The Ansonia School District released a press release Tuesday saying the recently adopted city budget will result in widespread layoffs within the district’s four schools.
The school district will eliminate 10 positions within the teachers’ union, according to the press release, including four elementary school teachers. An art teacher and a music teacher will also be laid off.
The positions eliminated represent six percent of the teachers’ union, according to the school district.
The high school’s assistant principal will be laid off. All middle school sports will be eliminated. All freshman sports will be cut, along with the dance/pom-pom squad and the winter cheerleading program. Golf and tennis are also gone, according to the school district.
Click here to read the immediate reaction from residents.
On Monday, the Ansonia tax board approved allocating $27 million for the school district. However, it’s simply not enough money, school officials argued.
The district is in a catch 22. It had been receiving state grant money to the tune of $2.2 million because of the district’s poor performance. The school district used the money to improve learning — as proven by better test scores.
Now, the school district is performing better — and the grant money is gone.
Superintendent Carol Merlone had been waving a warning flag since December 2011, saying next year’s budget could be a “nightmare” for schools.
The school district had been asking for $27.8 million from the city. They’re receiving $27 million — which is still a 2 percent increase over the school’s district’s current budget, but roughly $800,000 short of what the district officials said they needed.
Read the document below for details on what the school district is cutting. Article continues below.
After the 2012 – 2013 budget was adopted Monday, Mayor James Della Volpe issued a written statement urging the school district to determine if extra state aid can be found in the recently-adopted education reform initiative.
That bill is supposed to provide extra cash for poor-performing school districts such as Ansonia and Derby.
“I call upon the school system leaders to determine what additional funding may be available for our students in the recently enacted state educational reform law just passed,” Della Volpe wrote in the statement.
“We cannot afford to pass up any reasonable opportunity to gain additional outside funding.”
However, school officials point out there have yet to be assurances as to when Ansonia or Derby will receive the money — or whether they will ever actually receive the money.
The budget is posted below: