Rally Cry: Dump Birks, Not Teachers

The Board of Education demanded more information about the impact of a plan to eliminate 53 teaching positions — after hearing outrage at a demonstration where 150 teachers and students called for dismissing the schools superintendent instead.

The demonstration and board demand took place late Monday afternoon in response to a decision last week by district officials.

On Thursday, the officials called 53 teachers to the district’s Meadow Street headquarters to tell them that their jobs were being eliminated, and that they’d need to reapply for vacancies at other schools. They stressed that the involuntary transfers were not layoffs, and they said the reductions were necessary to cut approximately $3.7 million from next year’s $30.7 million budget shortfall.

Four days later, on Monday, more than 150 students, parents and educators returned to the same spot on Meadow Street for a rally against the cuts. Organizers said that Superintendent Carol Birks, who reiterated in a Monday email that no teacher is losing their job, had missed the point.

“They’re eliminating 53 positions; they’re not replacing these teachers,” said Kirsten Hopes-McFadden, an eighth-grade teacher at Engineering & Science University Magnet School. ​“They’re saying, ​‘You’re going to have a job.’ Well, guess what? Their kids aren’t going to have a teacher.”

Organized by the watchdog group NHPS Advocates, the ralliers called for the Board of Education to reject the elimination of 53 teaching positions, to convene a budget mitigation committee to recommended alternative cuts, to complete a forensic audit of the district’s finances, to release a detailed budget for each school site, and to appoint a new superintendent with ​“a demonstrated track record of placing student needs at the center of decision-making.”

An online petition with those requests currently has about 250 signatures.

Meanwhile, the teachers union’s leadership echoed the call for the budget mitigation committee to reconvene. They planned to meet on Tuesday afternoon to draft a letter about their own ​“concerns, and in some cases … demands.”

Dave Cicarella, the union president, suggested that list will include working with the superintendent to find alternative budget cuts, to shrink Central Office with ​“proportionally equal reductions” by attrition, and to review past staffing cuts to ensure ​“equal sacrifice” among teachers and administrators.

(A full statement from Cicarella and a letter to parents from Superintendent Birks both appear at the bottom of this story.)

Darnell Goldson, the school board’s president, said that he would oppose the involuntary transfers.

“The fact is that we have said, since the very beginning, that we are going to make sure that we protect the school system, and this does not protect the school system. This hurts the school system. I do not support these transfers, I don’t understand them, and these two board members at least are not going to vote for them,” Goldson said, standing beside Ed Joyner, the board’s other elected member.

But Goldson cautioned the crowd of protestors that they needed to take their fight to the statehouse to really make a difference in school funding. He compared New Haven’s $16,890 per pupil to Greenwich’s $21,500 and Darien $20,580.

“We are busy fighting over crumbs,” Goldson said. ​“They like to say money doesn’t make a difference when it comes to education, but it does. That’s why they pay so much to fund their kids. There is a gap of $110 million, if we were getting that extra money for our children” that Greenwich and Darien get. ​“We need to make sure the governor and those other legislators understand we need this money to educate our kids,” he added. ​“Let’s take it to where the fight really is.”

In a statement, Mayor Toni Harp said that she’s waiting for the state to pass its budget before she can decide how the city’s school system should move forward.

“The state budget has yet to be finalized and approved. Once we have a clearer understanding of how the state budget may impact the city’s budget, we’ll be in a better position to plan accordingly,” Harp was quoted as saying. ​“I understand how this uncertainty impacts city employees, and will continue to work my hardest to provide important, needed services for our community while working within the confines of the city’s budget.”

During Monday’s rally, many of the protesters had on red shirts, hats and jackets — the color worn by striking teachers in Arizona, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

As administrators clocked out for the day and walked to the parking lot, the protesters held up red-and-white signs that read, ​“ENOUGH.”

The protest crowd included Alders Ron Hurd and Charles Decker, City Clerk Michael Smart, and mayoral challenger Justin Elicker.

The crowd also included many of the teachers who’d received involuntary transfer notices last week. Several decided to take the microphone, despite their fears of retaliation.

Bob Osborne, a history teacher at Hill Regional Career High School, said that he’d felt ​“afraid” to come forward publicly, until he remembered that he’d always taught students in his civics classes that they have to ​“stand up … in order to be heard.”

This was his time to speak out, he said, as the district ​“trampled” on the relationships so many teachers had built with their students.

“When you build relationships, that’s not something that happens in a day, in a grade or in a class; that’s over years and years and years. That’s what makes it great. On Thursday, we were told, ​‘You’re out. You’re not coming back to these kids that love you.’ Why? ​‘I don’t have a reason; I can’t tell you,’” Osborne said. ​“If we treated our kids in the classroom like this, we couldn’t teach.

“As you can tell, I’m an old guy. I don’t have many more years left to do this,” Osborne went on. ​“These are my kids. I don’t want to leave them, and they don’t want me to leave. I don’t know why their wishes aren’t heard in this. Because if anybody asked them, they’d tell you they don’t want us to leave.”

Angie Catalano, a teacher at Hillhouse High School who works with students learning English, said she didn’t understand what educational benefit the district received from moving her — a multilingual woman of color — out of the building.

The daughter of an Ethiopian immigrant, Catalano said that she had decided, halfway through high school, to become a teacher herself after being ​“frustrated” by ​“never seeing representation among my teachers: people who look like me, people who knew my language, people who knew a darn thing about my culture.” She added that she wanted to provide ​“the insight and experience that I so desperately sought as a student.”

“On any given day, I switch from English to French to Amharic to Tigrinya to Arabic to a little bit of Spanish. Removing me from your teaching force — for whatever your reason is — is cruel. A number of our African students who come here have absolutely no one to communicate with them,” Catalano said. ​“We are in short supply of multilingual teachers, particularly teachers of color, who get it. I have students who come to me who have shared their history of assault, who have asked me for insight on how to deal with a racist teacher, and for insight that only I can provide.

“I don’t say this to brag; I say this because I am a valuable resource in New Haven Public Schools,” Catalano continued. ​“I teach because I am an immigrant’s child, and this is how I show my patriotism. Do not let go of these teachers.”

Students backed up the teachers, speaking in opposition to the cuts.

“This reoccurring theme of letting teachers and staff of New Haven Public Schools go does not go unnoticed by the students, and it also does not sit well with the student body,” said Lihame Arouna, a Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School sophomore who was recently elected as the school board’s newest non-voting student representative. ​“Teachers in schools are a necessity. Right now, student voice should be the priority.”

During the 45 minutes of speeches — punctuated by chants and songs from the crowd — speakers said last week’s involuntary transfers came after months of mismanagement that had left teachers and students feeling anxious about their future.

“This was just the tipping point,” said Eric Maroney, a former English teacher and curriculum specialist who’s now on the faculty at Gateway Community College. ​“It was following 15 months of plummeting staff morale, a culture of fear and retaliation, a parade of departures by district leaders, spending that prioritized bureaucracy over children’s learning, an impenetrable budget, unanswered questions and a union that seemed reluctant to fight back.”

Bemie N’Sumbu, a senior at Co-Op who spoke about how her school would be hurt by the loss of creative-writing teacher Mindi Englart’s classes, said that Birks had broken her promise to keep cuts away from the classroom.

Birks ​“purposefully and repeatedly made sure that people knew that she would not be making choices that harmed the classroom,” N’Sumbu said. ​“She lied. I didn’t believe her then, and I certainly don’t believe her now. I do not have trust in this administration to protect and take care of our schools. I hope Superintendent Birks realizes that she is only harming our students. She is not putting kids first.”

That led a couple speakers to end their speeches with a call for the Board of Education to remove Superintendent Carol Birks from the job, which Joyner, an initial critic who’d defended Birks during her first year, loudly seconded. ​“I stood by Dr. Birks for quite a time — until the evidence became very clear to me that she does not have the capacity to lead this school district,” Joyner said.

After the rally, the protesters filed in to the Meadow Street headquarters to observe the board’s Finance & Operations Committee meeting. They crowded around the front desk, where a security guard placed three sign-in sheets for a meeting that usually draws just a handful of observers.

Up one floor, the protestors filled a conference room, silently holding up signs as board members questioned Superintendent Birks about why her staff hadn’t clued them in about the scope of the cuts. During the questioning, board members found out that the school district’s top administrators did not know whether any course offerings, like AP World History or AP Psychology, might being eliminated.

Assistant Superintendent Keisha Redd-Hannans said that’s because they wanted to give teachers a heads-up earlier in the year, well before each building’s enrollment and schedules had been finalized.

Goldson said that didn’t sit right with him. He said he wanted specific information about how the cuts would affect class sizes, course offerings and school climates.

“This is not just about money; this is about people,” Goldson said. ​“I’ve been hearing that the [union] contract allows it, but just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should. I’m going to ask you to come back with specific information about these 53 teachers, about these 20 schools and about I don’t know how many classrooms being affected by this, please.”

Following is the text of a letter from Superintendent of Schools Carol Birks to public-school families explaining the transfers; followed by a statement about the transfers from NHPS Advocates. At the bottom is a letter form the teachers union president to members.

Birks’ Letter

Dear New Haven Public Schools Families:

I trust that you had an enjoyable weekend. The purpose of this letter is to reassure the students, families, faculty, staff, and the general public that although our revenue streams have declined, you have my relentless commitment to ensure that we work collaboratively with the Board of Education and all stakeholders to build on our past successes, and not compromise the academic programming and social emotional learning supports that we provide to our students.

Given the current fiscal realities of the State, City and District, we are faced with making critical decisions as to how we continue to fund our District’s Priority Areas and take New Haven Public Schools on the path of continuous improvement. Our primary focus is to make children and academic achievement our first priorities and to keep students at the center of their learning. We will empower all adults who have been entrusted with their care with the professional learning and technical support needed to increase students’ academic outcomes and support their social emotional learning needs.

As part of our budget mitigation efforts, Central Office leaders consulted with principals and identified 53 positions that could be reassigned without compromising our students’ rights to receiving a high quality education. On Thursday, May 30, 2019, 53 teachers were advised that teaching positions at their current school sites were being reduced due to enrollment numbers. These teachers were not informed that they were losing their jobs, but in fact that they will be offered opportunities to interview and or be placed in a role within our school District that is aligned to their teaching certifications. 

Below please find a few quick facts:

How many students will be in my child’s class?
Below please find a quick reference of the class size limits that are part of New Haven Public Schools’ contractual agreement with the New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT).

• Grades K – 2: 26 students per class
• Grades 3 – 12: 27 students per class
• Departmentalized teachers in grades 7 – 12: 125 students maximum
• Pre‑K: 10 to 1 ratio adult to children*
• Physical Education Classes: 40 students per teacher

*The 10 to one adult to student ratio is not per the NHFT contract but is based on federal guideline for Pre — K which New Haven Public School has always adhered to these guidelines.

Will administrators or other roles within the District be eliminated?
We are awaiting our final State funding allocations, reviewing our budget and working on mitigation efforts so additional eliminations may take place, but does not necessarily mean someone will lose their job.

Can teachers be reassigned from their current assignments?
Yes. The school District has the right to involuntary transfer teachers.

What was the process used to reduce teachers?
Central office leaders worked collaboratively with principals to review projected enrollment in schools for the 2019 – 2020 school year by grade and subject level to determine if staff could be reassigned to vacancies within the District.

Finally, as a District we will continue to work closely with the Board of Education to align our human capital and fiscal resources to positively impact students’ experiences while focusing on being fiscally responsible. You have my commitment to continue to propel our District forward focused on equity, collaboration and innovation.

Sincerely,
Carol D. Birks
Carol D. Birks, Ed.D.

NHPS Advocates’ Letter

The last fifteen months have been marked by plummeting staff morale, a culture of fear and retaliation, a parade of departures by district leaders, spending that prioritizes bureaucracy over children’s learning, an impenetrable budget, unanswered questions, and a teacher’s union that fails to stand up for our teachers and students. Some of these trends had their origin before Dr. Birks became Superintendent; under her tenure, they have reached a fever pitch. This pattern most recently culminated in Thursday’s announcement of 53 teacher positions cut from our children’s classrooms — leading, inevitably, to larger class sizes and/or fewer course offerings, less individualized attention for students, and an even more stressed staff. We have seen where this leads, in school districts around the country, and we will not let it happen here. New Haven will not stand by and watch our schools gutted of resources, our teachers treated inhumanely, and our kids left to suffer the fallout.

Children need stability and so often that stability comes from teachers. Yet district leadership has delivered the opposite. Last summer, it was the layoffs of teachers, counselors, and library media specialists. Then it was the dramatic reduction in educators serving our children by not filling over 100 vacated positions. And now, it includes the impending loss of an additional 53 teaching positions and the erosion of union protections. At the same time, district leadership continues to add layers of executive management and enter into agreements with expensive consultants, without securing additional funding for core operations.

Article VII Section 2 (b) of the 2017 – 19​New Haven Federation of Teachers contract​notes that ​“If teachers are to be transferred involuntarily, the Board will give priority to the instructional requirements of the school system and thereafter they will be transferred on the basis of juniority and qualifications.” Yet 53 teachers were selected by their principals without clearly communicated criteria or a transparent rationale, raising concerns about potential for retaliation and breach of contract. Principals could transfer a teacher who spoke up at a staff meeting to challenge their views or with whom there is a personal conflict. Unions exist to protect workers from precisely this kind of retaliation. When the NHFT fails our teachers, our kids suffer too.

Last week also brought the release of 399 pages of purchase orders that raise more questions than answers and reveal exorbitant spending in categories that contribute little to student learning and well-being. A casual glance reveals many small expenses that could have been better spent on student resources and large expenses that could surely be pared down. We understand that cuts must be made in order to resolve the deficit. Significant reductions should be made to non-student-facing expenses before touching our children’s classrooms.

Almost sixteen months ago, in February 2018, the New Haven Public School Advocates proposed​“Kids First” cost-cutting principles​. These principles value and prioritize ​“programs that support the education of children, implemented by educators in schools.” In August 2018, we presented specific​alternative budget cuts​that ​“eliminate duplication of services, de-prioritize services not essential to instruction, and, above all, prioritize direct support to children in their schools.”​Further suggestions​were offered in September of last year. We are not aware of the district implementing any of these recommendations, all of which shift cost-cutting away from classrooms and professionals who directly serve children. Due to the continued lack of transparency, we do not have enough information to recommend further cuts; and district leadership has failed to create a process for doing so.

This amounts to an emergency for our children, school district, and city.​We do not want New Haven to reach the breaking points of Los Angeles, Oakland, or Denver. But that is the road we are now on. When Dr. Birks arrived, she asked for time to earn our trust. That time has passed. We call on the Board of Education to take the following essential steps with urgency:

1. Reject the elimination of 53 more NHPS teaching positions​via involuntary transfers;
2. Fulfill the commitment to​establish a Deficit Review Committee​inclusive of all stakeholders, to examine all relevant records, establish the cause(s) of the deficit, and make immediate and long-term recommendations for its remediation​before​any teacher positions are eliminated;
3. Carry out a​complete forensic audit​of the Board of Education;
4. Release a​complete, detailed, site-based budget with no hidden line items​for the 2019 – 2020 fiscal year; and
5. Appoint​new​district leadership, beginning with a new Superintendent, who has a demonstrated track record​of placing student needs at the center of decision making.

These important steps would set a course for returning the district to financial stability. They would also begin the process of earning back the trust of our educators and re-establishing public trust in our school district. These are reasonable requests that the Board can initiate immediately, before more harm is inflicted on our community and the children we all serve.

Cicarella’s Letter