WAYNE — Hundreds of people are signing petitions to reinstate teachers whose jobs were either cut or not renewed by the school board as part of the most sweeping round of layoffs that the K-12 district has seen in decades.
At least four petitions have emerged in different corners of social media to collect signatures for popular employees at Lafayette School and at Wayne Valley High School.
They are not the only ones affected by a reduction in force this spring.
Officials used terms like “agonizing” and “gut-wrenching” to explain tough decisions that resulted in a total of 111 staffing cuts, including nearly a quarter of all district administrators. Also let go were dozens of cafeteria and playground aides, but most will be invited back next school year after their crew is reorganized.
The cuts, first reported by NorthJersey.com, were needed to address a $7.1 million budget deficit that also caused the Board of Education to privatize a longstanding program for before- and after-school care.
Schools Superintendent Mark Toback acknowledged that the cuts were painful, but he said the core operation of the district — to educate students — will remain intact.
“That’s what we always want to protect,” Toback said to a standing-room-only crowd in the municipal courtroom on May 1. “If you have a choice between cutting off a hand or cutting off a foot, you’re going to miss either one. That’s what we were faced with in this situation.”
One of the petitions was launched online for Rachel Hofbauer, a science teacher at Lafayette School.
Hofbauer, a 2013 graduate of Wayne Valley who coaches its girls lacrosse team, had about 30 people speak for her at the meeting. Her advocates included colleagues, parents and students from the elementary school and the high school.
She said in a statement on May 7 that she was “overwhelmed by the outpouring of love I’ve received.”
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“It was incredibly moving to witness students, parents, athletes and fellow educators speak on my behalf,” Hofbauer said. “Having spent my entire professional career in the Wayne school system, it was deeply touching to see such strong support from the entire community, representing all of my Wayne family.”
Heather Potts, the first vice president of the Wayne Education Association, said at the meeting that the 804-member teachers’ union was still trying to process the widespread cuts.
“Emotions are high, and understandably so,” said Potts, a science teacher at Wayne Valley. “These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet — these are people, programs and relationships. We know that these cuts aren’t easy, but as we try to move forward, many are left with the same question: How did we end up” with a $7.1 million deficit in “just one year?”
The district, like all school systems in New Jersey, is not allowed to hike taxes by more than 2% per year. Yet as officials said, many line-item expenses are increasing well above that mark.
The issue has been seething over time, and officials said the state-imposed requirement to limit property tax growth steadily produced a massive gap between available revenue and rising costs.
The district received pandemic-relief aid that put off the drastic cuts, officials said. After it dried up, the problem was laid bare.
Officials said the best solution would be to change the 15-year-old law that created the tax levy cap, and they urged the public to contact state legislators to take such action.
The financial morass was further complicated, officials said, by the defeat in a March 2024 referendum of a measure that would have covered $169.8 million in district improvements. The state would have given $39 million in aid, essentially paying for most of the proposed expansion to the Early Childhood Center at Preakness School.
Because voters balked at footing an extra tax for the bonded projects, officials said, there is now little to no wiggle room for the district to withdraw from its cash reserves for anything other than true emergencies.
Donald Pavlak Jr., the school board president, said the budget for next year was the hardest that he ever dealt with during his tenure. He said he could not recall a previous spending plan that required as many cuts. “It was gut-wrenching,” he said. “It’s difficult when you have to cut a position, because it’s not a position — it’s a person that you’re cutting. And that sits in my gut.”
Philip DeVencentis is a reporter for NorthJersey.com. For access to the most important news in your community, subscribe or activate your digital account.
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What Wayne schools jobs were cut?
This list, which does not include cafeteria and playground aides, was attached to the school board meeting agenda on May 1.