Students and parents pressed the Washington Township Board of Education on cuts or suspensions to extracurricular programs — chief among them Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and a high-school drama stipend — during a packed public-comment period, saying the changes remove opportunities that helped them win awards and qualify for state and national competitions.

The students’ appeals came as administrators and board leaders said the district faces budget constraints and that some stipends and activities will “not run” this year while the administration pursues alternative funding, volunteer oversight and donations. Janine Wechter, the district business administrator, said the high school’s co-curricular reduction totaled about $78,000.

Why it matters: Students and parents said FBLA and drama offer leadership, career exploration, competition and community that are not easily replaced by classroom instruction. Several students described national competition qualifications and growing chapter membership; parents and community members offered to volunteer or donate to preserve programs.

Students and parents told the board the cuts were announced with little notice. Callie, who identified herself as a recent student board representative and FBLA president-elect, said FBLA “gave me and so many others a voice, a path, and a purpose.” Emily McCray, another student, pointed to state learning standards requiring career awareness and said cutting FBLA runs counter to those objectives.

Parents and community volunteers urged alternative approaches. Dana Zillier, a parent, told the board the FBLA chapter grew from about 65 students in its first year to 120 paid members most recently, and that many student costs (travel, shirts, dues) had been self-funded. Multiple speakers offered to serve as unpaid advisors or to find local business sponsors. Joe Tarabarelli, a parent and Chamber of Commerce member, said community volunteers and business partners could provide oversight and funding if the district opens a volunteer application process.

Administrative response: High-school administrator Ray Anderson told the board those decisions were painful and collaborative. “We are not in a position that we want to cut anything,” he said, adding that principals, supervisors and central administrators participated in deliberations. Anderson said many cuts were tied to advisor stipends and to activities that had not been running in recent years.

Janine Wechter said administrators were still collecting lists of which activities will run and which will not. She confirmed the district is accepting donations under its established process and can apply funds to specific extracurricular positions if donors designate them. Nicole Linuity (Chamber representative) told the board the Chamber would donate $1,200 to support FBLA; Wechter said she had received the donation information and that the administration could apply it if approved through the district’s donation procedure.

Details discussed publicly: Mrs. Gerber (an administrator) told the board that the National Honor Society oversight for three middle schools would carry a quoted line item of $6,000; speakers noted a drama stipend historically listed at $8,000 that had at times been split between two staff members. Administrators explained not all stipends are renewed automatically: building leaders recommend stipend positions to the superintendent, who then forwards recommendations to the board for approval.

Next steps and public requests: Administrators said they will post the list of available clubs and stipends on the district website and will share the process for volunteers or donors to apply. Multiple speakers urged the board and administration to prioritize transparency and to explore volunteer or sponsor recruitment before permanently eliminating programs. The administration also asked for time to pursue short-term alternatives and said some programs may be restored if budgets or donations permit.

What wasn’t decided: No formal board motion to reinstate any program was made at the meeting. Board members and administrators repeatedly described the current changes as tied to this budget year and said they hoped to restore activities in future budgets but did not promise restorations.

Callie’s closing plea summarized the students’ position: “FBLA is still writing future leaders. We just need to keep turning the page.”