March 23, 2010

Monday night, the Trenton School Board was supposed to vote on its budget. What happened, instead, was the people of Trenton learned the State of New Jersey plans to pretty much leave the task of funding the education of Trenton’s children to the city and its people. Superintendent Rodney Lofton informed the Board and a packed audience of the State’s plans to cut at least $20 million in aid to the district. He said this loss of funding could lead to job cuts, school closings and, to the ire of the many school security officers in attendance, privatization of that position. A pretty harsh bit of news for a school district which had devised a fiscal plan by which they would make ends meet for the next school year.

How does a school district lose so much money in one shot? First, the state’s $5 million decrease of flat funding for the district. The second hit to its bottom line was Governor Christie’s announcement that our city will not receive $12.5 million in state aid for schools. Add to that the $1.7 million that will be siphoned off to Trenton’s charter schools, and you could understand the solemn, sunken mood that swept over the room as Dr. Lofton shared these grim numbers to the audience during his presentation, showing how the district already set about slashing expenditures it deemed unnecessary, from cell phones to copiers. The board voted to delay its vote on the fiscal plan so it can look for ways to work the district back into the black. Even that move has its downside, as Dr. Lofton advised that a delay in approval of a budget would prompt a visit from a monitor from the state Department of Education. Personally, I was surprised that not one person in the room questioned the role or duties of this “monitor”, should they arrive.

When the board opened the floor to public comments, one citizen reminded the audience of the times when Trentonians were urged to rally and fight those who wanted to lessen the dollars the state would give Trenton schools for Abbott funding. Well, that day is here. Next came the issue of possibly bidding the jobs of protecting students during the school day out to a private company. Such a move would be the second in as many years. Last year, the district’s food service was sold to Aramark. One attendee said she was assured by board members school security would remain under the district’s auspices. Now, Dr. Lofton told her, all options must be considered, but the plan to privatize the district’s security personnel was not final. Sherrie Watkins, a security officer featured in the attached video, spoke to the audience of her own conversation with Dr. Lofton in January. She feels a move to privatize this branch of school services would be a disastrous blow, not only affecting those who could lose their jobs, but the students and faculty, with whom the officers have developed bonds during their years monitoring the schools.

That’s what I saw and heard during my first Trenton School Board meeting. Now I want to read what you think.

Skip Harrison is an educator, freelance journalist, and parent who resides in Trenton, New Jersey.