As a result of Governor Christie’s devastating funding cuts and the failure of the Estell Manor school budget, on April 21 every school employee in Estell Manor received pink Reduction in Force (RIF) layoff notices. According to the layoff notices, “the district will not be able to operate in the 2010/2011 school year.”
While 8.5 staff members were later rehired, that number was woefully short of the number necessary to safely maintain the school and educate the district’s 220 students.
In a bold move designed to draw the community’s attention to the school district’s plight, the Estell Manor Education Association posted “For Sale” signs on the school property. They also met with parents and community leaders and urged them to attend a town council meeting at which the fate of the school would be decided.
In a major victory, the town council upheld the defeated school budget and the district later rehired sufficient staff to maintain the school.
“The members of the Estell Manor Education Association, many of whom are raising or have raised their own families in this community, believe in our excellent public school,” EMEA President Charles Brandt said. “People may not have agreed with our methods but they surely couldn’t question our motives. We were determined to save Estell Manor’s public school.”