SOMA Schools Will Give Ax To 28 Staff Positions, Raise Taxes

SOUTH ORANGE-MAPLEWOOD, NJ — It’s not quite the “30 to 40” jobs that were previously on the chopping block. But there will still be 28 positions eliminated in the South Orange-Maplewood Public School District as administrators deal with a severe budget crunch this year, administrators announced this week.

The SOMA board of education voted 5-4 to adopt a $182.29 million budget for the 2024-2025 school year on Thursday.

Previously, administrators had warned that a $2.7 million deficit would require the district to cut between 30 and 40 positions. See Related: Dozens Of Jobs On Chopping Block In South Orange-Maplewood Schools

Although the South Orange-Maplewood district will be seeing an 11 percent increase in state aid, it isn’t nearly enough, administrators have protested, recently appearing at a Legislative hearing in Trenton to argue for more funding. See Related: SOMA Schools May Have To ‘Cut To The Bone’ Without More State Aid

The revised spending plan still has some bad news for staff members, but it’s better than expected, administrators said. See the district's updated budget presentation online here.

After school officials identified the $2.7 million gap, they went back to the drawing board and searched for ways to save positions by reviewing staffing in all departments and school buildings, considering general education and special education needs. Projected enrollments and whether positions were state-mandated were also among the considerations, as well as trying to minimize the impact on classroom instruction and students’ social-emotional well-being, administrators said.

As for staff cuts, here’s the latest update:

“Staff retirements, resignations, and non-renewals also helped reduce the number of eliminated positions. The loss of 28 positions would impact 10 employees. The 10 employees to be impacted will be determined by using the ‘Last In, First Out’ principle.”

“Many people made difficult decisions to help mitigate the number of positions lost and minimize the impact on classroom instruction,” Acting Superintendent Kevin Gilbert said.

“I am grateful to everyone who assisted in these efforts, and I appreciate their keeping the interests of our students first and foremost in their minds,” Gilbert added.

Despite the staff cuts, local homeowners will still see the school portion of their property taxes increase under the latest budget. According to figures from the district:

“The budget’s tax impact will be a $255 increase on a home at Maplewood’s average assessed value of $804,789 and a $527 increase on a home at South Orange’s average assessed value of $879,000. The Essex County Board of Taxation determined the average assessed values based on recent revaluations of properties in Maplewood and South Orange. If approved by the state, the 2024-2025 budget would result in an overall tax levy increase of 1.66 percent, from $141,440,784 to $143,783,215.”

Other budget highlights include:

INCREASES IN EXPENDITURES – “Among the most significant budgetary challenges that made a reduction in force necessary were a $5.3 million increase in payroll and benefits costs and a $1.57 million increase in the cost of paraprofessionals, officials said. The challenges have grown through recent years. Since the 2020-2021 school year, the cost of employee health benefits jumped more than 50 percent, or $6.5 million. Meanwhile, since the 2019-2020 school year – the year the pandemic shutdown began – the cost of paraprofessionals climbed 82 percent, or $4.6 million.”

PROJECT FUNDING – “The 2024-2025 budget includes $2.8 million for technology, including new Chromebooks, infrastructure for new construction in the district, and security cameras and access equipment. It also includes funding for the continued implementation of the K-2 English Language Arts curriculum, and the implementation of recommendations made by Rutgers University’s Disproportionality and Disparity Lab, commonly referred to as “the Fergus report.”

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