Our children deserve better.
The West Orange school budget faces serious cuts that will significantly change our classrooms. Class sizes may balloon past 25 students, staffing will shrink, and educational quality could suffer. The first step is to understand what's happening.
What's at Stake
Significant Budget Cuts Are Coming
The district must close a multi-million dollar budget gap. To do so, it is considering reductions that may affect staff, class sizes, and programs across all schools.
Staff Reductions
The district has indicated that staff cuts are on the table, with decisions to be finalized soon. The exact distribution of those cuts by school or department has not been confirmed.
Larger Class Sizes
With fewer staff and rising enrollment, class sizes are expected to grow. For grades 1+, there is no state-mandated cap, and class sizes may exceed 25 students in some cases. The current district average is 10.73 students per teacher.
Programs at Risk
While no formal list of program reductions has been published, community concerns include the potential impact on art, music, enrichment, and student support services.
Need for Transparency
Parents and educators are asking for clear information on how cuts will be distributed and how equity among schools will be maintained.
How We Got Here
Rising Costs
Health benefits, special education tuition, transportation, and insurance costs all increased significantly this year—outpacing the 2% cap on local property tax.
State Aid Reduction
Despite enrollment growth of over 300 students, West Orange lost more than $1 million in state education aid, plus additional reductions in extraordinary aid and Medicaid reimbursements.
Inadequate Federal Funding
Mandated special education services are underfunded by the federal government, leaving the district to cover most of these costs through local taxes.
Limited Budget Flexibility
The district has already used up the last of its extra tax-raising allowance from previous years. It also has less money in savings than it did before. That means there's very little left to help close the budget gap without making cuts.
The Big Picture
West Orange is confronting a budget reality shaped by:
- Rising fixed costs including mandated services
- Decreased state and federal support
- Limited ability to increase funds from taxes
The Board of Education and district leadership face critical decisions about how to close the gap while minimizing harm to students and maintaining public trust. Parents and community members are calling for transparency and long-term planning—beginning with clear answers at the April 28 Board of Education meeting.
Our Goals
🎓 To the West Orange Board of Education:
We are going to ask:
- What exactly is being cut, school by school?
- How were these cuts determined?
- What is the long-term plan to avoid this crisis repeating itself?
They will likely say:
"We're facing a difficult year with limited flexibility. State aid has been reduced. Fixed costs like health benefits and special education tuition are rising. We've used the tools available to us and made targeted reductions across the district."
But we demand:
- ✅ Full transparency on school-by-school staffing and program cuts
- ✅ An explanation for how reductions were distributed
- ✅ Accountability for what wasn't cut—and why
- ✅ A clear, public strategy for advocacy and fiscal repair—not just explanations of constraints
Tracker
Apr 25
County Approval
County review and approval of proposed budget
May 5
Final Budget Hearing
Public hearing for adoption of final budget
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