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Teachers and residents press West Orange board on resources, transparency and printer centralization
Summary
During public comment, teachers and parents raised concerns about equity in resources (Washington Elementary's playground/blacktop vs. St. Cloud's mural), shared reading specialists at Title I schools, a new centralized-printing plan that teachers say lacked input, and broader questions about budget transparency and safeguards.
Several public commenters used the Sept. 15 meeting to raise questions about resource allocation, staffing and district communication.
A public commenter raised concerns about a proposed move to centralized printers, saying it would increase screen time for teachers, create grading burdens and that teachers were not consulted. "Teachers need to be included in these discussions," the commenter said, asking whether administrators would also lose in-office printers and how copying issues would be handled.
Jill Harris, representing West Orange Parents for Education, asked whether early information was available from the state about next year's funding and said members of her group will attend the upcoming budget meeting.
A resident asked what safeguards the district has to prevent budget crises like neighboring districts' reports of large deficits, and how residents can better understand how local tax dollars are used. Superintendent Moore and board members said the district keeps an annual audit, maintains a healthy fund balance, seeks grants and private donations where possible, and has a business administrator who manages fiscal oversight.
Lisa Rodino, a Washington Elementary teacher, urged the board to consider resource equity: she said Washington students still play on a parking lot while St. Cloud has a new mural and noted that reading specialists are shared across Title I schools while non-Title I schools reportedly have full-time specialists. "We need all the support that we can muster to keep those gains going in the right direction," she said, and urged the board to reconsider allocations.
Board members and the superintendent responded that they will review requests, check rotation schedules for reading specialists, and asked facilities staff to examine playground and blacktop concerns. The board did not announce immediate reallocations at the meeting.
Next steps: staff to follow up on the reading-specialist rotation and facilities options; the district will discuss budget and funding details at the scheduled budget meeting.
