Schools

Board of Ed Attempts to Allay Fears Over Staffing Reductions

The Board of Education defended its 3% budget at Thursday night's meeting.

At a meeting so heavily attended that close to a dozen people had to listen to the proceedings from the hallway of the Town Hall Annex, North Haven's Board of Education voted unanimously to approve its $45,720,684 proposed budget for 2012-2013. 

But despite the Board's decision to recommend a 3% increase in schools spending over last year, parents and staff members expressed concern about the elimination of a handful of special education and social worker positions outlined in the balance sheet. 

Throughout the evening, Superintendent Dr. Robert Cronin defended the budget, saying that balancing the myriad elements of the district's finances—from honoring union contracts, to bringing on new instructors, to assessing available levels of state grants and funding—had been a careful and time-consuming process. 

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Part of that process, Cronin said, was the choice to cut several positions in the district, including four special education teachers at the elementary school level, and two social workers. 

A school psychologist position originally slated for elimination was factored back into the budget during the meeting, bumping the previous 2.86% increase in spending up to 3%.

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Additionally, Cronin commented that the budget would introduce several new positions into the schools, such as math coaches, a dedicated autism teacher, middle school and high school intervention teachers, and a computer science teacher.

"These new roles will serve all students," Cronin said. "We've attempted to bring in new staff at every building and at every level."

Given the fact that additional funding may be provided by the state and in response to staffing demands at the high school come course selection period, Cronin said that the Board had compiled a prioritized list for refilling eliminated positions as money becomes available.

Other members of the Board expressed support for the plan.

"Our number-one priority is student achievement," said Anita Anderson to those in attendance. "The changes that we've proposed were not made lightly, but with extensive consultation of experts. It's our goal to insure success for all students."

Many parents and educators, however, commented that they disapproved of the staff reductions, arguing that the cuts would be harmful to special needs students. 

One resident said that social workers at Ridge Road Elementary School had been instrumental in the academic success of her child, and questioned the rationale behind the reduction.

Another called the decision to lay off staff "unacceptable," and criticized the Board for not communicating about the reductions with parents.

"Without support, our children will not succeed academically to the degree to which they are capable," warned one father. "This choice will come back to bite you in a big way."

Also voicing reservations was Tom Marak, President of the North Haven Education Association.

"In past years, North Haven has prided itself on educating the 'whole child,'" he wrote in an open letter to the town government. "These staff cuts will directly impact and likely reverse this philosophy...Why is there a recommendation to cut back on the support our students need in one area of their lives in order to provide for another? We feel that this is a false choice."

At the heart of the debate between the BoE and its critics appeared to be a fundamental disagreement over the state of North Haven special education: on the one hand, the Board contended that systematic and sometimes painful changes would ultimately enhance the quality of education for special needs students; conversely, parents pointed to their children's strong relationships with social workers and teachers as evidence that the program, while not perfect, would not be improved by letting staff go. 

The Board of Education will present its budget to the Board of Finance this Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at Town Hall.

 


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