WEST ORANGE, NJ — Dozens of West Orange public school teachers and staff may lose their jobs if a bare-bones, proposed 2017-18 budget comes to fruition, administrators say.

Last week, West Orange Superintendent Jeffrey Rutzky confirmed to Patch that dozens of school staff positions detailed in the district's March 22 budget presentation are still at risk under the proposed budget. The list of potential cuts includes 13 teachers, 20 full-time and four part-time paraprofessionals, two "supervisors," two assistant principals and three administrative assistants. But exactly which teachers and staff may end up on the unemployment line is still up in the air, officials say.

"There have been no decisions made about staffing cuts… since March 20," the West Orange Board of Education wrote in a joint statement on April 19. The proposed 2017-18 budget would also add four teachers, a principal and a custodian to the district's payroll.

Don't forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page. West Orange property owners with a home priced at the average assessed value of $338,129 would face a $271 tax increase from last year if the proposed budget passes, school officials say.

School administrators will hold a hearing for the final budget on Monday, May 1 at West Orange High School from 8 to 9 p.m. See a copy of the preliminary budget presentation here.

TEACHER CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS