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Parent criticizes librarian cuts as district accepts $320,000 state tutoring grant
Summary
At the Union Township Board of Education meeting, the board approved a $320,000 New Jersey High Impact Tutoring Grant while public commenters urged the district to reverse recent librarian layoffs and direct funds to literacy supports.
The Township of Union Board of Education voted on routine education and fiscal items and accepted a $320,000 New Jersey Department of Education High Impact Tutoring Grant on June 16, 2026. During public comment, resident Susan Lipslein urged the board to use grant and local funds to restore librarians removed in recent staffing reductions.
Lipslein, who identified herself as a Union resident at 2569 Jackson Avenue, told the board the district will receive $320,000 for tutoring for students in grades 3 through 8 and said test results showed less than 50% proficiency in English language arts and math. "Our superintendent and board of education have approved firing all of our school librarians except one," she said, adding that 7,000 students across 10 schools would then be served by a single librarian. "If we really cared about helping our children receive higher literacy scores ... we would be hiring more librarians, not firing the ones we have." Lipslein said she had asked for backup data and had not received it.
Superintendent Dr. Benacquista described the grant in remarks to the board, saying the district is among a small number of recipients. "Only about 20 districts have received this grant, and we're one of the top three," he said, adding that the state had offered additional funds for summer enrichment and that the district was assembling plans to target summer programming.
Board discussion of the E‑block of education resolutions included clarification from members that the grant funds are intended to support targeted tutoring programs and related summer enrichment. No board member said the grant required staff reductions or prescribed librarians' roles; the district did not provide a vote‑by‑vote staffing plan at the meeting.
Public commenters and several board members urged the administration to ensure any grant dollars are focused on literacy and to explore options for restoring or preserving library services. The board approved the E‑block of resolutions, including acceptance of grant funds, by roll call.
The meeting record shows a separate personnel agenda and later discussion of renewals and nonrenewals, but the board did not take a separate public vote in this meeting to reverse the librarian reductions. Several residents asked the board to provide more detailed backup on how grant and budget choices relate to staffing; the administration said it would follow up where appropriate.
The board moved into executive session later in the evening to discuss personnel and legal matters and adjourned after that session.
