West Orange School Contract Dispute Heats Up As Both Sides Dig In

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A standoff between the school district and the local teachers union is heating up in West Orange.

Members of the West Orange Education Association (WOEA) have been holding pickets and rallies to demand a new work agreement over the past few weeks.

The union represents nearly 1,000 teachers and other staff members in the district. These employees have been working without a contract since the previous deal expired in June 2025.

The district and the union have both filed for mediation over the dispute.

Earlier this year, one of the most controversial school budgets in years crossed the finish line when the West Orange Board of Education unanimously voted to approve the district’s 2026-2027 spending plan.

The budget came with a 2.5 percent increase to the school portion of a local homeowner’s property taxes. It also included more than 70 staff cuts, in addition to outsourcing some services such as paraprofessionals.

District administrators said the cuts were needed to balance a $13.5 million budget deficit, which includes rising costs for health benefits (17.8%), district insurance (8%), special education tuition (6%), transportation (3.58%) and employee salaries (3.5%).

>> RELATED: West Orange School Board OKs Tax Hike, Dozens Of Job Cuts

Since then, the divide has continued to grow between the district and the WOEA, which has been organizing picket lines, telling staff members to wear red in solidarity, and encouraging them to take part in other work-related actions as they fight for a new contract.

The district’s bargaining team has also been putting out statements about the negotiations, claiming that it values its teachers – but simply can’t afford to pay them what they’re asking.

Here’s what each side has been saying about the impasse:

UNION PREZ: ‘WEST ORANGE IS DRIVING OUT QUALITY EDUCATORS’

WOEA president Josh Goldfarb has been among the people calling for the district to make a “fair and equitable settlement” with its teachers and other workers, including paraprofessionals.

Over the weekend, Goldfarb gave an update about the negotiations in a news release from the union.

Here’s what he had to say (article continues below):

“Last year, the West Orange School District claimed a budget deficit, largely due to the imbalanced school funding formula in New Jersey and rising health care costs. To help balance its budget, the district laid off over 70 employees. Additionally, they decided to fire our schools’ paraprofessionals and bring in an outside company to manage them. Those paraprofessionals dedicated years to serving some of our most vulnerable students. Despite the outcry of the community urging the district to keep the district paras, the board decided in a 4-1 vote to let them go.

“What happened next was a travesty. Even though the board promised the terminated employees would have comparable pay, health benefits and retirement pension, none of it proved to be true. As a result, few veteran paraprofessionals chose to return to West Orange and sought employment elsewhere. Now the West Orange Board of Education finds itself without adequate staffing for our students with special needs. Dozens of para positions have still not been filled.

“The board seems intent on shortchanging our students by driving out quality educators and school employees. The WOEA members have been working under an expired contract since June of 2025, resulting in both parties filing for mediation. We have not seen an increase in pay since July of 2024, and—thanks to the skyrocketing costs of health care—many of our members take home less money than they did two years ago.

“On Oct. 5, the WOEA and board of education negotiations teams met with a state mediator to come to an agreement. Instead of finding common ground, the board offered significantly less than what was on the bargaining table earlier this year. Make no mistake: Such regressive bargaining is unethical, virtually unheard of and in bad faith. To make matters worse, the board’s negotiations team elected to bargain in public, using district communications resources intended for public emergencies.

“WOEA members will not apologize for asking for a fair and equitable settlement. That is our right, and—frankly—it is because of our hard work and dedication that West Orange public schools succeed.

“Of additional concern are questions surrounding the business administrator’s office. Last June, the district’s business administrator was put on leave, and in October, the business office manager was also asked to leave. Amidst rumors of future layoffs and reductions in force, we believe that the district needs to conduct a public forensic audit. We believe that instead of blaming its employees for the financial mismanagement of the district, the board should focus its energies on finding ways to attract and retain quality educators and school employees. We believe the West Orange students and community at large deserve it.”

• Related: NJ Teachers Are Facing Hefty Pay Gap Compared To Other College Grads, Study Finds

SCHOOL BOARD: ‘FOCUSED ON FAIRNESS’

The board of education has disputed several of the union’s claims.

On Oct. 14, the board’s negotiation committee released a joint statement in an attempt to “address community concerns and clarify misunderstandings surrounding our teacher contract.”

Here’s what they had to say:

“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.”

The board committee said there are several points that West Orange residents should keep in mind about their ongoing negotiations with the union:

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 or $12,000 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 health care 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.”

• Related: Average West Orange Property Tax Tops $16K: See Latest 5-Year Breakdown

LATEST UPDATES

The WOEA bashed the board’s Oct. 14 statement, arguing that it presents a “false choice” between students and fair pay. The union outlined their criticism in a social media post earlier this week.

According to the WOEA, although it’s true that salaries and benefits represent more than 70 percent of the district’s budget, that figure is similar to most other school districts in New Jersey.

The two sides have also traded blows over another major sticking point: longevity pay.

The WOEA has argued that 74 percent of other districts in the state offer longevity pay – and only 12 staff members received longevity above $10,000 last year.

The school board released a rebuttal on Monday, reporting that West Orange offers higher minimum and maximum longevity pay than several nearby towns, including Montclair, Livingston, Millburn and the West Essex Regional School District.

While the contract dispute in West Orange has been sparking some heated public debate, sources on both sides have repeatedly claimed to be working in the best interests of the district’s students.

“In times such as these, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that despite disagreements, we are all united around a common goal,” Goldfarb wrote in a message to the community at the start of the school year.

“I am not just talking about members of the WOEA, but also non-members, building administrators, and upper administration,” the union president said. “We need to remember that, at the end of the day, we are all on the same team and are working to do the best for the students of West Orange.”

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