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Residents and program staff urge county to keep CRC open as budget hearings approach
Summary
Employees and advocates told commissioners that plans to close the Hudson County Schools of Technology Community Resource Center (CRC) on June 30 would harm youth and undocumented residents; speakers asked the county to preserve funding and consider a $2 million county rental/immigration legal assistance pool.
Staff and advocates for the Hudson County Schools of Technology Community Resource Center (CRC) urged commissioners on May 11 to halt a planned June 30 closure and to review audit findings that speakers said omitted continuing youth funding.
David Morrell, vice president of the HCCS Career Development Center Association, told the board that the PKF O'Connor audit failed to account for continuing WIOA youth funding and supplemental summer youth work experience funds. "The district received $5.6 million between fiscal year '23 and fiscal year 2026 upcoming," Morrell said, adding that CRC continued to meet federal standards and produced more than 400 high-school diplomas and numerous job placements. He warned that closing CRC would be "devastating for the undocumented community," because Workforce Development boards cannot legally provide certain services to undocumented residents.
Amelia Banks, a bilingual career development counselor at CRC, described on-the-ground services: ESL classes, resume creation, job-readiness workshops, job fairs and distribution of professional clothing. "Ripping these services away from our community by closing the CRC…our program will be a sad state of affairs," she said, noting the center's 30 years of service and the impact on clients who use free services.
Speakers and commissioners discussed timing concerns for youth summer employment if CRC closes June 30, and urged more thorough committee-level review. A public advocacy ask for the county budget also recurred during the meeting: advocates are requesting $2 million in county funds for rental assistance and legal defense specifically for immigrant residents (some speakers described wider asks of $4 million across programs). County staff said budget hearings on June 3 and 4 will be listening sessions and that the June 9 hearing will receive public comment before any vote; administrators said they would try to identify funds from department savings or vacant positions to assemble requested assistance if possible.
Commissioners asked staff to provide more detail on audit findings, living-wage compliance at the Schools of Technology and potential budget options. The board did not vote on CRC's closure during this meeting; several commissioners requested follow-up and oversight review of the audit and personnel and budgetary impacts.
