As many of you are aware, I spent five years as a Teaneck board of education trustee before resigning in January 2018. My decision to resign reflected growing frustration, combined with work-related demands for my time.
“Lessons learned” during my period of public service included the overstated impact of a very small vocal minority, limited impact of the silent majority, the importance of messaging, the rotation of board members into positions where expertise mattered little, limited urgency to make strategic decisions and an excess of effort on tactical matters. I also saw very dedicated board members spend a significant amount of time on Teaneck’s most important asset, its children.
I am a tough grader, driven by metrics. Opportunities exist to improve student performance while increasing fiscal prudence. Special education needs to be rationalized. A few thoughts:
Student Achievement: C
Significant efforts have been made by the BOE to improve student performance. A good education is possible for engaged students. And yet, little progress has been made to close the achievement gap. 52.7% of students in grades 3-11 scored average and better than average on the PARCC ELA (English Language Arts) exam. 52.1% of students scored average and better than average in Algebra 1, 18.6% in Geometry and 21.8% in Algebra II. Math scores – essential for longer-term success – are abysmal for many students.
It was sometime unclear, at least to me as a Board member, whether the primary role of a school system is to educate their students or provide a wide variety of extracurricular experiences; i.e., sports and clubs. Learning a programming language and the basics of technology is more important than playing football; funding resources should be allocated accordingly.
I was disappointed by Dr. Irving not including among his six superintendent advisory committees Student Achievement and Parental Engagement/Accountability. I believe they are far more important than the selected areas: Beyond Diversity, Student Code of Conduct, Special Education Parents Advisory, Student Advisory, Faculty Advisory and Faith-based Council. The BOE also has a strategic planning committee. Community engagement is important, but the BOE and the administration know the issues and need leadership and timely execution, i.e., results.
All these committees are a reflection of a lack of prioritization, and an over-emphasis on process and not outcomes. Difficult decisions are required that may not be palatable to the vocal minority; the silent majority wants the best possible education for their children.
Fiscal Responsibility: D
The total direct school tax rate increased from $1.297 to $1.415 per $100 of assessed value, 9.1 percent between 2010-14, a period during which the BOE negotiated fair contracts with the unions, and outsourced night-shift custodians and paraprofessionals. As a result, there was turnover on the BOE that was supported by the premise that “more spending was better, irrespective of its impact on student performance.” The tax rate increased from $1.415 to $1.766, 24.8 percent, due primarily to a poorly negotiated contract with the Teaneck Teacher’s Education Association; increasing healthcare benefit, charter school and special education spending; and the township revaluation.
The most recent budget increased 2.5 percent, beyond the 2.0 percent cap. Residents need to recognize that operating-expense growth often exceeds budget growth due to the ability of the BOE to utilize the budgeted fund balance.
The primary contributor to spending is labor costs, inclusive of salaries and benefits. In 2016-17, total spending per student was $27,627 for a declining average daily enrollment of 3,621 students. Despite many teacher retirements, the median teacher salary in Teaneck is $83,000 and ranked 89 of 101 similar districts in New Jersey. Average health insurance costs for a family exceed $37,000, of which taxpayers pay an average of $28,490. Cost controls are non-existent in state health plans. These figures exclude the cost of generous pensions and other employee benefits for life.
Spending could clearly be better managed
Special Education Spending (and Accountability): F
Residents should applaud the BOE’s hiring of independent consultants to assess its special education programs. However, the findings are sobering: “Students with disabilities (SWD) represent 13 percent of students across the United States, 15.8 percent of students in New Jersey but are 28.7 percent of the Teaneck student population…Teaneck practices that over-encourage SWD identification.” For years, as board members we have raised the issue with excuses being given such as excellence attracts people to move to Teaneck, Orthodox Jews send their special education students to the public schools and other factors—all possibly contributory but not to the magnitude of the reported variance. We also raised the importance of outcomes measurements, as in healthcare, but that was not deemed “appropriate or possible; i.e., every student is different.” In 2017-18, Teaneck spent 28.2 percent of its budget on special education, “crowding out” investment elsewhere. See http://www.teaneckschools.org/Downloads/Special%20Education%20Report4.pdf
From the positive perspective, the Teaneck BOE provides all the necessary services to special needs students and has taken steps to increase use of internal and regional resources. The immediate issue is singular: Do all the students who receive services need them? Behavioral issues are not solely the responsibility of the township; increased family engagement and accountability are also required
A detailed action plan can be found at http://www.teaneckschools.org/Downloads/SPED%20Corrective%20Action%20Plan%202018.pdf. The action plan did not identify specific and measurable goals regarding a reduction in “over-identification and mis-identification of students.” In addition, no accountability is apparent by either the BOE or special education staff for the excess of special education spending that has been a recognized issue by myself and others for many years.
Conclusion
In closing, opportunities exist to create additional value for the residents, i.e., students, their parents and taxpayers. Academic achievement remains paramount. Labor costs, inclusive of benefits, need to be better managed. Special education needs to be rationalized without a reduction in service to those who really need it. And lastly, the new superintendent needs to focus more on improving performance and not keeping the most vocal stakeholders content. Outcomes matter.
It’s time for a change. Vote.
By David Gruber
