Connecticut Educators Blast Democrats’ Education Funding Cuts As Budget Crisis Worsens

Across Connecticut, educators are fuming at Failed Governor Dan Malloy and his Democrat enablers over their plan to slash or eliminate tens of millions of dollars in education aid to over 130 school districts in the state in response to their still unresolved budget crisis. Mayors and education officials interviewed by the Hartford Courant called the cuts “devastating,” noting that they would harm “the majority of school districts in the state.” Others went even further, with the executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents calling the cuts “treacherous,” “outrageous,” and “a travesty” for schools.

With districts already cutting teacher positions, scaling back elective classes, and increasing class sizes, Connecticut students will be paying the price this year for Malloy’s failed leadership and voters will remember it as his chief enablers, Nancy Wyman and Kevin Lembo, jockey to succeed him in 2018.

The Hartford Courant reports:

“Municipal officials across the state reacted with dismay and anger Friday to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to slash or shift tens of millions of dollars in state school aid because of the legislature’s failure to enact a new state budget.

Malloy’s latest plan would eliminate state Educational Cost Sharing payments to 85 of Connecticut’s more affluent municipalities, including Glastonbury and West Hartford. School aid grants to another 54 communities would be reduced. Major cities and poorer towns would continue to receive education grants at the same level as in the fiscal year that ended on June 30…

School districts had been expecting to receive their first installment of state education aid in mid-September, and more in October. Malloy’s administration is now saying that, under the new plan, 25 percent of annual ECS payments will be made in October…

For instance, West Hartford, which received $21 million last year and was slated to get $4.3 million under the June executive order, would get zero funding under the plan issued Friday.

‘If the governor’s executive orders come to pass, the elimination of ECS payments to the town of West Hartford would be devastating to our highly efficient and effective and diverse educational system and to our tax payers,’ said West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor. ‘We cannot let this come to pass and therefore it is urgent that the state legislature pass a budget that is fair and will allow West Hartford along with our whole state to grow and prosper.’

Glastonbury, which stands to lose all its $6.7 million funding under Malloy’s new plan, is taking a wait-and-see approach.

‘The Governor’s plan harms the majority of school districts in the state,’ Superintendent Alan B. Bookman said. ‘We need a more rational decision that will have a more moderate and more gradual effect on schools. We need the state legislature to step up and pass a more appropriate budget.’…

Avon Town Council Chairman Mark Zacchio said that, “It looks like we would see a fairly significant reduction [$731,456] and any reduction at this point is at best difficult.”

Bristol school board Chairman Chris Wilson said Bristol schools this summer cut several teaching jobs, scaled back elective classes at the high school and raised some class sizes, all based on getting less money from the city than administrators proposed. But as one of the state’s 30 Alliance District systems, Bristol has been expecting state aid would remain relatively steady.

If the General Assembly ultimately settles on a budget with reductions in Alliance District or special education grants, Bristol would have to cut further into its program, Wilson said Friday. Those two streams of aid provide about $8 million a year for the city’s schools.

Fran Rabinowitz, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, said of the cuts proposed in education cost sharing grants in Malloy’s executive order: ‘It’s treacherous; it’s outrageous that you would cut that kind of money in one year from so many districts.’

‘The bottom line is it’s a travesty for those districts. Enfield cannot sustain a $20 million cut or Milford a $10 million cut. Wallingford and Wethersfield are cut too. These are not wealthy districts.’”