Public Blowback Over Nutley School Budget Crunch Continues (VIDEO)

NUTLEY, NJ — Public blowback from the ongoing financial crisis in the Nutley Public School District continued at this week’s board of education meeting, where several frustrated community members lined up to voice their concerns about the situation.

Nutley school officials recently announced that the district is experiencing some serious financial woes due to “inaccurate budgeting practices” that have been taking place over the past several years. Now there’s a $7 million shortfall that will have to be dealt with – and it may require some painful belt-tightening and cuts. Read More: Bad Budgeting Leads To $7M Financial Gap In Nutley Schools

The district has since released several documents that outline the problem and proposed solutions:

• Community Update/Presentation
• Corrective Action Plan
• District Finances FAQ

On Monday, the issue resurfaced at the Nutley Board of Education meeting, where board members and district administrators gave an update on the situation (watch the full video below).

Some attendees at the meeting said they are concerned about class sizes, potential staff reductions, extracurricular activities and transparency in the decision-making process.

Other community members present at Monday’s meeting said they were concerned about the potential impact of budget cuts on special needs education, especially involving paraprofessionals and the transportation department.

Responding to a question posed during public comment, board members said they haven’t found any evidence of criminal action related to the shortfall, but acknowledged the need to look into insurance coverage if such an event occurred.

BUDGET UPDATE

In the meanwhile, the district continues to hammer out its new budget for 2024-2025.

At Monday’s meeting, board members said they are currently in the process of figuring out the exact percentage tax increase that Nutley taxpayers may face under the latest spending plan. However, costs are increasing at rates much higher than the state’s allowable tax levy increase of 2 percent, they added.

The board submitted a preliminary budget on March 20. The final budget is due on May 15.

The Nutley Public School District will hold a public budget hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7 in the Nutley High School Auditorium of the Nutley Board of Education, 300 Franklin Avenue.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page.