LACEY – Residents, teachers, and administrators discussed budget challenges and staffing concerns at a recent Lacey Township Board of Education meeting, focusing on the district’s financial outlook for the upcoming school year. District officials cited flat state aid and rising costs as contributors to a projected deficit.
Board President Kim Klaus told the board, “As previously mentioned with flat state aid, we are currently projecting a deficit of over $5 million.” She explained that the “primary driver of this increase is the projected $3.5 million health insurance raise cost, approximately a 29% increase.”
Klaus also highlighted growing class sizes. She said some classrooms are “exceeding 30 students,” a concern echoed by parents and educators during the portion of the meeting dedicated to public comments.
Parent Briannon Mendez said staffing reductions have directly affected students’ learning experiences. “Reductions in force have pushed our class sizes to an overwhelming 30 plus students per classroom,” Mendez said, adding that larger classes “hinder teachers’ abilities to effectively engage with each student.”
Michael Ryan, President of the Lacey Township Education Association, spoke about contract negotiations. “For the past 15 years, nearly every contract negotiation has begun the same way with a 0% increase or something barely above it,” he said.
“When you budget a 0% increase for your staff, the message received is clear,” Ryan added. “It feels like the people who teach the lessons are viewed as line items instead of human beings.”
Ryan also noted the impact of rising living costs. “Inflation has not skipped over us,” he said, pointing to higher prices for groceries, gas, and utilities. “A 0% increase does not freeze our bills; it only freezes our pay.”
Retired teacher Barbara Bowen criticized the proposal to hold salaries flat. “To offer the staff a 0% in this situation is appalling to me,” Bowen said, calling it a “slap in the face” and warning that “the average new teacher lasts in education for five years” before leaving the profession.
Community members Constance Stewart and Richard Bidnick shared their perspectives. Stewart stressed the importance of maintaining educational quality amid fiscal challenges, while Bidnick said, “As a taxpayer, I had to endure – and so did everybody else – two 10% tax increases over the last two years,” adding that the district would benefit from “a superintendent with a background of turning around an underperforming school district, who is a fiscal hawk ready to take on the teacher’s union.”
Board member Salvatore Armato recognized the difficult decisions ahead. “Over the next several months, this board will be making decisions that impact our students, our staff, and our taxpayers,” Armato said, emphasizing a “commitment to balancing fiscal responsibility with the needs of our schools.”
Klaus encouraged residents to stay engaged as the budget process continues. “Please continue to monitor our website for upcoming budget workshop dates,” she said, adding, “We expect to know more mid-March when the governor releases updated state funding.”
