New School Budget Proposal Saves Almost Half At-Risk Teacher Jobs

Bloomfield Schools Superintendent Jason Bing said at a special School Board meeting Tuesday that the teacher jobs the school was able to save come at a certain cost. Namely: school nurses, administrators and other non-classroom personnel and, depending on Bloomfield voters in November, winter sports and extracurricular activities.

In a short slide presentation, Bing compared the board and school administrators to watch makers attempting to fix an antique pocket watch with care and precision. He emphasized that he and the district’s interim business administrator James Verbist had gone through the budget line by line to find $1.7 million in savings.

The plan calls for the elimination of 52 positions, down from the nearly 100 jobs that the district announced they needed to cut earlier this month. That number includes six jobs held by teachers who are retiring.

The plan calls for outsourcing school nurses, a move that Bing said would save $418,202, the equivalent of seven teaching jobs. Members of the Child Study Team, who work with special needs students, would also be outsourced for savings that Bing estimated at about $500,000. In administration, the position of director of curriculum would be eliminated.

Parents, teachers and students voiced concerned about the loss of nurse and CST position addition. They also expressed dismay at another part of the budget plan; placing the question of whether winter and spring athletics and co-curricular activities would be funded on the November ballot. Taking the sports and activities funds out of the budget saves the district $963,075, the equivalent of 15 teachers jobs, but speakers at the meeting wondered if the move cheated students out of opportunities.

Bing stressed that the proposals were options and that school officials would continue working on the budget until its March 27 deadline.

John Shanagher, head of the Bloomfield Education Association teachers union, emphasized the value the nurses and CST staff bring to the school.

“The CST are very important,” Shanagher said. “They’re very invested in the kids. I have good caseworkers. The kids aren’t faceless to them.”

He added: “Outsourcing these people is not a great option.”

Bing said that the district had already spoken with staffing services who said they could supply nurses at the price the district was comfortable with. Bing said the Board could specify consistency of staff in their request for proposals concerning the nurse jobs.

Several parents echoed Shanagher’s sentiments regarding the nursing and CST staff, relating personal stories of how their children had been supported by nurse and caseworker staff.

Attendees also expressed alarm at the loss of sports and other non-classroom activities. Under the current plan, Verbist said that all extracurricular activities other than fall sports would be suspended until the November election. Then, depending on voters, winter sports and non-class activities like clubs, musicals and other programs would either resume or be canceled.

Parents worried that without extracurricular activities, students would lose motivation for classwork and be at a disadvantage when applying for colleges.

“What are these kids going to do after 3:30,” one parent asked.

Parents also asked administration about the $2.1 million settlement the board is set to pay Cigna. The insurance company agreed to defer the payment for a year while keeping favorable insurance rates for the district, a move Bing and Verbist both praised.