Blatteau, Brackeen Push ​“Fully Funded” Schools

“We are in a serious crisis when it comes to fully staffing our public schools in New Haven.”

Teachers union President Leslie Blatteau issued that warning and a pitch for more support twice Wednesday evening as New Haven confronts a choice over how much to pay for public education.

First Blatteau joined 150 other public education advocates at a downtown march and set of rallies, during which Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen Jr. vowed to support ​“full funding” for the New Haven Public Schools during upcoming budget deliberations.

Then Blatteau testified at the Board of Alders Finance Committee’s latest public hearing about Mayor Justin Elicker’s proposed $633 million general fund budget for Fiscal Year 2022 – 23 (FY23).

The latter in-person hearing took place in the Career High School auditorium on Legion Avenue, as part of an annual local legislative effort to solicit public input on the budget by hosting hearings outside of the alders’ typical meeting place in City Hall.

Blatteau was one of only three people to speak up about the proposed budget during the public hearing section of Wednesday night’s meeting. 

The teacher’s union president offered her testimony at roughly the same time that, a few blocks away downtown, several dozen teachers, students, school staffers, and public education advocates rallied outside of the New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) headquarters at 54 Meadow St. in support of ​“fair funding for all public schools.” She also spoke up two days after top NHPS admins braced during the latest Board of Education meeting for an anticipated second spike in teacher resignations, and concerns were raised about a lack of money for teacher recruitment and retention.

That was exactly the topic Blatteau focused on during her three minutes at the mic before the Finance Committee on Wednesday. (Because of tech problems with the auditorium’s lighting and microphones, the alders set up their table towards the better-lit back of the stage — while the members of the public who spoke up offered their testimony 15 feet away where the seating area began.)

She told the alders that she is concerned about the ​“education budget,” and, in particular, about the ​“teacher shortage issue.” The mayor’s proposed general fund budget includes $195.7 million for the city school system, an increase of $5 million from the current fiscal year’s budget. The Board of Education has requested $200 million, so alders will now consider a final number.

Blatteau said that New Haven has not been immune to the statewide and nationwide teacher shortages.

Currently, she said, NHPS has 139 vacancies among certified teaching positions.

“Other districts are seeking us out,” she said.

Blatteau is a social studies teacher at Metropolitan Business Academy. In comparison to math, science, special ed, and bilingual teachers, she said, she is ​“a dime a dozen.”

And yet, she said, she recently received her first ​“poaching email” from the school district in Stamford. 

Blatteau said she’s not leaving New Haven anytime soon. But she did take a look at the Stamford school teacher contract.

“I would probably make $20,000 more if I took the job in Stamford,” she said. ​“This is the reality we’re facing.”

She said that many of her colleagues are leaving the district — not always because of better money elsewhere. But often because of better money elsewhere. Many of them have realized that they can make $10,000 — $15,000 more per year if they work elsewhere in the state.

“We want to do the jobs that we were hired to do,” she said. ​“But we are doing the work of multiple people because of these vacancies.”

Blatteau said that, in past conversations with alders about this teacher shortage issue, local legislators have pointed out that the district has ​“plenty of money” right now, what with the flood of federal pandemic-relief funds.

But, she said, ​“our salaries are paid for by general funds.” 

New Haven is lucky to receive ​“many grants,” she said. But those don’t pay the salaries for chemistry teachers, bilingual educators, paraprofessionals, instructional coaches, and special educators who are being lured away to other districts.

“We need the budget fully funded,” Blatteau pleaded. ​“I can’t imagine what fall is going to be like if it’s not.”

Teachers March

Right before that, Blatteau made the same pitch to a like-minded assemblage: 150 teachers, students, and labor activists from around the state gathered outside the 54 Meadow St. New Haven Public Schools HQ for an education-full-funding rally organized by a 58-member coalition called Recovery for All.

The group then marched to City Hall for a second set of speeches. At a time when the state has a surplus, when hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief money is pouring into government coffers (and when the state is offering a gas tax cut), schools should not be shortchanged, speakers argued.

Upper Westville Alder Darryl Brackeen (who’s also exploring a run for secretary of the state) brought the message back home by promising the crowd he will push for fully funding the Board of Education’s $200 million budget request at upcoming deliberations.

“If we’re not fully funding the budget, we’re doing a disservice to my daughter and our young people and our teachers,” Brackeen declared, standing on the City Hall steps beside one of his daughters, Chelsea, who attends Davis Street School.

Brackeen, a Hillhouse High grad, spoke of his previous experience teaching at Lincoln-Bassett School: ​“We had to raise our own money to raise our supplies. Let’s refund our teachers for the supplies that they buy.”

To that end, he said, ​“It’s budget time here at City Hall. We can no longer flat-fund this budget. We have to fully fund the budget.”

“Fully fund the budget! Fully fund the budget!” the crowd chanted in response.

“When the time comes,” Brackeen added. ​“you have my vote and support. It should not have to take a pandemic and a rally for us to do the right thing. Do the right thing!”

“Do the right thing!” the crowd chanted.

“Do the right thing,” Brackeen repeated — as did the crowd.