Students, teachers, and community members from across New London marched across the city and rallied to bring attention to the city council’s flat funding of the education budget. The city council’s move puts New London Public Schools in a more than $4 million deficit, meaning staff and programming cuts across the district’s six campuses.
The rally, which was organized by Fresh New London, came on the heels of news New London would not be receiving an extension on federal COVID-19 relief dollars. U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called for the funds to be spent this year by March 28, leaving New London Public Schools out $1.96 million in expected funding.
“New London cannot afford to flat fund the education budget,” said Seanice Austin, co-director of Fresh New London. “We need the state to support our board of education with funding. Everything that we learned during COVID—and then we flat fund education now only five years later? We’re taking a step back. So, all of the disparities that we recognized in 2020, are we saying that those things no longer exist?”
Education supporters marched almost a mile through New London chanting and waving signs, receiving honks and shouts of support from passing motorists. Marchers landed at the Whale Tail Fountain in downtown where a rally was held to detail how these cuts would affect students and teachers alike. Students took the stage to emotionally plead for their teachers’ jobs to be saved and for what they called life-saving programming to remain. Educators discussed how flat funding the budget would harm the most vulnerable students.
New London special education teacher Danielle Blergh addressed the crowd.
“New London students deserve better,” said Danielle Bergh, a special education teacher at The New London Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School. “During a time when students are in need of more safety and support, not less, they are being denied basic resources and are being forced to say goodbye to staff with whom they have cultivated safe and supportive relationships.”
Organizers are now calling on the State of Connecticut to help fill in the education gaps not only in New London but in cities and towns across the state facing similar cuts to programming and staff.
“We who support education are tired of hearing hollow words from those who pretend,” said Greg Perry, CEA UniServ Rep. “We’re tired of having to fight this same fight over and over again. Tired of hearing the lip service of ‘I support education more than anything.’ Actions speak louder than words.”
