Despite an outpouring of support for fairly funded schools by students, parents, teachers, and community members the Enfield Town Council voted Monday night to make $5 million in cuts to the Enfield Public Schools. The Board of Education had proposed a budget with a 8.68% increase, already far less than the 12.67% needed to maintain current services, but the Town Council voted 7-4 along party lines for a 2% increase that requires the Board of Education and acting superintendent to make disastrous cuts.
“Enfield will not look the same. This budget means devastating cuts for our schools that will harm our children for years to come,” says Enfield Teachers’ Association President Emily Hulevitch, pictured above in front of teachers and students holding 121 pink shirts to represent the 121 pink slips educators have recieved. “Our schools have been struggling for years with a lack of resources and now the district will have to eliminate many more programs and cut a significant number of staff.”
“This draconian cut is an insult to the entire Enfield community. How dare they!” says ETA Vice President Bill DeLaney. “The Republicans on the Town Council voted to dismantle our schools in ways beyond comprehension. They’re cutting essential programs and services and dozens of staff, which will lead to drastically increased class sizes. These cuts will change the trajectory of students’ lives.”
“Every single student in our state has the right to have a school district that puts forth a budget that is dynamic and allows for them to thrive,” said CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey, addressing the crowd that rallied outside Town Council chambers before Monday night’s meeting. “It’s one thing to look for efficiencies, but it’s another thing to think these efficiencies are effective, and this budget that cuts $5 million dollars isn’t efficient, it’s detrimental. When you decimate a budget by $5 million and you think you can support your students it’s absolutely ridiculous, careless, and reckless. Enfield students deserve so much better.”
“The teachers that we’re losing are going to go to other districts and find other jobs because there’s a teacher shortage, but education in this town will never be the same,” said Tod Couture, grievance chair and past ETA president. “Students are struggling with mental health issues, and now they won’t have the staff to support them. We’re going to have zero extracurricular activities.”
Now that the Town Council has voted on the education budget it falls to the acting superintendent and Board of Education to decide how to make $5 million in cuts. ETA leaders are advocating that, to the extent possible, cuts come from areas that impact students the least, but with such significant cuts required, teacher positions will be eliminated. The ETA has asked to work with the acting superintendent to discuss the budget cuts.
“We also will make sure any elimination of positions follows contractual reduction in force language with respect to honoring seniority and minimizing involuntary transfers,” says CEA UniServ Rep Suzanne Haviland.
All non-tenured staff already received non-renewal notices. If certain programs are completely eliminated tenured staff could also see their positions cut. During the next two Board of Education meetings on May 28 and June 11 final decisions about position cuts will be made, meaning some teachers may not learn whether they can keep their jobs until after the school year is over.
“We’re working to save every possible job but are also encouraging members facing potential layoffs to actively search for positions in other districts,” says Haviland. CEA is holding two job search workshops for Enfield teachers in the coming weeks.
“Enfield families will remember these cuts to students’ education when Town Council members are next up for election,” says DeLancey. “And many of the high school students who repeatedly came out to rally will be old enough to vote by then. I encourage all Enfield voters to remember how each member of the Council voted this spring and make sure their voices are heard.”
