Teachers Bring Budget Push To City Hall

Ditch the software-driven learning, standardized testing, and tech-oriented trainings. Keep the human connections at the heart of every school.

That message resounded from over 20 educators, students, and school staff on Thursday evening at the Board of Alders Finance Committee’s final public hearing on the upcoming city budget.

Those school community members comprised over a third of the 60 people who testified before the Board of Alders Finance Committee. Nearly 100 people in total filled the Board of Alders chamber — many sitting on the floor or standing in the back with hand-painted signs — in order to bring attention to food insecurity, arts funding, homeless services, and a seemingly endless number of other priorities in need of funding.

Among the largest contingent of testifiers was organized by New Haven Federation of Teachers. They were there to respond to an announcement from schools Supt. Madeline Negrón indicating that 129 school employees — primarily teachers (including the arts), paraeducators, librarians, and math and reading coaches — could face layoffs next year in order to close an anticipated $16.5 million budget shortfall.

In their testimony Thursday night, the educators echoed Negrón’s calls for more funding from the State of Connecticut, which would require the governor to loosen restrictions on spending the state’s $4 billion ​“Rainy Day Fund” among other reserves.

The school advocates also responded with a litany of other ways the school district could save costs, aside from slashing educators and student-facing staff.

They pointed to administrator positions, phone-sealing pouches, peppy convocation events, and contracts with private ed-tech companies that educators slammed as joyless and restrictive.

“We need to find out: For every dollar that is spent in New Haven Public Schools, what percent of that dollar is going to our kids?” asked NHFT President Leslie Blatteau. ​“Cause if it’s a high number, that’s great, we can ask for more money from the state. And if it’s a low number, then we have more work to do.”

Metropolitan Business Academy teacher Izzi Geller described being ​“pulled from my ninth grade classroom for a day-long training” on the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt reading assessments she had spent four classes administering. The training walked her through her classroom’s test scores, grouping them by reading ability.

“Given a 20-minute prep, sharpened pencil, and a piece of paper, I could have created an almost identical spread,” Gellar said. ​“I read my students’ writing. I conference with them. I listen to them read, and I listen to them in general. I know their abilities and I design my instruction accordingly.”

She argued that schools should be focused on creative expression and teacher-student connections, not on computerized programs. 

“How can we possibly entertain the idea of cutting librarians and arts educators but continue pouring dollars into corporate contract tests that suck the life and joy out of our students?” she asked. ​“Let’s stop teaching kindergarteners how to use iPads so they can better take this test and start taking them outside and funding magical play-based learning.”

Her words were echoed by Truman School teacher Ashley Stockton. ​“The [reading] program teachers are now directed to use is boxed and scripted and contains digital components,” she said. She said that much of the professional development she’s received in recent years has centered around how to operate those electronic assessments. 

“In the past two years, I have received little to no professional learning that has impacted or improved my teaching practice,” Stockton said. ​“Even though we now have two reading supervisors, one math supervisor, and one director of professional learning.” 

She argued that the administrators in charge of those programs should be laid off before teachers, librarians, and paras.

Negrón argued to alders last week that positions such as reading supervisors are needed in order for the district to function. ​“Although it appears that it could still run without those positions, it’s not doable,” she had said. ​“I am not trying to cut things that I know are important. As a public educator myself for 30 years, I know the importance of every role,” she added at the latest Board of Education meeting. ​“I have no other choice than to cut and do layoffs. Did I say nothing at central office? I have never said nothing at central office,” she also said. ​“Everything is on the table.”

The school system should make ​“every possible cut to administrators” before heading to teachers, agreed Nathan Hale music teacher Gillian Greco Lynch on Thursday night.

“Freeze pay for administrators. Consolidate office spaces. Find any and every empty room in school buildings if space is needed and reduce rent costs,” she charged. ​“Discontinue any expenditure that does not benefit students or improve teaching practices, like convocation.”

Metro student Makayla Kidd argued that the district’s recent $371,000 investment in cellphone-sealing Yondr pouches has created a sense of frustration and even a spirit of rule-evasion among the students she knows. 

“How do we have enough pouches, but not enough to keep our teachers?” she asked.

Lynch asked alders to approve the mayor’s requested $5 million increase in funding to New Haven Public Schools — with the condition that cuts like those are prioritized over the adults directly interacting with students.