🏫 School district cutting jobs in December

🏫 $25 million deficit

🏫 Reports of Murphy being aware


EAST ORANGE — It’s a rocky, uncertain time for teachers and students of Essex County.

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Schools Superintendent Christopher Irving said the district is unexpectedly facing a $25 million deficit. If no moves are made, he expects his district to run out of funds by May, according to New Jersey 101.5.

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“We want to get out of this place that we are in but to do that we’ve got to make some really tough decisions,” Irving said.

Among the tough decisions: last week’s Board of Education meeting approved 93 job cuts to be done by December, according to TAPinto East Orange/Orange.

That move brought a face-off at Monday’s City Council meeting between concerned citizens and the city; attendees said they want answers and accountability, while wanting the city to use its resources.

“I’m just hoping that by being here with the City Council, that things will start to be seen that they might not have noticed,” East Orange Education Association President Keith Hinton said to News 12 New Jersey.

During Monday’s meeting, Councilman Bergson Leneus reiterated a speaker’s concern that this isn’t an East Orange School District issue, but an East Orange issue.

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“Every year, we go to the budget. It has to be approved at the county level, the state, so somewhere someone approved a balanced budget. So to come back in September to say we don’t know why we don’t have $25 million, it’s a shock,” Thelma Ramsey-Bryant, principal of John L. Costley Middle School, said to CBS New York.

Representatives from New Jersey's Department of Education met with the school district on Monday. “The Governor is aware of the situation, and the Department of Education is closely monitoring the impact of East Orange School District’s decision," a spokesperson to the Governor’s Office said to New Jersey 101.5.

The state's Department of Education shared the following statement with CBS New York:

"East Orange School District's reports that they are experiencing a budget shortfall and must lay off staff so early in the school year raises concern. Notably, the New Jersey Department of Education's (Department) regulations (N.J.A.C. 6A:23A-16.10(b)) provide clear direction for districts that are at risk of falling into a fiscal deficit, which includes promptly notifying the Department of the conditions that caused the deficit. Unfortunately, East Orange School district did not follow these steps, including timely notification to the Department, so the Department is now attempting to gather information from the district. Representatives from the Department met with district officials yesterday morning and will continue to seek additional information from the district to better understand their current fiscal situation."

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