Parents, teachers and students urge board to restore library services and support-staff hours after cuts

Dozens of parents, teachers, students and union leaders urged the Washington Township Board of Education on June 10 to reverse recent staffing changes that cut hours and health benefits for hourly support employees and reduce library services at several elementary schools.

Speakers described classroom-by-classroom impacts, safety concerns around arrivals and dismissals, and the loss of weekly library access for elementary students. Several Whitman Elementary students and staff urged the board to keep their librarian at the school full time.

Why it matters: District administrators say the changes respond to state certification guidance and budget constraints, but teachers and parents say the cuts will lower program quality and may push some students into out‑of‑district placements — a more costly outcome that could increase special‑education spending.

School staff and parents described multiple, concrete effects. Courtney Stumpf, an art teacher at Whitman Elementary, said library assistants were already cut and librarians have been asked this year to teach “media studies,” combining library and basic computer instruction on top of library duties. Students and teachers said one librarian serving two elementary buildings would mean each school gets library instruction only half the year. “How can one person effectively teach over a thousand students at one time?” Stumpf asked.

Several Whitman students gave short statements about the school librarian, saying she spends extra hours organizing the library, buys books with her own money, runs Read Across America and helps students who cannot afford books at home. “Without library, kids will not be able to get the books that keep them busy and occupied,” student speakers said.

District response: A district staff member said the change was driven by a New Jersey Department of Education certification issue announced in March. The district says the state will require a new digital‑literacy certificate to teach certain standards beginning in 2027; employees without a grandfathered certification would need multiple undergraduate courses to be certified, and those costs would fall to the teacher. The district said one vacant position and difficulty recruiting certified media specialists influenced the decision to have remaining librarians alternate between schools or teach a semester at each site.

Special‑education and paraprofessional reductions drew particular attention. Melissa Chalme, a teacher in a multiple‑disabilities classroom, said 24 specialized assistants were reduced to 5.75‑hour positions and therefore lost employer health benefits. That change, she said, removes “vital” minutes that are used for safe arrival, feeding, toileting and other supports required by students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Paraprofessionals, she said, are usually assigned 1:1 and cannot be replaced by temporary substitutes without risking students’ safety and educational progress.

Angela Teruso, president of the support‑staff association, said the recent cuts affected dozens of workers: custodial positions were eliminated, food‑service roles were reduced from full time to part time, and 59 support‑staff employees in total were affected by changes in hours and benefits. Teruso said many of those employees have long service records and that losing health coverage makes it financially impossible for some to remain employed.

Teachers and parents warned that loss of consistent aides and interventionists will increase referrals to out‑of‑district placement, at higher cost to the district, or leave students without legally required services. Several speakers — including school nurses and special‑education teachers — stressed that aide coverage matters from the bus stop through dismissal and that even 15 minutes can be essential to student safety and instruction.

Board and administration reaction: Board members said they have been receiving many public comments and that some staffing decisions came from the superintendent’s March recommendations. Board members also said they were constrained by the budget process and by the timing of state guidance. Several asked administration to search for alternatives and to return detailed plans showing how safety and IEP compliance will be maintained.

What’s next: Administrators told the board they will continue to review schedule options, meet with librarians about semester/alternating schedules and examine whether grant or levy funds can restore positions. Union leaders and some board members asked for a follow‑up meeting to revisit staffing and for clearer, line‑by‑line budget detail before the next school year.

Votes and formal actions at the June 10 meeting reflected the urgency of personnel items. The board voted earlier in the meeting to move several human-resources agenda items up and later approved a large package of personnel actions (see “Votes at a glance” below). Several board members registered abstentions or conditioned votes on receiving a “not to exceed” dollar amount for contract or consultant line items.

Ending: Commenters asked the board to prioritize keeping students in district and preserving the daily supports that schools provide. Speakers said the cuts are already affecting trust between staff and administration and asked the board to restore hours or benefits where possible.