City parents: ‘Stop starving schools’
Community members rally outside Danbury City Hall to demand increase in education funding
DANBURY — Outside Danbury City Hall, 4-year-old Gloria Saunders held a sign reading “Fund my future.”
She, her 3-year-old brother and her mom were among at least 60 community members who rallied Tuesday evening to demand funding for the schools be increased.
Her mom, Rachel Saunders, is a Danbury resident and head of the science, technology, engineering and math department at the middle schools. Her daughter will be in kindergarten in the fall and her son will eventually attend the public schools.
“We know they need money for their schooling,” Saunders said.
The rally was planned ahead of City Council’s expected vote on the mayor’s proposed $267 million budget, which would keep the tax rate flat for the third year in a row.
A technical error forced postponment of the budget vote to Thursday. The council has been meeting over Zoom, but a problem with connecting the meeting to the YouTube stream where the public could watch delayed the meeting, said a spokeswoman with the mayor’s office.
Tension over the school budget was particularly sharp this year. Some argued the city needed to avoid burdening residents with a tax increase during the coronavirus pandemic, while school supporters said COVID-19 and enrollment increases made the need for education funding more dire.
The school board requested $4 million above the mayor’s proposed education budget.
The mayor’s about $146 million education plan includes $137 million in city funds, an increase of $1.25 million from this fiscal year. The schools would also use $5.1 million in federal grants and a $3.5 million district surplus from a prior year.
Saunders said she has seen the dedication of Danbury teachers.
“I just think about how much more they could do, for supplies and stuff, especially in the science classroom,” she said.
Holding signs that said “Please fund us” and “Uniting to save our schools,” the rally-goers occasionally chanted “pass the budget, bridge the gap.” Various community organizations led the rally.
Under the mayor’s proposal, overall city and school spending would increase by $5 million. But the tax rate would remain flat, something the mayor and some council members have said is critical as residents and businesses struggle financially during the coronavirus pandemic.
Josh Richter, a resident and teacher at Pembroke Elementary School with a sixth-grade daughter, said he’d rather see the city invest in the schools.
“I’m worried about my property values when the schools kinda go to hell,” he said.
He said the council should make the “moral” and “common sense” decision to fully fund the schools.
The education budget has not kept up with enrollment increases, school supporters argued.
Demographic reports have shown the district’s enrollment has increased 17 percent over 10 years. Another 750 students are expected to enroll over the next five years, which could increase class sizes, the education board has said.
The school board has requested an average 5.3 percent annual spending increase, but received an average 1.8 percent more, according to figures from the board. There’s a $48 million gap between what the board has requested and what the city has granted since 2011-12.
“This pattern of underfunding is shameful, especially for a district that continues to grow,” said Christina Sweeney, a parent with two students in the district.
She urged the city to “stop starving” the schools and students.
Former students described the challenges the schools faced due to limited resources. That includes the lack of guidance counselors. Administrators have said Danbury High School has one counselor for every 400 students.
When 20-year-old Najely Clavijo attended Danbury High School, only one counselor was available for all English learners, she said.
“It was difficult to get the support I needed to talk about my classes and college,” said Clavijo, a member of Connecticut Students for a Dream.