Hundreds of students, parents, and educators flooded the New Milford green this week rallying to protest nearly $2 million in cuts to New Milford’s proposed school budget.
New Milford is one of many communities across the state struggling with education cuts this spring. In New Milford’s case, the proposal to cut the town’s education budget was a surprise action from the board of finance. Now the community is rallying, urging residents to turn out for the budget referendum on May 20 to vote no, and select the option on the ballot indicating that they think the school budget line is too low so that education funding can be restored.
“Let’s not sugarcoat this. What the board of finance did was fast, calculated, and cold,” CEA New Milford President Kim Patella told the overflow crowd who attended the Town Meeting following the rally. “In just nine minutes they voted to dismantle the school system built on decades of dedication. Nine minutes with no hesitation. Just cuts, and then they walked away.”
“The board of finance voted to cut 1.9 million dollars from the education budget without meaningful analysis and without a single thought to how it would impact our schools, our teachers, or most importantly, our students,” parent Jamie Bell said. “Not one question was asked, there was no discussion of the consequences, no evaluation of educational needs, just a vote based on a number arbitrarily calculated.”
During the town meeting, a teacher read off the names of the 62 New Milford educators who have received pink slips, letting each pink slip drop to the floor as she spoke.
Last week 62 teachers in New Milford received pink slips, and the district is looking at larger class sizes, fewer electives and enrichment opportunities, and less access to music, art, and athletics programs.
One teacher choked up during the meeting as she read off the names of her 62 colleagues who are facing the elimination of their positions. Most of the 62 teachers were in attendance and stood or raised their hand when their name was read. Elementary students seated in the front row gasped in dismay on several occasions as the names of teachers they know were listed.
“I love my school, and I love my teachers,” a seventh grader who attends Schaghticoke Middle School said. “Many of my favorite teachers have received these pink slips of nonrenewal. These teachers are my best friends and mentors. These teachers are there for me always. These teachers choose to be here in New Milford because they love the students and the students love them. On behalf of me, my friends, and my teachers, vote no, too low.”
Kristin McCoy grew up in New Milford and just last year made the decision to leave a 20-year career in what she described as one of the top-ranked districts in the state to come back to her hometown to teach kindergarten.
Kristin McCoy left a 20-year career in another district to return to teach in her hometown of New Milford last year. Now she is one of 62 teachers who has received a pink slip, represented by the 62 pink shirts held by the educators standing behind her.
“I left a stable, well-paying job that offered every resource an educator could hope for, and I came back home to New Milford because I believe in this town, and I believe in its potential,” she said. Now, she is one of the 62 educators who have received a pink slip. “I chose to come back at great personal sacrifice because I wanted to give back to the community that raised me. Just this past month, my family and I bought a home here, committing fully to making New Milford our permanent home. Now I worry about that decision.”
McCoy said that in the district where she worked previously, every school had two full-time school psychologists, five special education teachers, two assistant principals, one literacy and one math coach, and multiple interventionists.
“In New Milford we’re operating at a fraction of that. A half-time psychologist per building, two instructional coaches stretched across three schools, two interventionists per building, and a staff stretched thin every day, yet somehow still rising to the occasion with love, devotion, and relentless flexibility.”
She continued, “Even the most extraordinary team cannot continue to do more with less. This proposed cut will devastate our schools and will chip away at the very heart of our town—our education system.”
“I’m so thrilled to see so many people out here tonight,” CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey told the crowd gathered on the green before the Town Meeting. “You have the privilege and the power that not every town gets. You get to vote in a referendum on this budget. You have the power to vote no too low on May 20.”
“These students only get one chance at a full and meaningful education,” Bell said during her remarks at the town meeting, as she asked all students in attendance to stand.
“Thankfully, we get more than one chance to fix this catastrophic mistake so that our kids aren’t the ones forced to pay the price of this incredibly poor decision making,” she continued. “The more than 3,500 students in New Milford Public Schools are not just numbers to use in calculations. They are New Milford residents, and our public officials have a duty to represent them with a budget that meets their educational needs. The board of finance must be held accountable for failing to do the job we elected them to do. That’s why I’m asking every voter in New Milford to vote no, too low, at the referendum.”
