Christopher Peak Photo
Carol Birks, Toni Harp and Darnell Goldson, working together.
The mayor and the president of the Board of Education appeared with the superintendent of schools Friday to offer public support for her recommendations for cutting her budget.
That unified front was displayed to cameras and microphones at a press conference at Wilbur Cross High School, as Mayor Toni Harp, Board President Darnell Goldson and Superintendent Carol Birks detailed how they said they have already halved a $19.34 million budget deficit for the new fiscal year. Close to a dozen City Hall employees showed up, applauding after each speech.
“It should be very clear to the public that we support the superintendent and her staff in what they’re trying to do to right-size the district. It is not an easy thing to do in this environment,” Goldson said. “Mistakes will be made, but those will be made as a result of trying to do the right thing. We believe in the future that we will be working together to make sure that the right things are being done”
News outlets and City Hall staff gather in Wilbur Cross’s lobby on Friday morning.
The media advisory was a stark contrast with a similar convening just a month ago, when five school board members ripped into Birks for sending dismissal letters to 1,153 part-time employees, calling the move a “stumble” and ordering her to reverse the decision. Mayor Harp and Goldson called a press conference — noticeably with Birks absent — to blast her decision. Emails later revealed that board members had also been giving Birks directions behind the scenes, overturning her decision to suspend a student from going to prom and telling her how to manage her time. One board member objected this his colleagues were “undermining” the new superintendent.
Last week, at a two-day retreat, board members and the superintendent sat in the middle of a a largely empty cafeteria and frankly discussed their roles. At one point, Birks said she wished more of the board had shown up for her community forums, in which she introduced herself to New Haven. Since then, the board appears to be be trying to do its part.
Darrell Hill: Halfway there on the deficit.
At Friday’s press conference, Birks walked through a Power-Point presentation showing that the district has already saved $10.9 million by eliminating 130 positions in next year’s budget. Those cuts came from closing Creed High School, consolidating the alternative high schools and prekindergarten programs and reducing the number of counselors, librarians and administrative interns. Working with the teachers union, the district reassigned most of those employees as classroom teachers, resulting in only 32 layoffs. Only a couple hires will be made this year in shortage areas.
As tensions over the district’s management cooled, Mayor Harp said she felt temperatures outside were starting to drop too, heralding the start of school in two weeks. The late summer stillness reminded her of the times her dad sat her down to talk about the importance of learning. She said that those formative experiences were part of why education has been a “top priority” for her administration.
Asked how she squared that with the city’s flat-funding of the schools, Harp said she hopes the deep cuts will show decision-makers realize what’s at stake in future budgets.
“Through this experience, I hope that the residents, the alders and all of our partners understand how important funding education is. I believe it’s the most important thing that we do to seed the future,” she said. “Decisions that are made have a real impact.”
Click on the video to watch the full press conference.