Our schools should be fully funded.
The West Orange school budget faced significant cuts this year and will continue to face cuts in the future. Class sizes may balloon, staffing will shrink, and educational and facility quality will suffer. West Orange parents are fighting for a better way forward.
What's at Stake
Significant Budget Cuts
The 25/26 budget has passed, but the district will need to continue to close a multi-million dollar budget gap in the future. To do so, it will need to continue to consider reductions that may affect staff, class sizes, and programs across all schools.
Staff Reductions
The district made staff cuts in the 25/26 budget, and will need to continue to consider reductions in the future.
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.
Our Goals
🎓 To the West Orange Board of Education:
We have asked:
- 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 have said:
"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 continue to demand:
- ✅ Full transparency on school-by-school staffing and program cuts
- ✅ An explanation for how reductions were distributed
- ✅ A clear, public strategy for advocacy and fiscal repair
- ✅ A budget advisory committee to help guide the future budget process
🏛️ To Assemblymembers Collazos-Gill, Bagolie, and Senator McKeon:
We are going to ask:
- What action are you taking to push for relief or structural reform at the state level?
They will likely say:
"School aid is calculated by the state's formula. We are monitoring the situation and are committed to supporting public education."
But we demand:
- ✅ Public acknowledgment that the S2 formula is harming districts like West Orange
- ✅ Advocacy for emergency relief or transitional state aid
- ✅ Statewide coalition-building to fix or supplement the current formula
- ✅ Policy proposals that address the unfunded mandates that are harming our local budgets and potentially further loss or flattening of federal funding
🗳️ To the Candidates Running for Governor of New Jersey:
We are going to ask:
- What is your plan to ensure school funding is fair, sustainable, and not based on outdated assumptions of local wealth?
- How will you protect districts like West Orange that are too "rich" for support but too "poor" to self-fund?
They will likely say:
"We support strong public schools and will take a close look at the formula to ensure all districts are treated fairly."
But we demand:
- ✅ A public commitment to reforming or replacing the S2 law
- ✅ Full state-level support for federally mandated services like special education
- ✅ A plan to create funding predictability for mid-sized, diverse, working-class towns
- ✅ Leadership that values equity, not just in words—but in tax policy, budgeting, and legislation
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