North Bergen and Guttenberg officials are reacting to proposed federal school aid cuts that could cost each district millions of dollars, impacting critical infrastructure projects.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
North Bergen Board of Education School Business Administrator Steven Somick penned a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon seeking to appeal the DOE’s decision to stop funding a project that would upgrade the district’s HVAC systems.
“The project is an electrical switchgear project which is required in order to upgrade the district’s HVAC. The electrical switchgear in the schools vary in age from being installed in 1926 to our newer building which was built in the 1960’s. I have six elementary schools that the switchgear projects are currently underway,” he explained.
“The reason for the length of time this project is taking is that school buildings switchgears are the backbone of the building’s electricity. The school’s electricity must be shut down for a minimum of three weeks and coordinated with outside agencies like PSE&G. PSE&G moves at their own schedule and most times scheduling these shutdowns takes months in advance for the service.”
He continued that the buildings can’t be shut down during the scholastic year due to overcrowding and there is no interim location to place students, also noting that the district has paid the contractor $2,091,589.27 towards the total cost of $2,959,000.
“I hope this explanation of the District’s need for the late liquidation request is fully understood as an absolute need not to disrupt the educational flow of our students. We simply cannot close down school buildings for months at a time,” he concluded.
In neighboring Guttenberg, home of the Ana L. Klein Elementary School, Mayor Wayne Zitt said that the proposed cuts by the President Donald Trump administration would be to the tune of $1 million to $1.25 million, all to the detriment of students.
“President Trump’s education cuts are hurting Guttenberg. Our kids are losing funding meant for safe schools, better classrooms, and essential programs. Guttenberg students deserve opportunity—not to be left behind. We must stand up and speak out,” he told HCV.
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) posted on social media on Monday that the Trump administration was proposing a cumulative $85 million in federal aid cuts across 20 different public school districts in New Jersey – including Guttenberg and North Bergen.
“These cuts are reckless and irresponsible, allowing us very little time for contingency plans. New Jersey is proud of its best-in-the-nation public school system and we will do everything we can to restore this funding and maintain our excellence in public education,” he said in a statement.
“At a time of unprecedented chaos and uncertainty at the federal level, Washington is failing the next generation.”
If you hadn’t been paying all your surplus excess employees all these years, you would have had plenty of money to make those improvements. Time to stop the gravy train.