly

On Thursday, the state Senate is expected to hear the case of a similar bill, sponsored by Sen. Andrew Zwicker, D-District 16, and Sen. Patrick Diegnan, D-District 18, with a vote on Monday. If passed by the Senate, Gov. Phil Murphy will either sign or veto the bill, creating a one-time Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program in the state Department of Education.

Should this be approved, Feder said the Board of Education can then revisit the budget.

He added that the Legislature has acknowledged this is a funding problem − not a spending or revenue problem.

"From 2019-20, 20-21, 21-22, and 22-23, there was zero impact to a student as a result of all of those cuts. Zero," Feder said. "Because for all those years, we did everything humanly possible to avoid cutting staff or impacting students. We did things with insurance. We did things with energy. We did preschool. We did everything humanly possible to avoid. And you've heard me say, back in 2021, the presentation says this year we won't be able to do it. This was forecasted. We saw this coming. We've been planning for this in a way that when we get to next year, we'll be able to manage the budget with minimal impact as possible."

Within the programming cuts are a reduction in security and increased class sizes. The district's budget as it stands today also includes staff cuts of more than 65 positions. Feder said due to attrition, the staff cuts impact 30 people who received RIF notices in April. Most of those were non-tenured positions with the exception of two staff members.

"Here's the reality. This is the pain. This is the staffing impact," Feder said. "Right now, for the last two weeks, this is what we've been doing. You want to talk about a miserable existence. This has been a miserable existence. I feel horrible for our teachers and staff. I feel horrible for administrators delivering this news. This is the worst."

Feder blames the state aid formula and the 2% tax cap. They are unrealistic, he said.

"We've been cutting for six straight years," he said. "These cuts are throughout the district. For five years now we work in a deficit model. When there's a 2% cap. Just think of this basic as basic as it gets. We're allowed to increase 2% of our spending, but it takes 4% at a minimum to roll over a budget."

Overall, district morale is being destroyed − that has a huge impact, he said.

"This is Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. No one is feeling appreciated right now," Feder said. "No one is walking around saying 'yay.' You can buy the doughnuts. You can say the nice things. But really what they're saying is 'Don't fire my friend.'"

More: Central Jersey Democrats 'outraged' at local school aid funding cuts

Positions being cut include K-12 classroom and special education teachers, administrators and supervisors, custodial and maintenance staff, secretaries, paraprofessionals, club advisors and coaches and security personnel.

Programming losses include cutting the elementary Gifted & Talented program, middle school "B" athletic teams and no new clubs. High school course flexibility is gone and there is less support for discipline, bullying issues and instruction as well as reduced security. Lunch prices and bus fees also are raised.

Feder plans to continue advocating for changes to the state funding formula.

"The Assembly has passed a bill that already will allow us some flexibility on the 2% cap and give us some of our money back at the same time from the state," he said. "The Senate will hear two bills. One on what has already been talked about and a second bill which moves the date in which a school district can alter its budget. Our hope is that the Senate and the Assembly have been working with the governor's office. We believe that's the case and the bills will reflect what the governor will sign. In the best of all worlds, by the end of next week, we will have direction. There will be good direction or bad direction, but we need direction. Based upon that direction, and the rules, we will then be able to make some decisions about a bunch of stuff that we've had to do so far."

As a "placeholder" should the district not receive what it needs for the budget, Feder said there will be two questions on the November ballot. The first involves funding for security in schools, opening tennis courts and track for use by the community and providing facilities for the recreation department to use for township youth. The second has to do with funding for a K-12 mental health model to provide clinical services when needed. Each question will have a $23.25 impact on the average assessed home, Feder said.

email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: South Brunswick NJ schools facing 'significant losses', 60 jobs cut