Council to decide fate of preschool

WEST MILFORD – Suzanne Hart, Bonnie Earl and Carol Jean Capozzi, who is better known as “Mrs. C,” have spent the last 25 years preparing preschool-aged children for kindergarten.

At the preschool at the West Milford Parks and Recreation Department on Macopin Road, youngsters dabble in paint, recite rhymes, hear stories and play games. They learn numbers, letters, colors and shapes. They practice mutual respect, sharing and listening.

Parents call the three teachers indispensable, but the services they provide, giving parents and kids affordable access to the early childhood education, could soon end.

Last week, they received notice that the Township Council may fire them – actually they received two notices.

On Feb. 1 the teachers received formal notices that “The Mayor and Council will be discussing your position which could ultimately lead to the elimination of your position with the township.”

That letter, dated Jan. 11, said the matter was scheduled to be discussed on Jan. 23 – a date that had passed by the time they received the letter, they said.

A second notice was sent to correct the error, Township Administrator Nancy Gage said in an email.

“The issue of the West Milford preschool is being brought up… at the request of the Community Services and Recreation director,” she said.

Mayor Bettina Bieri said she had asked every township department head to look at all programs offered and evaluate them.

“She was doing her job,” said Bieri about Jayme Mulhern, director of the township’s Community Services and Recreation Department Wednesday night to preschool supporters. Several came to the council meeting to fight to keep the school open. “It’s an evaluation and a discussion. That’s all she was doing.”

Blindsided
In an interview at the school this week, Hart and Capozzi said the news their jobs may end came as a complete surprise.

“We were blindsided,” Capozzi said.

Though Hart, the head teacher for the preschool, had some knowledge that the program was running a deficit, she also said that repeated requests to see hard numbers accounting for the school’s income and expenses went unanswered by administrators.

“Not once have I seen a spreadsheet,” Hart said.

Mulhern made a short presentation to the mayor and council Wednesday night. She confirmed that the program was running in the red, charging $850 per year per student. With 69 students currently enrolled and the three-member staff recently getting a 2 percent raise, if no increase in tuition is made the program will fall short by over $33,000 this year.

Mulhern said other similar preschool programs charge up to $5,400 per year. She has asked for an increase in the tuition to $1,125, still considerably less than other schools. Even with that increase, the program will still be running with a deficit of over $23,000.

Parents want the program
Parents and supporters of the preschool program made it clear this is a special place for their kids and they want the township to find a way to keep it open.

Marianne Stillman is the health educator for West Milford from Chilton Hospital. She is a resident of West Milford and a parent to four children, three of whom are under five years old. In her capacity for Chilton, Stillman said she’s been in about 200 preschools throughout northern New Jersey.

“Hillcrest is not like any other preschool,” Stillman told the council. “This is one of the best I’ve ever been in. I arrange my schedule so we can do this.”

It’s an “old fashioned nursery school,” Stillman added, not a day care center, a concept that is slipping away.

Collin, Cassidy and Ciara Clinton have all attended the school. Their mother, Cathy Clinton, said the school met the children’s need for early education without forcing them to go to school for long hours at a young age.

“I had been a teacher and when I was looking around for a preschool, I immediately knew that this was the environment I wanted,” Clinton said at the school.

Colleen Czeczuga, whose son is in the preschool, said the flexibility of the West Milford preschool has extended access to preschool for families that may have had difficulty affording it.

“I honestly think that if they close this school, they’ll wind up pricing some of the families in town out of preschool, because you have people with single-income families or stay-at-home parents,” she said.

The preschool program has been offered by the recreation department since the mid-1980s. When full, the program serves about 80 children in classes that happen twice a week for 2.5 hours. Another 30 children attend a four-hour day on Fridays.

A council decision
Councilman Ed Rosone told the parents that the council will look at every option before a decision is made.

“We will try to find ways to make this program last,” he said.

Councilmembers Mike Hensley and Ada Erik are the subcommittee that will look into the preschool issue. A budget subcommittee will discuss the Recreation Department’s budget on Feb. 16. The council will have a decision by the March 6 council meeting.

What do you think about the West Milford Preschool? Go to westmilfordmessenger.com and tell us.