East Orange, N.J. school district lets out early after vote to lay off nearly 100 employees
EAST ORANGE, N.J. - Schools in East Orange, New Jersey went on a half day schedule Thursday after the district announced it will be laying off dozens of employees.
The school district posted on its website shortly before classes began, saying, "Due to unforeseen circumstances, all schools will be on a half day schedule today, October 17th. We apologize for the late notice."
Students and parents said the shortened day was due to a large amount of teachers who called out sick.
Superintendent Dr. Christopher Irving, who has only been on the job for three months, says unfortunately there was no other choice.
The district entered this school year with a $5 million budget deficit and has been spending over budget for 2024-2025. Without cuts, it won't be able to make payroll by the spring.
"We want to get out of this place that we are in. But to do that, we have to make some really tough decisions," Irving said.
It's not clear why the school board waited until October - after the school year began - to make cuts.
East Orange officials release statement on cuts
"We want to emphasize to all members of the East Orange school community that these adjustments are being made with careful consideration and will not diminish the quality of education that our students receive. Many of our instructional coaches, who possess valuable classroom experience, will transition back into school environments, thereby facilitating a seamless learning experience for our students even amidst the adjustments," East Orange Mayor Ted Green, Irving, and board president Andrea McPhatter said in a joint statement.
"Our unwavering priority is to ensure a quality education for every student," they added. "Although this solution was far from ideal, we are eager to address this budgetary shortfall head on and move forward with the work of restoring faith in our district's capacity to deliver an excellent education to all of our students."
"The worst fear is that we have no teachers"
As kids were let out of East Orange STEM Academy, emotions were running high.
"I feel like one of my teachers was affected because I saw her crying," sixth grader Gabriella DeWoolf said.
"It does make us a little bit worried, because now we're going to have our kids more condensed than they were. Because if they don't have the teachers for the classrooms, which already have about 30 students a class, now how many kids are going to be in a class per teacher?" parent Keyonda Williams said.
"The worst fear is that we have no teachers. That we have no teachers, that we have to then transfer our kids out of East Orange School District," Whitney Houston Academy PTO president Jazmine Parker said. "Let's support the teachers. Let's support the community. Let's make it right for our students. They are the first and most important line of defense, and we need to do right by them."
"We're kind of just in the middle of it. And it's hurting us because our education is on the line," DeWoolf said.
Parents and students told CBS News New York at drop-off they were blindsided by the news.
"What can we do? Unless they're going to increase our taxes, what are we going to pay them? Because if the budget is not there, that's the real issue," Williams said.
Her daughter, Niah Anderson-Elliott, said her math teacher was among the cuts.
"Really that's my favorite teacher, and she helps me understand more better with math. I sometimes have a hard time with math, and she breaks it down for me," the daughter said.
Williams added it's another blow to kids who may already be behind because of the pandemic.
