Parents and teachers urge Little Egg Harbor board to reinstate 23 positions after state aid cuts

Dozens of teachers, parents and service providers urged the Little Egg Harbor Township Board of Education on May 14 to reverse nonrenewals that will eliminate roughly 23 certificated positions, including multiple special-education and speech-therapy roles.

"Is it truly in the best interest of the students to cut over 20 educators and keep all the administration?" asked Joe, a sixth-grade teacher who spoke during the meeting's agenda-only public-comment period.

The public speakers described the timing and notice given to staff, the consequences for students with Individualized Education Programs and the practical limits on remaining staff. Kim Slick, a 20-year teacher, listed specific categories of cuts — she named nine special-education teachers, three speech teachers, one STEAM teacher and multiple elementary classroom positions — and questioned how those choices were made.

Jacqueline Finnegan, identified at the meeting as an association president, said several teachers faced nonrenewal notices during teacher appreciation week and state testing; she asked the board to reconsider nonrenewals and explore higher-level funding options to save positions.

Speech therapists and related-service providers described workloads and data that they say were not reviewed before the cuts. One speech-language pathologist who spoke as a parent and practitioner said the department compiled a caseload analysis showing an estimated 190 sessions per week tied to the roles that will not be renewed and warned the remaining therapists cannot absorb that work without service gaps.

Board members and administrators told the audience the cuts resulted from an unexpected combination of budget pressures. The board cited an approximately $1,500,000 unanticipated reduction plus an ongoing shortfall they described at about $3,000,000 tied to previously received one-time funds. Board leaders said the recently enacted state bill (referred to in the meeting as A4161) restores roughly 45% of lost state aid — the board estimated that would equal about $700,000 for the district — and that any returned funding will be used, where permitted, to reinstate staff.

"We are committed to use whatever we have as we balance our budget, to rehire teachers," a board member said during the meeting, while adding that some funding sources (for example, ESSER COVID-era grants) cannot be used to support ongoing teaching positions beyond their scheduled expiration.

What happens next: board members said they expect further details on exact aid amounts and potential stipulations and plan to revisit rehiring decisions as funds become available. The district also said it will send families information about revised school start times intended to address busing constraints for the 2024–25 school year.

The meeting record shows no formal reversal of the nonrenewals at the session; public speakers and board members both emphasized the district’s stated intent to prioritize returning any new funds to staffing where legally and contractually possible.