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Essex County and School Board Agree to Pursue Repayment Plan, Favor Cuts That Avoid Classroom Staff Reductions
Summary
County supervisors and the Essex County School Board reviewed school finance shortfalls tied to prior accounting failures and backed a plan (Option B) that leans on non‑classroom savings and a multiyear repayment—targeting roughly $752,740—while avoiding major classroom layoffs.
The Essex County Board of Supervisors and the Essex County School Board met in a joint special session to confront unpaid payroll taxes, penalties and other liabilities left from the prior administration and to weigh ways to repay them without unduly harming classroom instruction.
Bobby Tassinari of the centralized financial services team told both boards the district has uncovered missed payroll tax filings and other reconciliations tied to FY24/25 and that the school division already received a roughly $252,000 bill from the IRS for 2024. "We may be facing upwards to about $1,000,000 in penalties this year," Tassinari said, and staff are still reviewing lines of revenue and expenditure to determine final totals.
Dr. Jones, the school division superintendent, presented two options to address the shortfall. Option A would deliver the largest immediate savings but require deep personnel reductions — including special‑education clerks, paraprofessionals,…
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