High Point to eliminate 16 positions

SUSSEX BOROUGH — The Sussex Borough Council convened on Tuesday night to hear a presentation from High Point Regional School District Superintendent Scott Ripley concerning some of the challenges faced regarding this years proposed school budget, including the elimination of 16 staff positions.
The HP Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the proposed budget next Tuesday night, April 25, at 7 p.m. The meetings take place in the HP Cafeteria Annex.
“We as a community have suffered over the past decade,” Ripley began his presentation, “and we have yet to get back to where we were a decade ago.”
Ripley was referring to the drastic decline in school population that has been plaguing many districts in the area.
Ripley stated that in 2007, High Point had reached its peak of 1,466 students. Next year High Point is projected to have approximately 860 students.
“That is a stunning, precipitous drop,” Ripley said, “that requires fiscal responsibility.”
This year's proposed overall school operating budget will be reduced by $1,276,320, or 5.8 percent. Last year the budget saw a decrease of 3.8 percent.
This year’s tax levy to residents is down $1,045,208, or 6.8 percent less. Last year it was reduced by $409,000.
When asked about the cuts to staff, Ripley stated that two of the cuts will be administrative, while the other 14 were classified as “other”.
When pressed to further elaborate, and if any teaching positions are among those to be eliminated, Ripley responded with, “I did not lean heavily on classroom instruction.”
“The reductions were generally in administrative, support personnel, guidance services, aides, secretaries, and several retired teaching positions that will not be replaced,” Ripley said.
Councilwoman Linda Masson asked Ripley what the cost to educate a student is.
“The cost to educate a student is entirely too high,” Ripley said, citing the cost to send students to Sussex Tech, and the rising cost of Special Education.
Ripley stated it costs roughly $800,000 per year to send students to Sussex Tech.
“Special Education costs in New Jersey are skyrocketing,” Ripley said. “Our special education population eight years ago was 15.3 percent, it is now going to be 25.8 percent.”
Ripley took over 4 years ago, and during his tenure, has reduced to overall operating budget of the school 11 percent, from a high in 2013 of $26 million dollars, a figure he calls, “ridiculous.”
As the school population began to drop in 2007, each subsequent budget failed to reflect the declining student enrolment until recently, leading to an inflated cost per pupil.
The current budget calls for about $23 million in spending, with 860 students, which works out to about $26,744 per pupil.