Voter referendums in the City of Danbury are uncommon, so teachers and education supporters weren’t sure what to expect, but their activism paid off in a big way yesterday when residents voted 2,641 to 433 in favor of an educational bond package that will allow for the creation of a new career academy as well as funding other school infrastructure projects.
“Our teachers are beyond thrilled that this referendum was so widely supported in our community,” says NEA-Danbury President Erin Daly. She says that the new Danbury Career Academy will not only help alleviate severe overcrowding in the city’s schools but will also signal a renewed commitment to students.
Unlike many municipalities in Connecticut, Danbury’s school enrollment has been growing quickly and the high school has already exceeded its 3,370 building capacity. Experts have previously predicted the district would see 400 to 500 more students over the next couple of years, but in recent years actual enrollment has exceeded projections.
The career academy will serve 1,040 high school students and 360 middle-schoolers, significantly alleviating overcrowding at the secondary level. The school will contain six academies: emerging technologies and entrepreneurship, scientific innovation and medicine, information and cyber security, professional and public service, communication and design, and art, engineering and design.
“As educators, we want the best for our kids and this school will provide boundless opportunities for future career pathways,” Daly says. “We are so proud to have played a part in moving this exciting project forward.”
“This investment in our students will reap benefits for our community for many years to come,” says State Senator Julie Kushner, who has consistently advocated for the academy and spoke about the need for the new school earlier this spring in a CEA podcast episode. “We will also be able to make much-needed renovations to existing schools.”
Additional money in the borrowing package that passed yesterday will go toward school renovations and allow the district to build a 16-classroom early childhood education center, freeing up space in the elementary schools.
“Erin and her members were critical in getting out the vote in this low-turnout election,” says CEA UniServ Rep Tom Kennedy, who worked closely with Daly on the referendum. “Referendums are very unusual in Danbury. There has not been one in over twenty years, so residents are not accustomed to going to the polls in June.”
He continued, “NEA-Danbury members contacted CEA members who live in Danbury via emails, phone calls, and text messages letting them know about the importance of the career academy to the community and encouraging them to vote. CEA members and their families made up a significant portion of the voter turnout.”
