The emotional tenor of debate over the school budget has yet to subside since its passage by the Board of Education on Monday. In a crowded meeting room, a late-night thunderstorm provided the dramatic backdrop to grief, anger and divisive arguments to outsource teaching aides for special education students, freeze salaries for teachers, and raise property taxes.

This debate continues to be exceptionally contentious and polarizing. The school board president has praised Gov. Chris Christie's budget-cutting. Schools Superintendent Brian Osborne testified in Paramus on Tuesday on the impact of the "assault to public education."

"This is an extraordinary painful task," Osborne said. "We do this with a heavy heart."

Special education has been hard hit. Even before the state cuts, the district planned to scale back a praised inclusion model and cut full-day preschool to two hours.

"It's been a bad year for public education," said board member Lynne Crawford, "and an especially bad year for special education."

With only a few days to balance a budget with a $5.3 million gap, the district decided to freeze salaries and outsource the jobs of nearly 80 low-paying teaching aides. It is unclear how the teachers will respond. They have been working without a contract since last June.
 
The decision to outsource the teaching aides -- also known as paraprofessionals who make about $25,000 a year, according to labor statistics-- provoked an immediate reaction from the union, parents and aides.

The paraprofessionals help teachers in classrooms, working individually with students with a wide range of learning and physical disabilities. One in every seven children in this school district is categorized as having special needs. They include a wide range of learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, ADD/ADHD, visual and hearing impairments and cerebral palsy.

"Paraprofessionals are often the primary resource for our most vulnerable students throughout the entire school day," said parent Suzanne Turner of Marshall School. "They have to manage behaviors that are disruptive to the classroom, help learning disabled students access the curriculum, and help students navigate the many challenges they encounter due to their disabilities."

The timing was stunning. "I am shocked by this sudden decision to outsource aides," said Paula Bethea, a guidance counselor at South Orange Middle School and president of teacher and staff union, the South Orange Maplewood Education Association (SOMEA).

"I realize that special education is expensive, and is not a popular program for most of the community," Turner said. "But there is a legal and moral obligation to provide all students with an appropriate education."

A week ago, Gov. Chris Christy announced budget cuts that sent districts scrambling. On Friday, administrators here agreed to take no raises this year and to pay into their health plans. Osborne and his staff worked throughout the weekend on ways to shed millions of dollars. Already they planned to cut 29 jobs (although six elementary teachers will be hired). Osborne said he received 80 emails with suggestions on ways to balance the budget, including cuts to freshman and junior varsity athletics. (According to a round-up published in today's Star-Ledger, other districts opted to drop some athletic teams).

Walking with the aid of a cane on Monday, Steve Latz, chairman of the Citizens' Budget Advisory Committee, joked that he had "slipped on a pile of budget documents." But he quickly reminded the board this was no laughing matter. He applauded the district for finding a balance for the immediate crisis, but warned it was far from over. "What you don't cut this year will probably be on the chopping block next year," Latz said.

Board members voted unanimously to approve the $108 million spending plan, although many said they were doing so with deep regrets – with the exception of the Board President who was looking to keep the tax rates in check and fund technology.

"I applaud what Gov. Christie has done," said Mark Gleason, president of the nine-member Board of Education s. "School districts are broke. The state is broke. We need to back up our governor," stop passing on spending to property owners and find sustainable cuts.

"Don't think this was sudden," Gleason said. "This crisis has been in the making for a long time."

Outsourcing district employees meets the Board's goal of implementing cuts that are sustainable because the savings on providing health benefits to the outsourced employees will be an on-going savings in years to come as health premiums continue to rise.

The school district already outsources a number of jobs, including lunch aides, bus drivers, and custodians. Outsourcing the paraprofessionals emerged as the line item that could help close the gap this year.

"I feel sick knowing that it has to happen," said board member Andrea Wren-Hardin.

Woman's basketball coach Johanna Wright—speaking as a long-time taxpayer known for telling it like it is—didn't mince words: "I'm ashamed to say we've gone from sugar to poop in no time flat."

The teaching aide jobs will go to the Essex County Regional Education Services Commission. This is a public, non-profit agency that provides a variety of services to school districts "in a cost effective manner," according to its Web site. It provides instructional aides, as well as school nurses, child study team services, ESL, speech and language services, and home instruction.

While the 76 aides working in the district will be offered jobs with the agency, they will receive lower hourly wages and no health benefits.

Parents who advocate for children with special needs expressed dismay over the change. "In South Orange/Maplewood, we are fortunate that, despite the relatively low pay scale, we have been able to attract and retain an excellent cadre of experienced paraprofessionals," Turner said.

Many of the aides have worked in the district for years. A high school diploma is required for the job, but there are current aides with college degrees. Most of the aides live in town. "They know our kids," said Alison Yablonsky. "There is a consistency. They're so much more than just a salary." Her remarks were echoed by other parents, who pleaded that district's most vulnerable children not be ignored.

Turner pointedly questioned the board: "What quality of paraprofessional can honestly be expected if the job pays a low hourly wage, with no benefits? What is their training? What is their experience? What is their accountability? What is their commitment to their students which will keep them there for the entire school year – so important for our children who struggle with changes and transitions – rather than leaving as soon as a better offer comes along?"

South Orange resident Kathleen Robinson, a para educator at Clinton Elementary School, was impassioned: "Please don't cast these children aside, as they too often are. We have come so far. Please do not let us take a giant step backward."

A public hearing on an what is estimated to be a $98.2 million local levy supporting the budget will precede the district's Board of School Estimate's vote on the school tax March 31.