Copy of an email sent to West Orange Public Schools families through the district's SchoolMessenger system on October 14, 2026, as received by the owner of this site. The text is reproduced as received. The email's reference list linked each item through SchoolMessenger tracking URLs. Each link below is the address the tracking URL redirected to on October 15, 2026, with the tracking wrapper removed. Six of the eight destination addresses also carried the query string "utm_source=chatgpt.com", which is removed here. As of the evening of October 14, 2026 no copy had been found on woboe.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- October 14, 2026 Dear West Orange Public Schools Community, As members of the negotiations committee, we wish to address community concerns and clarify misunderstandings surrounding our teacher contract. Over the last few weeks, parents, teachers, and community members have shared their perspectives with both district leaders and the Board. We value this input as we work to safeguard your interests. We share your commitment to our students as we too are parents of students affected by recent changes, and we are looking to maintain our excellent academic and extracurricular programs. Our focus is to ensure our tax dollars are allocated appropriately. Additionally, we are addressing the union contract and seeking to maintain fair compensation for our teachers and staff. Like you, we take the business of educating our students and the careers within the education industry very seriously. We also understand that the impact of difficult budget decisions is not simply something families read about. These impacts manifest directly through painful adjustments, including staff reductions, outsourced paraprofessional support, the loss of middle school athletic programs, scaled-back arts and music offerings, and reduced counseling services across our district. Although our district is facing a multi-million dollar deficit this school year, the Board continues to fully uphold our contractual obligations to educators. Teachers are receiving their full standard salaries, annual longevity bonuses, and additional stipends for extra responsibilities, all while maintaining uninterrupted health benefits coverage. Historically, West Orange has maintained a position among the highest-paying school districts statewide, currently ranking 15th out of New Jersey's 590 districts in total salary compensation packages. Understanding Our Financial Reality As the 2026-2027 Budget was developed, the $13.5 million budget reduction in State Aid did not account for the myriad of rising expenses, including health benefits, special education costs, energy, utility and transportation costs, as well as capital projects and repairs. Addressing this gap required difficult reductions affecting staffing, services, and student programs. Salaries and benefits represent more than 70% of the district's budget. The remaining 30% of our budget must cover nearly every other cost of operating our schools, including extracurricular activities and athletics, academic intervention and enrichment, student support services, classroom materials and technology, transportation, field trips, facilities and maintenance, and other programs and services. With finite resources, increases in one area places greater pressure on the funding available for others. Our responsibility extends beyond balancing one year's budget. We must establish a financial foundation that fiscally sustains our schools for years to come. Your Board of Education is focused on fairness and also remains fiscally accountable for the children our district serves. Understanding Longevity Bonuses We believe families deserve a clear explanation of longevity compensation. First, please understand that this is not widely provided to teachers working in other school districts across New Jersey. A longevity bonus is an additional payment made annually on top of the base salary based on years of service, at a designated milestone. West Orange's longevity bonus is currently the highest in the state with most of our eligible staff receiving roughly $10,000.00 or $12,000.00 in longevity bonuses annually. Because longevity pay is awarded on top of base salaries, it requires careful scrutiny as decreasing state funding forces our district to struggle. The Board values the importance of professional experience and retaining dedicated educators and our district boasts a very high employee retention rate. The reality of the financial commitments associated with yearly longevity bonuses must also be considered in this current fiscal climate in conjunction with the rising costs of healthcare benefits, energy and utility costs, transportation costs, capital projects and repairs. As a Board we are also committed to preserving student programs including clubs, sports, arts, and extracurricular activities. Without these programs, the character of our district will be permanently altered. The Board continues to advocate for these programs and we are not willing to ask our students to sacrifice any more than they already have. Protecting the Full Educational Experience Our students have already made compromises in the form of reductions in student programs and extracurricular activities. We cannot sustain additional cuts to our student programs necessary to underwrite one of the highest salary compensation packages in the state and the highest longevity bonus structure. Our kids also deserve bonuses in the form of co-curricular activities. Before accepting further cuts to student programs, we should ask: What will this teacher contract cost over time? What funds will remain for restoring student programs already lost? Your Board of Education believes in these programs. They help students find belonging, build confidence and character, develop leadership, and stay connected to school and to the community. For many children, they are a crucial part of their educational experience. Our Board also respects our educators and staff, and we appreciate their dedication and commitment to our students. Our mission is to establish a fair teacher contract that can sustain our district for years to come. We look to avoid cutting staff, avoid cutting student programs, repair and maintain our buildings, as well as upgrade our playgrounds. That is the balanced outcome our community deserves. Sincerely Yours, The West Orange Board of Education Negotiations Committee News Articles and References For the West Orange School Community provided by WOBOE February 4, 2021 - Patch: "NJ School Districts That Paid Teachers the Most, Least in 2020" https://patch.com/new-jersey/oceancity/nj-school-districts-paid-teachers-most-least-2020 February 27, 2022 - Insider NJ: "South Orange-Maplewood Education Association Statement" https://www.insidernj.com/press-release/south-orange-maplewood-education-association-statement-2/ November 9, 2023 - NJ 101.5: "These NJ School Districts Pay Their Teachers $100,000 Salaries" https://nj1015.com/these-nj-school-districts-pay-their-teachers-100000-salaries/ April 1, 2024 - NJ Education Report: "New Jersey's 25 Districts With the Highest Teacher Salaries" https://njedreport.com/new-jerseys-25-districts-with-the-highest-teacher-salaries/ November 2024 - NJ.com: "The 17 N.J. School Districts With Highest Teacher Salaries, Ranked" https://www.nj.com/news/2024/11/the-17-nj-school-district-with-highest-teacher-salaries-ranked.html January 7, 2026 - Patch: "Here Are the 20 Highest, Lowest Paying Districts for Teachers in NJ" https://patch.com/new-jersey/across-nj/which-nj-districts-pay-teachers-most-which-pay-least May 4, 2026 - WOBOE Public Session Agenda Personnel Renewals & Reappointments https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1777924001/woboeorg/tacqxglh2ky5ceo8hyp3/UPDATEDMay42026AgendaAttachments5-4-26.pdf Updated October 10, 2026 - Step & Lane: "Highest Paying School Districts in New Jersey" https://stepandlane.com/rankings/nj/