OPRA-001: Paraprofessional staffing contract and billing

Status: Filed · Filed: October 14, 2026 · Response due: October 23, 2026

Why this request

The Board rejected the proposals it received for substitute and paraprofessional staffing on June 16, 2026, then approved an EduStaff pricing addendum estimated at $12,000,000 on July 21. The minutes do not say what the addendum covers. The district said at its September 28 meeting that it is working with EduStaff to bring paraprofessionals on, but no posted document sets out the arrangement or says how it was awarded. The union memorandum permitting the outsourcing is an attachment that is not posted with the minutes. Families were told the change saves $3 million a year. This request asks for the documents behind those decisions and for what has been billed since.

Another resident asked on September 18 for EduStaff’s proposal, the executed contract, and its pricing under RFP 25-09. The district took an extension to October 14 and then, on October 14, another to October 28 (custodian’s letter; see Requests by other residents).

The request

The text below is the request as prepared for filing. The filed copy carries the requester’s contact details and date in place of this heading.

To: Custodian of Records, West Orange Board of Education, 179 Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange, NJ 07052

From: Rasmus Praestholm (contact details are on the filed copy)

This is a request for government records under the Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 et seq., and the common law right of access. It is not made for a commercial purpose, and the records are not sought in connection with a legal proceeding. Electronic copies by email are requested; PDF is fine, and where a record exists as a spreadsheet, please send the spreadsheet.

Records requested:

  1. The agreement between the Board and EduStaff in effect for the 2026-27 school year: the base agreement, all exhibits, and every addendum, amendment, renewal, or extension, including the “EduStaff Pricing Schedule Addendum-Exhibit B” approved at the July 21, 2026 meeting (Finance/Business Office item 21, estimated amount $12,000,000). Also any other agreement under which paraprofessional staffing services are provided to the District for 2026-27.
  2. The Board resolution(s) that awarded, renewed, or extended the EduStaff agreement for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, with the backup material attached to each agenda item.
  3. The Memorandum of Agreement with the West Orange Education Association permitting the outsourcing of the paraprofessionals, approved June 16, 2026 (Personnel item 6, Att. #18), and the revised Memorandum of Agreement approved July 21, 2026 (Personnel item 3(i), Att. #2).
  4. For Competitive Contracting Request for Proposal CC 25-09, Substitute Staffing and Paraprofessional Services: every proposal received, and any evaluation report or memorandum recommending the rejection approved June 16, 2026 (Finance/Business Office item 29).
  5. Every invoice submitted to the District by EduStaff, or by any other vendor providing paraprofessional staffing, from July 1, 2026 through the date of this request, including any supporting detail attached to the invoice as submitted, such as hours or positions billed.
  6. The purchase orders and payment records (vouchers, bill-list entries) for payments to those vendors over the same period.
  7. The analysis, calculation, or cost comparison supporting the “$3 million savings” from outsourcing paraprofessional services stated in the Superintendent’s community letter of April 29, 2026, and any version of it presented to the Board or to the public.

Notes for the custodian:

  • Items 1, 3, 5, and 6 are contracts, a collective negotiations agreement, bills, and vouchers less than 24 months old, which N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(e) says ordinarily get immediate access. Please send them as soon as they are located, without holding them for the remaining items.
  • I am not seeking student names or any personally identifiable student information, or the home addresses or personal details of any employee. Please redact those and note the basis for each redaction.
  • If any item is denied in whole or in part, please state the specific legal basis for each denial, as N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g) requires.
  • If you expect to assess a special service charge, please send an itemized estimate before doing the work.

Log

  • October 1, 2026. Drafted.
  • October 13, 2026. Text finalized for filing.
  • October 14, 2026. Handed to the custodian of records at the Business Office, 179 Eagle Rock Avenue, with the district’s OPRA request form; the receipt copy was date-stamped the same day (see Documents). The same text was emailed to the custodian, who confirmed receipt. Items 1, 3, 5, and 6 are immediate-access records; the seven-business-day period for the rest runs to October 23, 2026.

Documents