Superintendent Defends School Layoffs

When the 2012-13 school year begins in North Haven this Semptember, some familiar faces will be gone. According to Superintendent Robert Cronin, eight school employees will not return due to changes in the school budget. 

In their place, seven new positions – who are yet to be filled - will be created.

“We couldn’t continue just adding on more positions so it became a matter of looking at what are our priorities at the time and balancing them,” Cronin told Patch. “As a result of that, there are those eight positions that will not be here but there are seven new positions.”

Five special education teachers, a guidance counselor and two social workers were notified in April that they won’t be coming back. Cronin said the determination on what people to fire was based on years of experience in North Haven and elsewhere, evaluations, personnel files, interviews and number of degrees.

“The plan is and always has been to reallocate those moneys for other positions we need in the district,” Cronin said.

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The new positions include a computer teacher for , a special education teacher at the middle school for autistic children, a language arts coordinator for kindergarten through fifth grade, a high school reading teacher, a speech teacher and two math coaches for elementary school.

Cronin said that other positions for people retiring or otherwise leaving the district will be filled.

Tom Marak, president of the teachers' union North Haven Education Association, could not be reached for comment.