Town, city spar over Open Choice bid
New Haven hasn’t paid share, Woodbridge says; 2 students denied entry
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker recently implored the Woodbridge Board of Education to reverse a decision and allow two kindergartners from his city to attend the town’s elementary school next school year through the state’s Open Choice program.
But the Woodbridge board had already decided at a previous meeting that it would not fill two kindergarten positions that will be open next year. The board made this decision because members allege New Haven hasn’t paid its fair share of certain education costs as required by the state.
The program allows children to attend schools in other districts. Those interested in doing so are chosen by a lottery.
As part of the deal, the district where the student lives is responsible for paying a reasonable portion of extra costs when special education is required.
Those costs are the crux of the issue between New Haven and Woodbridge.
Woodbridge board members have said it was a business decision and that the underpayments have occurred for many years. They said they are looking out for Woodbridge residents’ tax dollars.
‘Reasonable’ amount
Elicker and his team said New Haven paid Woodbridge a “reasonable” amount of the costs.
New Haven Public Schools spokesman Justin Harmon said Woodbridge attempted to bill NHPS $262,774 for the 2021-2022 school year and “based on follow up conversations and consensus between NHPS and WPS,” New Haven paid Woodbridge $131,728.
“New Haven Public Schools’ long-standing practice and agreement with Woodbridge Public Schools has been to pay for our students’ individual special education services that exceed the
baseline services that WPS would otherwise ordinarily provide to all its students with special needs,” Harmon said. “Now, contrary to past practice and agreements, WPS and the Woodbridge Board of Education appear to be requesting that New Haven Public Schools pay for baseline education costs as well.”
Woodbridge Superintendent of Schools Vonda Tencza would not clarify or provide information.
Tencza wrote in an email: “Thank you for reaching out. I really cannot contribute any additional information other than what was discussed at the most recent Board of Education meeting. My statements and those of the Board clarified our thoughts during the meeting and I would not want to paraphrase them for possible error.”
Woodbridge Board of Education Chairwoman Lynn Piascyk did not return emails seeking comment.
Harmon said in an email that for the 202021 school year, the mutually agreed upon above the baseline costs were $59,811 for special education and related services. In the 202122 school year, there was no agreement in place, he said.
The state Department of Education website defines Open Choice as an “interdistrict public school program intended to improve academic achievement; reduce racial, ethnic and economic isolation; and provide a choice of educational programs for public school students.”
It appears the money disagreement is about what’s “reasonable.” Woodbridge board members said at the recent meeting that New Haven was willing to pay for one-on-one paraprofessionals, but not other behavioral and other special education measures.
The Woodbridge board made their 6-1 decision at a Jan. 17 meeting not attended by Elicker or other New Haven officials.
The minutes for the Jan. 17 meeting say in part that Tencza provided an overview on the Open Choice program. The minutes note, “It is not fair to the taxpayers of Woodbridge that New Haven is being fiscally irresponsible and these costs are being incurred year after year. Woodbridge has taken significant efforts in performing their due diligence to no avail.
“An opportunity exists for the Board to take a firm stance in not accepting any new students until the situation is rectified. It was suggested that contact be made with the Mayor of New Haven as well as the district requesting full reimbursement and to document that they are not meeting their obligations under this program and to reassess after that has been done,” the minutes say.
‘Turning your back on equity’?
Elicker spoke during the public comment portion of the Feb. 27 meeting, failing in his attempt to get the board to put the issue on their agenda so it could be discussed in depth. There is no dialogue with the school board during public comment portion of meetings.
Elicker had written to Piascyk on Feb. 16, asking to be placed on the school board’s agenda.
“I have received your January 31, 2023 letter regarding the Woodbridge Board of Education’s recent decision to eliminate two seats for New Haven students in Woodbridge Schools as a part of the State of Connecticut’s Open choice program due to an allegation that New Haven does not adequately reimburse the Woodbridge School District for the cost for special education,” Elicker wrote, according to a letter posted on the Woodbridge Board of Education’s agenda site.
“We would like to discuss this matter directly with the full Woodbridge School Board. I plan on attending the next Board of Education meeting on Monday, February 27, 2023 with several staff members from New Haven Public Schools. While we understand that there will be an opportunity address the Board during public comment, we suggest it would be more appropriate to have specific time allotted for this discussion. I therefore request to be placed on the agenda for the next Board of Education meeting,” Elicker wrote.
Elicker, in the Feb. 27 meeting, started by saying he was there to express “deep concern” about the board’s decision not to fill those two kindergarten spots for the 2023-2024 school year.
He said there were many “misleading statements” made during the school board meeting by members, including one mention that New Haven steered special education students to Woodbridge.
Elicker said that would be “unethical and discriminatory,” and called the assertion, “false and offensive.”
He said it’s also impossible because the process is all done by lottery and the student’s academic status isn’t known.
He disagreed with the claim the students are a “financial burden” to Woodbridge.
He said the median annual income in Woodbridge is over $171,000 with a 1.9 percent poverty rate and in New Haven the median annual income is under $49,000 and the city has a 25 percent poverty rate.
He said the open choice program is about the children and the money is an adult matter. The program benefits the kids in both districts, Elicker said.
“For you to walk away from this opportunity is putting the adults (and their monetary dispute) before the kids and turning your back on equity,” Elicker told the board.
He continued, “This is an opportunity for you to make a statement about the values of the Woodbridge people and the Woodbridge School District. To show that you care about ending racial and ethnic isolation.”
Concern for taxpayers
The Woodbridge board had a long discussion about the Open Choice issue at its Jan. 17 meeting. Generally, they endorsed the concept, but perceived Woodbridge wasn’t receiving its fair share of reimbursement. They said they would revisit the issue next year of filling the two slots for the following year.
One board member said fewer special education students would free up resources for the others. In other words, if a speech teacher had four students rather than five, it would benefit the others.
One board member said the program was originally intended to diversify schools, but that she felt Woodbridge has become more diverse in recent years.
It was a tough issue, they all agreed.
Woodbridge resident Daniel Delprete, who spoke at the February meeting, said he heard a lot of reasoning to support not renewing the two slots.
Delprete said a lot of his taxes go to the state and the state gives a lot of money to New Haven.
“This decision (about the kindergarten slots) is a business decision as it was explained to me,” he said. “Our taxes continue to go up…”
The minutes from that meeting say “It was noted that a small group of Board members met with ACES last year to discuss process, reimbursement and that commitments made by the Open Choice people have not been fulfilled. If we are going to continue participation in this program, at what point does it stop if district resources are not being fully reimbursed as agreed to.”
Elicker said the children in each district benefit from each other and they “grow together.”
Woodbridge has participated in the program for at least 10 years and has 18 New Haven residents attending its Beecher Road Elementary School.
The potential kindergarten “openings” were brought about by the upcoming graduation of two New Haven children from the sixth grade.
On the flip side, 10 Woodbridge residents attend New Haven schools. Altogether there are 2,648 students from other districts attending New Haven Schools, Elicker said.
Sheila Mccreven, a member of the Woodbridge Board of Selectmen, also wrote to the school board, saying in a Jan. 27 letter “I am writing to request that you take action to reconsider your vote to eliminate the Woodbridge School District’s participation in the Project Open Choice program lottery for seats in Beecher’s incoming Kindergarten class for the 2023-24 school year.”
“As I stated at last week’s joint meeting of the Boards of Selectmen and Finance, it is my belief that the Town of Woodbridge’s long history of continuous participation in this program represents an important contribution to efforts to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic isolation in our public schools,” Mccreven wrote.
As the New Haven Independent and Thomas Breen reported in its story on the issue, the disagreement came as “New Haven affordable housing advocates and Yale Law School lawyers and students have amped up pressure on Woodbridge” over housing.