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Testimony of Rachel Goldberg, Ed.D. before the Joint Committee on the Public Schools..."
Joint Committee on the Public Schools
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Testimony of Dr. Rachel Goldberg
Good Afternoon Members of the Joint Committee on the Public Schools,
Thank you for being here today.
My name is Dr. Rachel Goldberg, I am a taxpayer in South Orange, a parent of three public school students, Superintendent of Springfield Public Schools in Union County, and member of the Garden State Coaltion of Schools. It is an honor to join you.
I would like to offer our gratitude for Ms. DiBenedetti’s responsiveness to the needs of school districts and organizing this session. We would like to recognize the work of the Governor’s Office, Commissioner Dehmer, and the Department of Education for emphasizing the importance of a strong budget process, that has helped us to plan productively for the coming school year.
For context, Springfield is a “GH” district, supporting approximately 2,200 students from preschool through grade 12, and over 72% of our budget comes from local taxpayer dollars. Our per pupil expenditure for this school year is $19,352.
As a district, we are working to continuously build a supportive system for our students. We maintain low counselor caseloads in middle and high school, and provide access to a SAC, a social worker who offers individual and group counseling. With the 25-26 budget, we are adding a new Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) position and budgeting for an additional staff member to expand our therapeutic options and renovating a space to provide a therapeutic space, so that we can address student triggers before they escalate to school avoidance.
Currently, Springfield has a small number of students (less than 8), attending out-of-district schools due to school avoidance. Each of the students has an IEP. Their cases are not isolated; their avoidance stems from a complex interplay of factors that may include mental health diagnoses, academic difficulties, bullying (often amplified by social media), and family dynamics. Most of these students began exhibiting school avoidance behaviors during middle or high school and, in some cases, began in relation to the post-pandemic return to school.
The financial implications are significant. For the 2025-2026 school year, we have budgeted over $650,000 for these out-of-district placements and transportation costs. These placements, operating without cost caps, are projected to increase by 7-10% annually. Despite our best efforts to develop in-house support programs, the likelihood of these students returning to our district is low. The cost of several private programs exceeds $100,000 a year for tuition alone.
To provide a broader perspective, I consulted with Ms. Carrie Dattilo, Superintendent of the Union County Educational Services Commission (UCESC). UCESC operates across five schools, including two alternative schools that support at-risk students from Elizabeth Public Schools and one therapeutic school that supports students from multiple districts.
At the UCESC therapeutic school, the cost is approximately $63,000 a year and includes daily group and weekly individual counseling, occupational and speech therapies, and small class sizes. Their staff includes 4 BCBAs, a Student Assistance Counselor, and a supervisor of Behavioral Sciences.
As Assemblywoman Carter noted, in both Springfield and UCESC, the staffing shortages and certification challenges make it difficult to find the staff necessary to build or expand programs to meet the academic needs of our students.
Today, we are offering three ideas to support our students and school systems:
Let’s strengthen our state investment in public mental health programs. You can assist us by encouraging the thoughtful development of more district or public options for supporting students struggling with mental health issues. Where districts see population shifts or have room, there may be an opportunity for the state to provide fiscal support for identifying and developing innovative programs as a shared service among other public schools. This is happening in some districts- we heard from Pascack Valley and Old Bridge on their programs; your voice can help move us forward.
Please use your legislative power to address the exceptional bureaucratic hurdles and self-imposed limits to attracting strong educational staff. Physical space may be available, but the staff to support the students' needs is increasingly difficult to find. Please, keep the momentum to reduce the cost burdens for certifications and move legislation broadening the reach of specific teacher certification credentials forward. There are two bills sponsored by Assemblywoman Bagolie that deserve your attention.
Please accept that New Jersey is losing out on hiring qualified professionals because of the archaic New Jersey First rules that keep strong educators and school professionals from nearby states from applying to our schools.
Ms. Colandrea from Old Bridge noted the use of out of district providers such as Effective School Solutions and Rutgers Behavioral Health Care programs; but is important to note that it may be cost prohibitive for districts similar to ours.
I would like to recognize Co-Chair Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, and Assemblywomen Matsikoudis and Assemblywoman Morales for sponsoring or co-sponsoring legislation to make this change. We hope that members of the Senate sponsor a partner bill and move this forward before we enter another school year with fewer candidates.
Unfortunately, outside interests and partisan loyalties undermine the opportunity to make progress; please be the leaders who advocate for bipartisan positive change.
Please oversee the private programs' cost structures and accountability. We must ask why private placements are allowed to operate with minimal cost oversight and unbounded ability to raise costs. Public school districts have a 2% cap on our annual budgets, and the enormous amount of public tax dollars supporting private out-of-district schools demands oversight. With federal funding under attack, we are even more concerned about maintaining quality programs for all of our students.
Please keep our schools from falling victim to a failure narrative. We can and do offer exceptional learning environments for our children. At a time when public education is under attack, please help us to effectively use our resources to provide every student access to the educational success that makes New Jersey among the best in the country. Thank you.
Senate
Senator Joseph Cryan- D- Union
Senator Renee C. Burgess- D-Irvington
Senator Angela McKnight- D-Jersey City
Senator Joseph Pennacchio-R-Montville
Senator Douglas Steinhardt-R-Lopatcong
Senator Michael Testa-R-Vineland
Senator Shirley Turner-D- Ewing
Assembly
Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson-D-Trenton
Assemblywoman Linda Carter-D- Plainfield
Assemblywoman Victoria A. Flynn-R-Middletown
Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis-R- New Providence
Assemblywoman Carmen Theresa Morales-D-Belleville
Assemblyman Erik Simonsen-R-Vineland
Assemblyman Benjie E. Wimberly-D-Paterson
