HCST officials square off with Hudson commissioners over layoffs & program cuts

The Hudson County Board of Commissioners squared off with leadership from the Hudson County Schools of Technology (HCST) over program and staffing cuts, absences due to religious observances, and more at yesterday’s caucus meeting.

By Dan Israel/Hudson County View

The discussion was prompted by Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2) regarding a resolution determining the form and other details of $8,134,000 General Obligation Bonds, including $1,500,000 in County Vocational-Technical School Bonds.

O’Dea said that since Hudson County Administrator Abe Antun previously told the board that they could do nothing about the HCST budget funding, which drove the tax levy increase and subsequent impacts, they should vote against this resolution.

“Not voting for this would be the way to send a message. And they got no money to do the capital work. There are some things we can do,” O’Dea said at caucus.

HCST was the second biggest line item in this year’s county budget, totaling $53,915,069.50 for the upcoming school year, an increase of nearly $11 million from last year.

This comes in the wake of the preliminary findings of a forensic audit into the district’s financials that outlined “systemic failure of the accounting and finance department to budget appropriately for the District’s operating expenses from 2022 to 2025.”

Antun responded that voting down the resolution in question would jeopardize state aid for the HCST, noting that it was for capital projects for both HCST and Hudson County Community College (HCCC).

Later, O’Dea brought up that he had heard complaints from Muslim parents at the Eid celebration in Lincoln Park earlier, and also previously during Ramadan, that their children attending HCST schools did not receive an excused absence for religious observances.

While HCST Superintendent of Schools Tom Macagnano disputed that from the audience, O’Dea said that he was relaying what County Prep High School parents told him and added he would have them attend the regular meeting on May 28.

In addition, O’Dea raised concerns about layoffs of longtime staff spearheaded by Commissioner Kenneth Kopacz (D-1) at the HCST committee meeting earlier in the day.

He and Kopacz previously raised concerns over cuts to post-secondary career programs and staff at HCST at the previous commissioners meeting, as only HCV reported.

“I just have a fundamental concern over the fact that on paper they eliminate a program, yet there are individuals that have worked for over 20 years within the system of the school and those individuals are gone,” O’Dea said.

“And now, all of a sudden, they’re going to be out on the street … Meanwhile, people that could have been hired six months ago at higher salaries in positions that may not be necessary will continue to remain.”

According to O’Dea, he has spoken to people with the employees union at HCST and they told him to expect a lawsuit which might cost the district more than it saved by eliminating those programs and laying off related staff.

O’Dea also vocalized concerns over the elimination of titles “that mirrored titles in all parts within the school system,” as well as the lack of support for laid off employees to find opportunities elsewhere from HCCC to the county government.

“I think that’s heartless, I think it’s shameless,” he added.

“ …. And I welcome the superintendent, or anyone, to explain to me why people didn’t follow what we always follow, which is last hired, first let go, and instead letting go people that have decades of work experience through the school.”

Macagnano didn’t immediately answer, which O’Dea quipped: “I’ll take the silence as speaking volumes.”

That’s when HCST Board Attorney Jonathan Busch and Macagnano approached the commissioners to respond to their concerns.

According to Busch, when it comes to religious observances and holidays, he said the district is following the strict state law.

“And if for some reason that hasn’t happened, that’s going to be reported to the superintendent of schools and he’ll do what’s right,” Busch stated.

Further, Busch recalled how the preliminary findings of the HCST forensic audit identified the multi-million-dollar deficit that the district needed to cope with in part by cutting programs and staff.

According to Macagnano, the HCST administration has been communicating and working closely with the school board and the commissioners.

He disputed that decisions to cut programs and staff were made solely at the whim of Busch and Business Administrator Dominick Pandolfo.

“It was based on the facts that we had and dates of hire in the district within bargaining units,” Macagnano declared.

The exchange became tense as O’Dea disputed that, repeating that the union will likely take them to court.

“I got to tell you, if they win, I hope the school takes the appropriate action to whoever gave them legal advice that cost them a lot of money. Because if they don’t, shame on them,” O’Dea declared.

The veteran commissioner then demanded a list of the titles and salaries of employees hired there in the last two years, stipulating he could show HCST where they could have done better.

“Why aren’t you providing me with that information? What are you afraid of?” O’Dea quipped.

Busch replied that he could file an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, but nothing is being withheld from him.

O’Dea took offense to be asked fo file an OPRA, but nonetheless said he would direct the board clerk Carol Jean Doyle to do so.

“With all due respect, commissioner, the schools of technology have to make their own decisions. You’re an elected official,” Busch started before O’Dea interjected: “Who votes on your budget as you stated five minutes ago!”

Busch continued: “I was just going to say who provides support for our budget, we acknowledge that. But statutorily, the school district is responsible for running itself at the behest of the chief school administrator …”

O’Dea chided back “well you’ve done a pretty crappy job for the last couple of years.”

Busch responded that the State of New Jersey allows the district to make personnel decisions, while electeds decide the budget.

“We make decisions based on the least likely scenario for legal jeopardy. Sometimes you make the wrong decisions, but you do the best you can with the information you have,” he noted.

In addition, O’Dea repeated they should have used “last hired, first to go” and again demanded the list of recent hires, vowing to demonstrate how HCST could eliminate positions without impacting education.

“I guarantee you that was never really looked at,” O’Dea asserted.

Kopacz said he and other commissioners on the HCST committee – as well as Hudson County Executive Craig Guy – shared the same concerns about laid off staff and explored a few options including sending their resumes to County Administrator Abe Antun.

“A lot of the skills that those employees have are skills that could be used throughout the county,” Kopacz said.

“ … If some of those services are subbed out throughout the county, hopefully those people who are employed and have been doing the job for so many years will be able to move over to our departments.”

Board Chair Anthony Romano (D-5) said that the most important thing to come from the discussion is a better understanding of the commissioners’ concerns, as well as HCST’s budgetary constraints.

“The experience that we have and the resources that we have are different than the resources the Hudson County Schools of Technology is limited to,” Kopacz stated.

“So if you asked us for our assistance and our support, I don’t think we’d be in this conversation and at the point we are right now.”

In addition, Macagnano told O’Dea that he has the list of employees and their titles from May of last year to May of this year upon Kopacz’s request, but did not have the salaries yet.

“Why isn’t somebody looking to roll salaries back if they were given in a way that wasn’t done in a manner that it should be done?,” O’Dea said.

Busch replied every legal avenue they have is being pursued, also clarifying he was not asking O’Dea to file an OPRA request for information about HCST.