Westfield Schools Layoff Arts Educators Amidst Budget Cuts

WESTFIELD, NJ — Due to a $2.3 million budget shortfall, Westfield School District is laying off a number of staff members, particularly in the arts department, and community members say they are "devastated" by this decision.

According to the Westfield Arts Coalition — a nonprofit dedicated to improving fine arts education at Westfield Schools — at least 10 faculty and staff members are being let go or reassigned in the visual and performing arts departments.

These layoffs come as a result of a budget gap within the district, mainly due to an 8 percent increase in health insurance costs, according to School Business Administrator Dana Sullivan who presented the 2022-2023 budget at a meeting last month.

Besides staff cuts, Sullivan said the district will also consolidate and eliminate a number of bus routes.

Read more: Westfield Schools To Make Staff Cuts Due To Budget Gap

In a letter to the community, Westfield Arts Coalition, as well as a series of parents groups, said the district has eliminated two elementary music/choir positions, two middle school art positions, one district auditorium manager and one visual and performing arts secretary.

A high school choir position, a middle school assistant band position, a middle school orchestra and assistant band position and a middle school assistant orchestra position have also been reassigned, according to the Coalition.

Although district officials said at the March meeting that budget cuts will have a minimal impact on students, the Coalition argues otherwise. The Coalition said in their letter that they expect class sizes to swell and faculty/student ratios to shrink.

An online petition, created by Westfield High School sophomore Skyler Lipkind, has received over 5,600 signatures in support of reinstating fine arts teachers at Westfield Schools.

"The arts department is incredibly important to so many students in Westfield," Lipkind wrote. "Losing these teachers would be devastating and it will only send our already underfunded department in the wrong direction."

Lipkind is encouraging community members to sign and share the petition, which will be shown to Superintendent Raymond González and the Board of Education before they vote on the budget on April 26. The Coalition is also asking supporters to show up at the public hearing at Westfield High School at 6 p.m. in Cafeteria B.

González said in a statement that the final tally of positions cut will be made public later this month when it is approved by the school board.

Patch reached out to Superintendent González and the school district for a comment but has yet to receive a response.

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