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Schools

New WHS Music Teacher Gains Support in Former District

Scotch Plains-Fanwood students support teacher laid off following Christie budget cuts.

A new hire in the Westfield High School music department has gained strong support from students in Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, where he resigned following budget cuts to his position.

The students packed a SP-F Board of Education meeting last Thursday, the day after graduation, to rally support for John Brzozowski, the choral director at SPFHS who resigned recently after the school district cut his post to part time. Brzozowski has indicated that he is taking a position at WHS as a music teacher.

Students and parents said that Brzozowski resigned because he felt "insecure" with his job. Emails sent to Brzozowski, as well as phone calls placed to numbers listed with the name Brzozowski, were not returned.

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Due to the recent budget cuts following the BOE reduced Brzozowski's salary by twenty percent, offering him a part-time job, instead of a full time job. The board also cut two of his classes.

"After the district lost $3.8M of state aid funding, we were forced to eliminate programs, positions, and services in many areas," SP-F Board of Education President Trip Whitehouse wrote in an email. "The initial $2.2M of reductions that were made prior to the budget being presented to the voters did not include the reduction of this position. After the budget was defeated by the voters, and the councils of Fanwood and Scotch Plains determined the budget needed to decrease an additional $860,000, we were forced to look at more services, programs, and positions. During this time, music ($26k) and sports ($100k) were impacted, we removed building roofing work that was needed, we cut back on further support staff, and we eliminated additional outside support services... the Department of Education has had districts looking at classes that are under-subscribed. The criteria they use is 15 students. "Rock to Bach", a course Mr. Brzozowski was teaching, was one of the courses that was eliminated based on this criteria."

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About 24 SPFHS students attended the meeting Thursday. Those who spoke pointed to the three choir groups that Brzozowski started, the five total that he directed, and his willingness to meet with students during lunch and after school. 

"You're going to pay someone 80 percent and you're going to get 80 percent," Jon Kosenick, a former SPFHS student, said to the board. "I hope you're okay with that." 

Rising-junior Rob Colonna agreed. "I'd hate to see the music department be ripped up more than it already has been," he said.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood Schools Superintendent Margaret Hayes acknowledged Brzozowski's accomplishments. "John goes above and beyond in many ways, as do many of our teachers." But she explained that because Brzozowski was not tenured, and because he had the least seniority in the music department, it was his position that the board had to reduce.

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