Paterson advocates head to Trenton to protest state aid cut for city schools

PATERSON – Four busloads of teachers, parents and other Paterson education advocates traveled to Trenton on Wednesday to ask legislators for extra state funding to solve the district’s budget crisis.

Paterson Superintendent Eileen Shafer told the Assembly budget committee that the district needed an additional $28 million, which officials said would be enough money for the schoolboard to avoid almost 200 layoffs and severe cuts in programs for reading, math, art and music.

The district allowed the teachers’ union to pick two of its members from every school in the city to make the trip during paid school hours. They joined parents and even a few students on the trip. The district estimated that about 200 people went on the lobbying trip.

Shafer, who rode to Trenton on one of the yellow school buses, told the group after the hearing that she felt the show of support resonated with the legislators.

Later in the day, the Save the Village community group held a rally outside City Hall to protest the proposed budget cuts.

Shafer talked about the state’s track of not giving the district all the funding stipulated under New Jersey law for the past eight years. Shafer said the cuts would not allow the district to provide a thorough and efficient education to its 28,000 students.

“Our class size is going through the roof,” the superintendent said.

Charter schools:How NJ can fix the broken financing for charter schools

More:State aid to most school districts would rise next school year under Murphy plan

State aid:Here's how New Jersey decides how much each school district will get in aid

Cashing in:How investors and developers use properties to cash in on NJ charter school growth

The school board last week approved a preliminary budget that would include the termination of 120 teachers, 29 school supervisors, 23 vice principals, five directors and 11 secretaries. The proposed $526 budget also would impose a 14-percent tax increase, which would cost the owner of a $190,000 home an extra $190 per year.

The state is proposing giving Paterson Public Schools $439 million in funding, down from the $446 million the district received for its 2018-19 budget, according to public records.

The city school board expects to take a final vote on the budget in May.

“Our district is already struggling with an educational deficit because of exploding class sizes, crumbling buildings and insufficient technology and teaching materials,” said John McEntee Jr., president of the teachers’ union. “How are layoffs and reallocation of funds going to help solve any of these problems?”

Email: editor@patersonpress.com