Palisades Park board ratifies supervisors agreement and details budget-driven staff reductions

The Palisades Park Board of Education on May 20 ratified a memorandum of agreement affecting the district’s supervisory staff and outlined a series of budget-driven staffing reductions. Board members said the actions respond to rising employee health-care costs and revenue limits that left the district unable to sustain current staffing levels.

According to the district report, the MOA provides retroactive pay to the five current supervisors and establishes a staffing structure that will reduce supervisory positions from five to three; two of the remaining posts will be converted to 12‑month director roles. The administration said at the meeting that, under the MOA, beginning July 1 only one supervisor position will be appointed going forward while the retroactive adjustments will be paid to the five incumbents.

District administrators described additional reductions included in the budget plan: two administrative positions eliminated, 12 fewer teaching positions for next year, one fewer clerical position, reductions in some part‑time custodial roles, and projected reductions among paraprofessionals (the administration projected “about nine” fewer paraprofessionals year‑over‑year). The board emphasized that reductions were made in accordance with seniority and state tenure rules and that some reductions were handled through attrition where possible.

On special education, the administration said it is working to create an in‑district self‑contained class at Lindbergh so students who otherwise would be placed out of district can remain in their home schools; the program would require parental consent and a formal board approval vote if finalized. Administrators argued the in‑district placement would better serve students and reduce transportation costs associated with out‑of‑district placements.

Board members and the administration repeatedly framed the staffing changes as compelled by fiscal limits, citing large health‑care increases that the district said have materially worsened budget pressure. The administration told the board that health‑care costs rose by about 14% last year and nearly 32% in the current year (figures cited in the meeting), and described those increases as a primary driver of budget shortfalls.

The board also received a facilities update: Trane Technologies reported the high‑school chiller had started but some building zones remained not fully connected; Trane agreed to a one‑year extension of parts‑and‑labor warranty while the system is fully tested. The administration said window units will be removed and repurposed to Lindbergh where feasible, pending final testing and reliability checks.

The board approved routine consent items, including finance and personnel agendas, during the meeting. The MOA ratification and other consent approvals were presented as motions and recorded as passed in the meeting minutes. The administration said notices to affected staff will be issued in the coming weeks and that the district sought to minimize harm where possible.

What’s next: Board members said more detailed personnel actions and any formal creation of the in‑district special education classroom will appear on the June agenda for formal board consideration.