Schools East Brunswick Parents Concerned Over Proposed Cuts To District Athletic Programs Residents criticized potential cuts to sports programs, emphasizing their role in helping students recover from COVID-related disruptions.
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EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – The East Brunswick Board of Education held a brief public session on Thursday, during which resident expressed their concerns over proposed budget cuts to the school district’s athletic program.
During the last BOE meeting, district officials spoke about the reduction in state aid, which would necessitate cuts to some district programs in this year’s budget. The rising cost of health insurance, out-of-district payments to students with special needs, electricity costs, and staff salaries are having a big impact on the budget, officials had said.
One of the programs to face possible cuts will be the district’s athletic programs. Resident Tim O’Neill, an educator, highlighted the increase in state funding for East Brunswick schools from $18 million 10 years ago to $38 million more recently, yet noted the inefficiency in managing these funds.
“I can tell you, at the same time, my property taxes have gone up about 25 percent so the district is simply getting more and more funding but seems to be able to do less and less with it. The issue here is that the problem isn’t the funding. The problem is the management of the funding,” O’Neill said. He criticized the proposed cuts to sports programs, emphasizing their role in helping students recover from COVID-related disruptions.
“When you’re looking at making cuts to middle school and possibly even lower level high school sports, you’re looking at a group of students who lost a full year of elementary school to COVID, which obviously is not the fault of the school district, but it is the school district’s responsibility to help them recover,” he said. “And now, year after year after year, they get hit with something new, some other obstacle that they have to overcome instead of help getting back to normal, which is what we would expect from a school district with the reputation of East Brunswick. So now the fact that you want to take away one part of their lives that gives them normalcy, that gives them socialization, is to me, inexcusable.”
Neal Shah, a Fast Break basketball volunteer, warned of the financial strain on recreational leagues and the broader impact on community well-being should sports programs be discontinued. “I know cutting school sports won’t magically solve the budget crisis, and I know tough decisions have to be made, but before anyone shrugs off raising rec league fees as a quick fix, think about what’s at stake,” Shah said. “They keep kids active and keep them out of trouble, and let’s be real, they keep them off their screens for an hour or two a day. They help with mental health, teaching life skills and even reducing substance abuse risk… These programs aren’t just games. They’re a big part of what makes this community strong.” Another resident stressed on the importance of middle school sports in fostering teamwork, discipline, and mental health, urging against cuts that could exacerbate socioeconomic disparities. Resident Jim Logan supported these arguments, citing the community and confidence-building aspects of youth sports.
“Fundamentally, you want to maintain that sense of community, that sense of pride for these players eventually playing for the JV, playing for the varsity, having lifelong friendships and memories and the pride of playing for East Brunswick,” Logan said. “And if we eliminate these types of programs now, unfortunately what we are directly doing is enriching the play-to-play businesses in other parts of the community that are not East Brunswick.” Following the public comment session, the BOE went into a closed session. The state of New Jersey is expected to release the allocated aid for each district on Feb. 27. The next BOE meeting will be held on Feb. 13.
East Brunswick Parents Concerned Over Cuts To School Athletic Programs
