PARSIPPANY — The Board of Education (BOE) would like to address the recent comments made by Mayor James R. Barberio during the August 6, 2024, Town Council Meeting, and subsequent recent press statements. It is crucial to clarify that the BOE is a non-partisan entity dedicated to the education and well-being of schoolchildren. Our primary focus is providing quality education to our students, and there is no alignment with any political party or endorsement of political candidates.
While the BOE as an entity remains non-partisan, it is important to recognize that BOE members are private Parsippany citizens who volunteer their time and expertise to the community. Just like every private citizen, each BOE member, acting as a private citizen, can voice their opinion and participate in the political process.
Mayor Barberio’s claims of the BOE being “irrational” are unfounded. The BOE reminds the community that our budgeting process is transparent: subject to a 2% property tax cap; and undergoes a rigorous annual independent audit, consistently receiving no audit findings for the past five years. The District Business Office has also received the Association of School Business Officials Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting for six consecutive years. The BOE invites the community to review the annual school budget here. Results of the 2023 annual audit can be found here. The school auditor’s comments can be viewed here. Furthermore, neither the mayor nor the Town Council possess any authority over the independently elected BOE or school district to engage a special school auditor and it would cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Rather than diverting attention by falsely accusing the BOE, we implore the mayor and the township to resume discussions with the BOE regarding shared services and residential PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) revenue sharing. Together we need to identify what agreements can be reached in follow-up to the township’s PILOT projects for thousands of high-density residential units which will lead to an increase in school enrollment of hundreds of students, according to the 2024 District Demographic Study, without corresponding revenue for the district.
This situation forces the district to make challenging decisions, such as waiving class size policies for the 2024-2025 school year. Many other options were and are still being considered. See the FAQ section for additional information. BOE President Andy Choffo has attempted to reach out to Mayor Barberio through text messages and letters, seeking to resume discussions with the Township. As of now, these efforts remain unanswered. Mayor Barberio stated at the May 22, 2024, meeting with the BOE that he is prepared to have a third meeting where PILOT revenue sharing would be proposed. As soon as the Mayor gives us a meeting date, the Board is prepared to move forward. The BOE remains committed to our mission of educating schoolchildren and hopes to collaborate with the mayor and township to identify tangible solutions.
The BOE encourages everyone to join us at 292 Parsippany Rd, Parsippany-Troy Hills for the next BOE Meeting on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at 6:30 PM. A packet of financial and PILOT information will be available in hard copy and on the district website.
