Above: What can be done to improve relations between Orthodox and non-Orthodox communities?

LAKEWOOD — The township's public schools may close Monday as a result of the financial pressures facing the district, where officials say money will run out before the end of the next school year.

Administrators said on the district website that parents should make "alternate plans" for their children. School leaders called it a "precautionary measure" due to the "unknown fiscal situation."

Last week, the Lakewood school board approved a 2019-20 budget that the district doesn't have the money to fund. Its lawyer and several administrators also went to court Wednesday to plea for help, saying the district cannot afford to keep schools open beyond March.

Special education and transportation account for about 40 percent of the public schools' expenses. The district enrolls about 6,000 students, but also is responsible for costs of transportation and certain services for Lakewood's more than 30,000 private school children.

Administrators have sought Trenton's help in closing the school district's growing budget holes, using combinations of grants and loans.

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They said parents and staff would be notified by 5:30 a.m. Monday about plans for programs and operations.

The school board is scheduled to meet at 7:30 a.m. that morning at the high school to discuss the budget, summer school programs, staffing and mandated services such as special education.

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Related:Lakewood schools can't afford to stay open past March, leaders say

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Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers Brick, Barnegat and Lacey townships as well as the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than a decade. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.