Mayor David Cassetti has said publicly on numerous occasions that he supports a great education for Ansonia’s students. Unfortunately, his recent statements contradict his previous public comments.
In his Feb. 8 presentation to the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, Mayor Cassetti stated that he would support an increase to the education budget of just 2.5 percent — significantly less than the Board of Education has recommended.
Mayor Cassetti last year stated that he would do whatever he could to reinstate art and music previously cut from our schools. But his proposal would make this all but impossible. Instead, it would lead to further and deeper cuts to services and programs our students deserve.
Let’s be clear; if these cuts are forced by the mayor, it is not the teachers or administrators who will lose. It’s the 2,500 students counting on us to provide them a great education who will lose.
The mayor also stated that he would support this inadequate increase if, and only if, Ansonia’s teachers agree to concessions.
This sort of political grandstanding is not just inappropriate and disrespectful; it threatens to upturn and disrupt an established process.
Our teachers are always willing to discuss potential savings with the board of education. In fact, we have in the past reached agreement on cost reductions through mutual negotiations.
The bottom line is that we will do our part to work towards a fair town budget, but we will not play political games that risk our students’ futures.
The writer is a music teacher at Ansonia Middle School and president of the Ansonia Federation of Teachers, AFT Local 1012.
