Enfield Public Schools made headlines last year when drastic budget cuts eliminated hundreds of educators as well as vital programs and resources. This year, educators, parents, and allies were back in front of Town Hall to demand better for their students.
“We were seeing student growth, progress, improved test scores, and better mental health, and we were meeting state averages before last year’s funding cuts,” said Enfield Teachers Association President Emily Hulevitch. “It wasn’t perfect—we we were asking for more—but instead, the town decimated what we had. Now we’re trying to rebuild, and we need to start as soon as possible.
Enfield Public Schools made headlines last year when drastic budget cuts eliminated more than a hundred positions as well as vital programs and resources. This week, educators, parents, and allies were back in front of Town Hall to demand better for their students.
“We were seeing student growth, progress, improved student test scores, and better mental health before last year’s funding cuts,” said Enfield Teachers Association President Emily Hulevitch at Monday’s rally. “It wasn’t perfect, but we were meeting state averages and asking for more—and then the town decimated our schools. Now we’re trying to rebuild, and we need to start as soon as possible.”
ETA Vice President Bill Delaney described the current school year as the hardest on record because of last spring’s cuts.
“There are too few adults in our schools this year managing high numbers of students, and we need to remedy that quickly for student safety, academic, and mental health reasons,” he said. “After the devastation of last year, it’s imperative that we begin rebuilding and restoring some of those lost positions. Our Town Council has to look at what kind of town their residents want to live in—one where kids’ futures are bright, or one where they hit dead ends. We need proper funding if we want our town to grow, prosper, and be strong.”
“We’re here with a clear and urgent purpose: to call on our Town Council to pass the full 5.57% budget increase called for by our board of education,” said ETA Political Action Chair Kelsey McGuire Bruce, addressing a crowd of supporters and reporters gathered under umbrellas and tents against the rain. “We know times are tough,” she acknowledged. “Families are making sacrifices, and the town is facing hard decisions. Coming off a year where we’re down 120 educators, our students have felt the absence every single day. Our classrooms are stretched, our programs are strained, and our students are feeling the impact. Today we raise our voices not just in concern, but in hope, sending the message to fund our schools and fund our future.”
Allies for Enfield
Also speaking at the rally were CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey, State Representative John Santanella, who serves as an Enfield Town Council member, and members of Enfield for Education, a grassroots coalition including retired residents committed to strengthening the town’s public schools.
“Our children deserve better,” said Santanella. “A year ago, we stood on these steps in the wake of an election where people were indifferent and stayed home, thinking their voices didn’t matter. Six months later, we lost 120 school staff members, including 80 teachers, and today we sit with 29 students in a first-grade classroom with no support. As much as I am here to represent you and will fight for our kids at every turn, neither I nor any elected official can do it without you. We need your voices. We need you to get involved.”
Speaking on behalf of Enfield for Education, Linda Allegro thanked Enfield teachers for their “amazing dedication to our students during a very difficult and challenging school year,” with a budget that “caused great devastation, including the elimination of the sports program at the middle school, the heartbreaking loss of the high school career center that had served as a model for other districts, and the elimination of several high school courses that were replaced with study halls. Reduced staff meant classrooms exploded in size with no supporting staff. Our students and community have lost so much with these cuts, so I invite everyone to join us as we work to restore our education budget and advocate for our students, our community, and our future.”
“This is Teacher Appreciation Week,” said CEA’s DeLancey, “and I want to give a shoutout to Enfield educators, who have put in more than their time to make sure the kids who were hurt by the last budget were still taken care of, despite the lack of prioritizing the work that they do. It’s truly tragic and disappointing for a state like ours, which should be a pioneer in education, which should have a thriving school system in every town. We’re not broke. We’re smart. We’re caring. And there’s nobody who cares more or puts more effort into their work than a public school teacher.”
Budget battles, she pointed out, are currently playing out in East Lyme, Lebanon, New London, New Milford, Plainfield, Portland, Thomaston, Winchester, and other cities and towns throughout the state.
In Killingly this week, $1.1million was restored to the education budget with overwhelming public support; similar victories have taken place in Bethel, Cromwell, Guilford, Monroe, New Fairfield, Region 13, and Shepaug Valley.
Enfield’s proposed budget for 2025-2026—which would reinstate 34 staff positions, including 10 teachers—was approved by the Board of Education and awaits a decision by the Town Council, which could come as early as May 12 and no later than May 16.
In the lead-up to the Town Council’s decision, Enfield educators have kept the spotlight on budget concerns with rallies, community meetings, public comments at town meetings, and Red for Ed Fridays, where ETA members wear red to show unity and support for their public schools.
“I was here last year fighting for you,” said DeLancey, “and I’ll continue to fight, but I’d rather be here celebrating the work your teachers are doing in a thriving school system.”
