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Teachers, paras and parents urge Lacey board to avoid staff cuts and address special‑education failures
Summary
Dozens of public commenters — teachers, paraprofessionals, union leaders and parents — urged the board to preserve paraprofessionals and health aides, settle contracts, and address special‑education lapses after a parent said the State DOE ordered compensatory services for her child.
A steady stream of public comment at the Lacey Township Board of Education meeting focused on staff compensation, proposed cuts to paraprofessionals and health aides, and failures in special‑education oversight.
Pat Doyle, resident: "I am not looking to take away anybody's benefits on a permanent basis," Pat Doyle said, but urged the board to consider long‑term investments such as hiring a turnaround superintendent and to explore outsourcing cafeteria services and other cost offsets rather than immediate staffing cuts.
Paraprofessionals and teachers described direct classroom consequences of proposed reductions. Patricia Clark Brescia, a paraprofessional for more than 20 years, said cuts would hurt students who depend on consistency and structure and implored the board to "end the cuts now." Teacher Sally DiPaola said staff perform many noninstructional duties, from supplying coats to monitoring student mental health, and called a 0% raise "0 consideration."
A parent raised special‑education compliance issues. Ashley Meyer told the board that after months of unaddressed complaints the State Department of Education ordered the district to compensate her son for missed services, to review policies, provide staff training and submitted to random file audits; she said she had also filed in education court. The transcript shows the agenda included an item to authorize payment for speech therapy for the child.
Union perspective and broader community concerns
Michael Ryan, president of the Lacey Township Association, urged the board not to balance the budget on staff cuts or reductions in medical benefits, saying paraprofessionals and health aides are essential to student safety and that reducing benefits will worsen turnover and harm vulnerable students.
Multiple speakers urged transparency and fiscal responsibility. Regina DeSantis challenged a change from publishing a full bills‑and‑claims report to a check register, saying electronic payments and large health‑insurance or bond payments were no longer visible on agenda reports. Others called for settling contracts and reconsidering costs for superintendent searches and outside consultants.
Board response and next steps
Board members acknowledged the many emotional public comments, reiterated that the budget presented at the meeting was tentative and said they were continuing to review options, ask questions and hold public workshops prior to final adoption. The board directed staff to post budget materials and scheduled a public budget workshop on April 28 with final adoption targeted for May 5.
