Embattled Washington Township School Superintendent Eric Hibbs returns with little fanfare

After a five-month hiatus, Washington Township schools chief Eric Hibbs quietly took his seat Tuesday night with the board that suspended him.

There was little fanfare for Hibbs’ highly anticipated first school board meeting after a judge this month voided his suspension.

Hibbs only made passing references to his absence, saying “it’s good to be back.” Board members offered no comment on his return, much to the ire of some residents. Board president Julie Kozempel was on a planned family vacation.

“I find it kind of embarrassing that nobody on the board welcomed him back,” said Sean Lindsay, a former board member. “It looks to me like this board is not going to work with him.”

Added another resident, Tom Baldosaro: “To not acknowledge that he’s returned is a mistake from this board. Nobody would want to go through what he went through.”

A Superior Court judge last month cleared the way for Hibbs’ return, ruling that the board violated the Open Public Meetings Act at its March 18 meeting when it suspended Hibbs. As a result, he was reinstated as superintendent.

» READ MORE: Judge voids suspension of Washington Township school superintendent

The board has not publicly stated why it placed Hibbs on paid administrative leave. An attorney for Hibbs has said his client was told he was suspended after an ethics complaint alleged Hibbs provided preferential treatment to a relative of a board member by changing a failing math grade in September 2023.

Hibbs has filed a whistleblower lawsuit alleging his suspension was in retaliation for raising questions about a district insurance contract awarded in 2021, before he became superintendent.

During Tuesday’s meeting, a resident asked Hibbs if he plans to withdraw the lawsuit. Hibbs did not respond. He has also filed ethics complaints against board members.

Hibbs has been superintendent since 2023. His contract, with an annual salary of $215,000, runs through 2027.

» READ MORE: Washington Township school board put superintendent on leave and can’t agree on replacement. Here’s a look at the ethics complaints.

He returned to a Gloucester County school system plagued with problems, from infighting on the board to fiscal concerns. The board raised school property taxes in June and made sweeping cuts, including layoffs, to close an $11 million budget deficit.

Here are some other takeaways from the meeting

There were more emotional pleas to the board Tuesday to reinstate some of the dozens of support staff who were laid off. The board previously eliminated health benefits for 59 teaching assistants by reducing their hours to part-time.

After first rejecting the appointment of a special education instructional assistant because of budget concerns, the board approved the hire. It rejected the hiring of a second assistant.

The board withdrew a controversial pay-to-play proposal that would have required high school athletes to pay $250 per sport. The measure had been scheduled for a second reading Tuesday night.

Hibbs said the district may consider the proposal in the future. It was unclear how the district would cover the cost for the 2025-26 year.

“For this year, it is off the table,” Hibbs said.

The district is also reinstating about 10 high school cocurricular activities, including the Spanish, French, and German clubs, Future Business Leaders of America, and advisers for the ROTC and theater clubs.

Donors agreed to put up the funds to save those programs, which had been cut from the budget, Hibbs said. The district hopes to include them in the budget next year, he said.

Several elementary school programs, including the Green club, which promotes environmental awareness, were saved, Hibbs said. So far, the district has not been able to save its middle school sports program, he said.

The state notified the district Aug. 1 that it approved a 7.13% tax increase included in the district’s $167.5 million budget for 2025-26. A new state incentive program this year permitted districts to exceed a 2% tax levy cap.

Washington Township was among 25 districts in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester Counties allowed to apply for the tax program, according to a list obtained by The Inquirer from the New Jersey Department of Education under the Open Public Records Act.

The Washington Township application asked to raise an additional $5.2 million to pay for teachers, instructional aides, and guidance counselors. The state approved $5 million. As an incentive, the state provided $252,000 in additional aid.

The increase will add $345 in taxes annually to a home assessed at the township average of $232,000.

Hibbs said the district must develop a three- to five-year financial plan after depleting a $70 million surplus in recent years to balance its budget.

“We have zero money in capital, zero,” the superintendent said. “We’re living paycheck to paycheck.”

Hibbs said the district would likely have to consider asking voters to approve a bond referendum in the near future. A referendum can be a tough sell because it typically raises property taxes.

The district could find itself in the same shape as the Toms River Regional School District, which was blocked this year by the state from filing bankruptcy. Instead, the state forced the district to impose a 13% tax increase to fund schools.

“The path that we’re on leads to just devastation and destruction,” Hibbs said.