Politics & Government

WEA in Campaign Mode on Budget

Phone banks planned for today.

The Westfield Education Association is in campaign mode Monday in the run up to Tuesday's school election.

WEA President Kim Schumacher said the association, which serves as the collective bargaining unit for the town's teachers, is focusing on trying to pass the proposed $89.3 million school budget. This includes a post card campaign and an evening phone bank tonight.

Schumacher and the WEA has been supportive of the proposed budget, which includes 31 layoffs which came after Gov. Chris Christie's decision to cut $4.22 million in state education aid to Westfield. She has said she believes passing the budget will be able to present further layoffs in the school system. Should the budget fail, the Town Council will be legally required to make cuts to the budget in the next three weeks.

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In addition to the phone bank, Schumacher said she has sent post cards to every public school teacher living in Westfield reminding them to vote to pass the budget.

Schumacher has rejected calls from Christie that the budget should be voted down because there is no salary freeze in the current budget. She said a salary freeze will not help the teachers and prevent further layoffs. The New Jersey Education Association, the parent group of the WEA, and Christie have been locked in a bitter public feud of months.

Find out what's happening in Westfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We have done a lot to get this budget passed," she said.


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