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Paterson superintendent warns of $28 million operating gap after charter allocation; personnel review underway
Summary
The superintendent told the Paterson Board of Education on April 15 that while state aid rose by about $38 million, roughly $28 million must be allocated to charter schools, leaving an operating shortfall and prompting a personnel review; HR will present details next month.
The Paterson Board of Education heard an update April 15 from the superintendent on three district goals and a tightening budget that could affect staffing.
The superintendent told the board that "Paterson Public Schools will see an overall increase in state aid of approximately $38,000,000," but added that about "$28,000,000 of that increase is required to be allocated to charter schools," creating an operating gap the administration must close. The superintendent said the district is "working diligently to identify a responsible path forward" and that assistant superintendent of human resources Luis Rojas is preparing a comprehensive personnel presentation for the next personnel committee meeting.
Why it matters: The superintendent framed the funding challenge as part of a broader statewide pattern and said the district has reviewed budgets and priorities to align spending with the new five‑lever strategic plan, which includes continuation of a middle‑school model and a districtwide data‑dashboard pilot.
Details and next steps: The superintendent said reregistration work is on track to finish by April 30 and that targeted family outreach will begin in early May. IT site visits at each high school are complete and installations for the data‑dashboard pilot (data cabling, TV installation and system setup) are scheduled to begin next week, followed by staff training.
On staff reductions, the superintendent said no final decisions have been made: "We have met with every single assistant superintendent over the different departments and schools, and we're going through line by line." The superintendent repeated that HR is still receiving resignations and retirements and expects a clearer picture by next month when the HR presentation is delivered.
Board actions and context: The board did not take immediate personnel votes on April 15; it approved routine minutes and a package of resolutions later in the meeting (see "Votes at a glance"). The superintendent and staff indicated additional committee meetings and public updates will follow as HR completes its review.
Attribution: Quotes and reporting in this article come from the superintendent's presentation to the board and from spoken roll‑call and meeting-record exchanges included in the transcript.
Ending: The superintendent said the district will continue to communicate as this work progresses and that more detailed staffing recommendations will be presented to the personnel committee next month.
