BRICK – Governor Phil Murphy has lifted the mask mandate for schools effective Monday March 7 due to the “dramatic decline in cases, transmission rates and hospitalizations as well as an increase in vaccination rates,” he said at a coronavirus briefing from Trenton on February 7.
The governor said these predictive indicators show the number will continue to trend in these directions, and added that “this is a huge step back to normalcy for our kids…we have to learn to live with COVID as we move from a pandemic to the endemic phase of this virus.”
During a February 15 Board of Education meeting, superintendent Dr. Thomas Farrell said it was the first time he could recall the governor referring to the virus as endemic.
According to the Ocean County Health Department, Ocean County is currently in the yellow zone, or at moderate risk for COVID activity, and all indications show that the county would be entering the green zone, with a low number of new cases, shortly, the superintendent said.
“These are positive signs which give me a lot of optimism,” Dr. Farrell said. “It’s like you could almost see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The district would follow guidance from the state and local health departments that incorporate new quarantine protocols that align with lifting the mask mandate, he said.
“It’s so important that we continue to practice tolerance and consideration for others as we implement this new change,” the superintendent added.
Everyone has to work together with “empathy and understanding” to promote an environment where people can feel comfortable with their choice as the district moves forward with the no-mask mandate, he said.
Barring any last minute changes, district students and staff would transition to “masks optional” on March 7.
In other school news, preparations for the 2022-2023 school year budget are underway.
“We’ve started this process already with our program managers and administration,” Dr. Farrell said.
“As I’ve continually said, our budget is kind of simple and we don’t have much control over revenue sources,” he said.
The school district’s budget is limited by the state-mandated two percent tax levy cap and it is faced with another cut in state aid of $5 million. (Dr. Farrell was referring to NJ State Senate Bill S-2, which modified school funding and eliminated over $20 million in state aid to Brick over a seven year period).
“So before the budget process even starts, as our principals know, we’re kind of behind already with that,” the superintendent said.
The 2021-2022 school budget was approximately $160 million.
And finally, after reporting staff shortages in almost every department, Director of Human Resources William Kleissler said the situation is improving.
“We have been busy this past month,” he said during the meeting. “You’re going to notice that there are four people that we’re hiring…we are very excited that they are people that have been working and are being promoted from their current positions, or began the school year as substitutes with the hopes of moving into vacancies as they have come up.”
He said there were also four retirements of three long-time teachers and one teacher’s aide.
The next Board of Education meeting will be held at the Professional Development Center on Tuesday, March 15 at 7 p.m.
