Parents: Expand schools’ programs
Field trips, after-school classes suggested for Danbury’s 2022-23 budget
DANBURY — As students continue to face academic and social gaps due to the coronavirus pandemic, Danbury school leaders and parents aim to invest in these and other areas.
“Certainly social-emotional learning is very high on our list,” John Spang, chief financial officer, told families at a Tuesday evening listening forum to discuss the 2022-23 school budget.
It should be, said some parents and educators, who also cited the need to improve graduation rates and provide more programs for students
and families.
“The past few years as everyone knows, there are many children who have not made the progress that we would hope they would have,” said Rhoda Guider, a fourth-grade teacher at Morris Street School whose children attended Danbury schools. “We don’t have enough time during our school day to really do all the things with our students that I can.”
She suggested after-school programs that address academics, social-emotional skills or a combination of both. These programs should run yearround, not just start in January or February when it looks like there will be enough money in the budget, she said.
Superintendent Kevin Walston said he would take this suggestion and others into consideration as he and administrators shape his budget proposal, which he’ll present to the school board Feb. 9.
In that budget, he plans to consider the federal coronavirus relief funds and how using them will affect future budgets once they’re exhausted. Staff members hired with these grants will be folded into the regular budget when other educators retire or leave, he said.
He’s also looking at preparations for the career academy , which is scheduled to open in fall 2024. Its opening will require the district district to hire staff to teach in the new school. The school will provide students with the opportunity to study various career fields and offers internships.
“Some of the efforts we’re going to make with personalized student learning is part of our academy work, I think is going to motivate and inspire kids in ways they haven’t been able to do before,” Walston said.
From field trips to graduation rates
Resident Alan Kovacs said he’s disappointed that graduation rates and test scores haven’t improved enough since 2010.
“I'd like to see a higher proportion of our budget being spent direction classroom expenses, things like teachers, guidance counselors, nurses, assistants, supplies, things like that,” he said.
The career academy should help to improve graduation rates, Walston said.
“We do need to be a little more strategic in providing the kind of support at the high school level,” he said. “I think that's going to happen as part of our planning in opening up this new school.”
Juanita Harris, a counselor at the high school, said she was worried some students wouldn’t earn enough credits to meet new graduation requirements because of the pandemic. Rising enrollment has meant some students aren’t able to get into the classes they need, she said. She suggested offering virtual classes, similar to online community college courses that students take.
Meeting the state’s new requirement that students, beginning with the Class of 2023, earn 25 credits, rather than 21, is one of the “budget dilemmas,” Walston said. The high school moved from a sevenperiod day to an eight-period day, allowing for more classes to be held, but increasing expenses.
“It certainly does impact our budget, so as we go into this process this is something that we will be making the board aware and our school community aware as well,” he said.
Danbury parent Chrissy Maruffi said more academic and social programs should be available during the school day. For example, she asked for more field trips to return.
“It really helps the kids connect school with fun positive things,” she said. “The teachers are great. They do a great job of trying to make learning fun, but there's just something different about being able to go the zoo and enjoy a trip like that, that you don't realize you’re learning, that you’re missing out on because of our current COVID situation.”
Summer school could be opened to all students, as well, Guider said.
“That means they would get breakfast, they would get lunch and they would have a few hours of academics,” she said. “Every student in elementary, no matter what level you’re at could always use some more academics in the summertime.”
Maruffi added it would be “extremely valuable” for students to begin learning a second language at the elementary or middle school level. This would help
Parents said they want more programs to support them, especially to help non-English speaking parents learn English.
“The more parents we can have be involved in the district, the more we can pressure City Council to give us the money that we need to provide everything we need for our kids,” said Janis Anderson, who said she’s volunteered with the parent-teacher organizations.