How bad are cuts? Too soon to know P'burg expects to take two to three weeks to see how layoffs will affect schools. Tuesday, May 20, 2008 • By Andrea Eilenberger • The Express-Times PHILLIPSBURG | It may take another two to three weeks before Phillipsburg School District officials can detail the educational effect brought on by laying off 64 employees. George Chando, the district's acting superintendent, said he has asked administrators to summarize the net effect of personnel and program cuts. Chando expects to have that report in two to three weeks. That will help guide scheduling and determine the extent of academic and co-curricular changes for the upcoming school year. The layoffs have added another layer of stress for a district already wrestling with an overcrowded high school, which has forced classroom settings into trailers. Chando said once school officials have a firmer idea of the changes, the details will be explained to the public. "We will certainly be taking care of all the core curriculum and there will still be opportunities for students to hit some of their interest areas in the electives program," Chando said. Students have submitted their schedule requests, and Chando said they'll receive their schedule in midsummer as usual. As this school year wraps up, they'll continue processing those requests and finalizing schedules. At this point, Chando said, it is too early to determine just what electives or co-curriculars won't be available next year. He said Advanced Placement courses would not be cut. School officials made cuts across the board to balance their $59.6 million budget, which initially had a $10 million shortfall. The cuts included the following positions: 37.6 teaching, eight professional support, six administrative supervisory and about 12 nonprofessional staff. The district is losing eight tenured employees. Cuts will affect field trips, professional development, eliminate high school summer sessions and some sports at the middle and high schools. Parents of Phillipsburg students and of students in the high school sending districts are nervous about the cuts' effects. Lisa Viemann was already worrying about sending her children, now in the Lopatcong Township School District, to Phillipsburg High School when they get older. She cited the overcrowding at the high school and the uncertainty surrounding the long-stalled high school project. Now teacher reductions make her worry about growing class sizes. "It's a lot to think about," she said. But, her son wants to go to the high school. She said that the sense of pride from Phillipsburg graduates is undeniable. "A lot of the kids who do come here, they love it," Viemann said. Gloria Hull, a mother of three Phillipsburg students, thinks the district is making the right move by trimming and restructuring administration. She hates seeing any staff members lose their jobs, but she felt the district had too many administrators. She and her husband, Ed Hull, worry about what will happen to the electives and after-school programs. They don't want to see things such as musical, agricultural and sports opportunities eliminated. New Jersey Department of Education data show the school's average class sizes at the elementary and middle schools were either below or about the same as the state average for the 2006-07 school year. The high school's average class size was about four higher than the state average. Chando couldn't predict exactly where class sizes will fall next year but isn't anticipating any major issues at the elementary and middle school levels. He pointed out class sizes vary depending on the course. Reporter Andrea Eilenberger can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at aeilenberger@express-times.com.