The Vernon school district will layoff more than 45 full-time employees amid a budget shortfall and the unexpected loss of state aid when the school year closes.
“Regretfully, we are writing to let you know that we spoke with many faculty and staff members yesterday to let them know they will not be with us for the 23-24 school year. Please note that affected faculty and staff will continue to work for the rest of the 22-23 school year,” Vernon Superintendent Russell Rodgers wrote in the letter to the community March 24.
The Sussex County school district cut six jobs last fall, according to an NJ.com report.
Declining Population
Rogers noted that cuts were made across all certified and non-certified areas, including administrators, teachers, support staff, aides, secretarial staff, and custodial staff.
Although Vernon’s population had declined over the past 20 years, that trend had mostly stabilized in the past few years. However, the loss of revenue combined with reduced state aid led to an unavoidable situation for the school district.
Loss of State Aid
The district is contending with the loss of $8.5 million in state aid over the past six years and $6 million in grants and stabilization aid. The announcement by the Vernon School District came days before Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill that would restore some funding reductions, $103 million for 170 eligible districts.
The legislation allows school districts that will see a reduction in school aid in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget to request an additional amount of aid equal to 66% of the difference between the amount they received in the 2022-2023 school year and the amount of aid currently proposed for the 2023-2024 school year.
All eligible districts that submit a request to the Commissioner of Education will receive this additional funding, and must include a written plan indicating how they intend to fund operations in future years when this aid is no longer available.
Contending with Parents’ Questions
In the letter to the community, Rodgers answered pressing questions from the community, including why parents were not notified first.
“To show respect and dignity to faculty and staff who will no longer be with us at the close of the current school year, we needed to let the affected staff know first,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers said substitute teachers were on hand to ensure that instruction could continue if any affected teacher decided to not return that day, and to ensure all staff members were notified on the same day if possible.
The school district will discuss the overall 2023-2024 budget at its Work Session April 20 at 7 p.m. Additionally, a Public Session will be held April 27 at 7 p.m. at the Lounsberry Hollow School.
Hopefully, the lay-offs will be determined by performance (lowest performing first) rather than seniority (regardless of performance) to minimize the overall impact. Keeping the best teachers is paramount.
As the saying goes, “if you wants to play, you gots to pay.”
A local tax increase may be necessary to fund quality education for Vernon residents.
Of course, if there is a Republican majority Mayor and Council, that may not happen.