BRICK – District teachers and the school administration have reached an agreement on a new four-year contract, which mirrors the expiring contract of a yearly increase of 3.22 percent, or 12.88 percent over the four years.
“Coming out of a pandemic like this, I think the best thing we can do, in the best interest of everyone in the district, is to have stability, and that fourth year offers stability,” said Board of Education President Stephanie Wohlrab during the recent Board meeting.
She said the contract gives the staff the opportunity to work together and do what needs to be done to get the students caught up.
“Not only is this a fiscally responsible contract, but I think that our teachers are professionals to the nth degree, and this contract respects them as much,” she said.
Standard budget increases total about $4 million a year, but due to the two percent tax levy cap, revenue can only go up two percent, explained the Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Farrell.
On top of that, due to the S-2 bill, this year’s state aid reduction during this budget cycle is $5.2 million, the largest loss to date, he said.
(NJ State Senate Bill S-2 modified school funding and eliminated over $20 million in state aid to Brick over a seven-year period).
The district has cut costs by closing, then repurposing two elementary schools to pre-k; utilized the two percent tax levy cap to the best extent possible; cut 150 jobs over three years; created a wellness center and a healthcare partnership, became self-insured; and initiated a comprehensive feasibility study and strategic plan, Dr. Farrell said.
“Some detrimental effects of the S-2 funding cliff continue,” he said. “Through and including this year, we have already been reduced $8.8 million and cut over 100 positions due to S-2,” he said.
“With the upcoming cut of $5.2 million, there will be further job cuts, which represents over a 10 percent cut in staff to date.”
The tentative 2021-2022 school year budget must be adopted by the March 18 Board of Education meeting, he said.
The filing deadline with the County Superintendent is March 19, and the public hearing on the budget and its adoption will be on April 29. May 14 is the final deadline for adoption, Dr. Farrell said.
School Business Administrator James Edwards said Brick spends $15,101 per student, down from $15,257 last year. The state average is $16,750, he added, and Brick’s cost-per-student is 18 out of 94 lowest in comparably-sized districts, down from 25 out of 97 lowest last year.
In COVID-19 news, on February 22, all elementary school students could begin Phase 2 and attend in-person school, four days a week. After monitoring the elementary school students, Dr. Farrell said the district hopes that middle and high-school students could begin Phase 2 a few weeks later.
“As we assess in a few weeks, after Monday, how we’re doing with the elementary students with four days, we’re going to bring in middle school and high school, and again we would leave that for a few weeks and assess that,” he said.
If all goes well, a five-day week would follow, he said.
Phase 1 was hybrid, or a mix of virtual and in-person learning; Phase 2 is four days, in-person, with an early dismissal; Phase 3 is five days with early dismissal; and Phase 4 is five days, all day, the superintendent explained.
“Each stage, or iteration, we monitor and assess before moving on to the next stage of the plan,” he said.
The next Board of Education meeting will be on Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m.
