Parents and teachers urge Union school board to halt cuts to librarians, demand transparency in budget

A steady stream of parents, teachers and union representatives pressed the Township of Union Board of Education on budget priorities at the board’s public meeting, urging elected members to protect certified school librarians and other student-facing positions that the district plans to cut.

"Having only one certified school librarian for the entire district is the absolute least that the district can do for our students," said Susan Lipstein, who identified herself as a retired librarian. She told the board the district’s 7,000 students deserve more than "the least." Lipstein said she raised the issue at the state level and cited state administrative code concerns for school library services.

Several speakers questioned whether the administration had reduced executive costs proportionately before cutting classroom positions. "Before cutting educational and student support positions, what specific reductions were made at the executive administration level?" asked Jennifer Reed, a parent and taxpayer, who cited district budget figures in the meeting record and said transportation and employee-benefits costs are large line items while administrative costs remain high on a per-student basis.

"We should be cutting where it makes more sense financially, not where it directly harms children and their education," Yaelin Ramirez, speaking on behalf of Luisa Baez, told the board.

Union Teachers Association president Ann Margaret Shannon urged the board to preserve music, Spanish and library positions and called attention to "non-tenured administrators" and high central-office salaries as places for potential savings. "These positions can be cut," Shannon said.

Parents also pressed for transparency on contracts and spending. Virginia Jeffries asked for caps on professional-service contracts and noted that open-ended contracts are not permitted; she urged the board to publish contract caps or indicate where the public may request that information through OPRA.

Board members acknowledged the concerns and several said they had heard similar points in recent meetings. Superintendents and board leaders repeatedly described the decisions as difficult. At the meeting, one board member read a public letter arguing that discussions had moved away from facts and toward personal attack and urged civility in public comment.

Several speakers asked the board to release a detailed, line-by-line comparison showing cuts made to administration versus cuts made to classroom and student-facing services. "Will the board publicly release a detailed line by line comparison, showing cuts made to administration, versus cuts made to classroom and student facing services?" Reed asked.

The board accepted public comment but did not adopt immediate changes to the published budget at the meeting. Members directed that the public record and regular agenda reflect the communication and noted that some questions can be pursued through OPRA requests or future agenda items. The board also signaled it would continue to review community feedback before finalizing budget actions at later meetings.