- Not only will they (parents) not be able to afford sports, they won't be able to afford food. Let's not forget, we already raised taxes 9.9% last year. That has already increased our permanent rates."
- Officials in Trenton want Lacey taxpayers to shoulder $17.5 million more of the district's $87 million school budget.
LACEY -- Sports are integral to 14-year-old Riley Pancza, a freshman at Lacey High School.
Athletics helped her prioritize her grades to prevent being benched, socialize in high school, and manage her anger through exercise, the teenager said.
But now Pancza and about 1,000 of her Lacey classmates who play sports worry their programs will be eliminated in September. School district officials are discussing eliminating sports and other programs as they try to close a more than $6 million budget shortfall.
"I hate to say it right now, because all my friends are in Lacey, but transferring to a different school is seriously up in the air," Pancza said in the hallway of Lacey High School. "It's gonna suck when I can't get that aggression out on the mat or on the field."
The Board of Education met at the high school on Wednesday night to discuss the district's ongoing financial trouble. Hundreds of parents and students flooded the building, where they filled a small auditorium where the board met. The overflow crowd was directed to the high school's theater, where the larger crowd gathered and watched the meeting over a live stream.
They were drawn there after rumors circulated on social media about the cuts the school board was discussing. Some of the proposals included laying off teachers and ballooning class sizes to nearly 40 students in some grades. Buses that transport children across busy Route 9 would be eliminated.
And the new budget could cut all sports, after school clubs and eliminate field trips.
School officials are also considering selling one of the district's four elementary schools and redistricting the elementary schools by grade level.
Acting Superintendent William Zylinski said the district was considering these "draconian" measures to balance the budget for the 2025-26 school year.
Costs for natural gas, electricity and property and casualty insurance for the district were all up by 25% this year, according to school officials. At the same time, state aid to Lacey schools has declined over the past decade.
Tax burden grows
Officials in Trenton want Lacey taxpayers to shoulder $17.5 million more of the district's $87 million school budget, Zylinsky said. Some school board members balked at the idea, saying meeting that number would require them to raise local school taxes nearly 30%.
Even raising taxes half that amount would not be affordable to many residents, school board member Cheryl Armato told the crowd gathered Wednesday.
"Not only will they (parents) not be able to afford sports, they won't be able to afford food," she said. "Let's not forget, we already raised taxes 9.9% last year. That has already increased our permanent rates."
Officials in the New Jersey Department of Education had offered Lacey, a township of about 30,000, the opportunity to raise school taxes this year once again by as much as 9.9%.
Typically, school taxes are held to a strict 2% cap on tax levy increases, with a few exceptions. Voters can circumvent that cap through a public referendum.
Last month, Lacey voters rejected three ballot questions that would have funded various school improvement projects. Had the three questions been approved, the projects would have totaled $92 million in facilities upgrades.
Earlier this month, a majority of Lacey school board members rejected another attempt to raise school taxes, when they voted against the state's one-time offer to raise educational taxes over the 2% tax levy cap.
Board President Kim Klaus said Lacey school officials were not obligated to raise school taxes the maximum 9.9%; rather, they could have raised spending a portion of the full amount.
"It could have been (a) 7% (increase)," she said during Wednesday's meeting. "We have some board members that are a hard no on raising taxes, and some will say… let's do what we can… but it's our job to provide a thorough and efficient education (to Lacey students) until someone says we can't."
School officials had until Monday to commit to a plan that exceeded the tax cap, Zylinski said. With that option no longer available, the superintendent urged the board and local parents to contact their state legislators and senator for additional state aid.
Currently, the school board has no proposed budget, the superintendent said. A budget plan drafted in March was rejected by the county superintendent, who is responsible for approving local school budgets. The plan was rejected, partly because it included a proposed land sale that proved to be overvalued and had no interested buyer, Zylinski told the school board Wednesday.
Klaus, the school board president, said since the school board has not been able to agree on a school budget since, state officials may make decisions for the district.
'Critical to their mental health'
In the hallway outside the board meeting, Kristen Bielick's eyes filled with tears as she considered the possible impacts of program and athletics cuts on her children. Her daughter, a high school freshman, plays three sports and volunteers with the school's athletics program for students with special needs, she said.
"I think it's really, really critical to their mental health," said Bielick. "It gives them that competition when they're applying for college as well. So they're going in to apply to a college, and they have no extra activities on their applications? I just feel like cutting sports is going to… have a huge impact on our children."
Brett Brewer, a freshman who plays baseball and football, came to the meeting in his baseball uniform and hoped to press the board to save sports. He said he was devastated to learn that the programs were in jeopardy.
"Sports is a big deal for me," 15-year-old Brewer said. "It's not even just about playing a game. It's about… new lessons and friends along the way. I made relationships with coaches and parents.
"It's like a second home for kids," he added. "If something's going on at home, it could be their getaway, their therapy."
The school board will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at Lacey Township High School, 73 Haines St. The board is also scheduled to meet and hold a hearing on the school budget at 6 p.m. April 29 at the high school.
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 17 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
