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Superintendent Carol Birks addresses budget cuts.
Justifying her decision to pare back social studies, world languages, arts and music, reading intervention and basic elementary education, Superintendent Carol Birks said she thinks some New Haven schools have “more teachers than we need.”
Birks made that argument in a Friday letter to the Board of Education, in which she asked board members to uphold her decision to tell 53 teachers that their roles are being eliminated and they will be involuntarily transferred to other schools, ahead of the board’s Monday evening meeting.
That cost-cutting measure, which is projected to save $3.7 million out of next year’s $30.7 million deficit, has already set off a week of protests, including a parent-led demonstration, a student-led walk-out and a union complaint.
In the letter, Birks told board members that she felt she had done what she needed to do.
“As we have discussed, there is a need to reassign staff members because we have vacancies in some schools and more teachers than we need in other schools,” Birks wrote. “Under my contract with the Board, I have responsibility and authority for the ‘assigning and transferring of all personnel.’ Here, each of the transfers made were necessary, and the only question was which teacher would be who would be transferred.
“Given my responsibilities as Superintendent and the right to make transfers as authorized by the contract language,” she continued, “I was surprised that some teachers protested these transfers, and I regret that Board members were surprised by these protests as well as the reductions after I have shared with the Board publicly and in one on one meetings.”
Birks said that principals had informed her decisions on whom to cut. She said that the board shouldn’t second-guess their expertise, adding that cratering would only embolden protestors to challenge other decisions in the future.
“We hold principals accountable for the educational progress of the students in their schools, and they are appropriate judges of the teachers who will best contribute to student success,” Birks wrote.
“It is important that we respect the role of principals and their rights under the contract,” she went on. “Overriding their professional judgment in light of these protests would only encourage further protests whenever the Administration must make an unpopular decision for the good of the school system across all unions.”
Birks added that the district could reconsider any of the cuts later in the summer, as schools finalize their schedules.
In an appendix to the letter, Birks also explained how each school will be affected by the reduction in the total number of teachers. It gives the first details about which classes will be combined and which courses will be eliminated, but it still doesn’t give the full picture about how teachers picking up the slack will likely have to drop sections of their own.
What is the superintendent saying will happen in your building? Read on for the explanation of what the cuts mean for next year’s classes.
Which Elementary Schools Will Be Smaller?
Benjamin Jepson Multi-Age Interdistrict School: Two teachers. Grades 2/3 and Grades 4/5 are being cut for no given reason.
Betsy Ross Arts Interdistrict Magnet School: Four teachers. Social Studies for Grade 6, Science for Grade 7 and Math for Grade 7 are being cut to reduce the total number of sections. Additionally, Chinese for Grades 5 – 8 is being cut, possibly to part-time. The school will still offer Spanish and French.
Brennan Rogers School of Communication and Media: Four teachers. Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3 and Grade 4 are being cut to reduce the total number of sections.
Celentano Biotech, Health & Medical Magnet School: Half a teacher. A Magnet Resource Teacher will be eliminated at the school leader’s request. Band will be reduced to part-time. A math position is also being added.
Harry A. Conte-West Hills Magnet School: Three teachers. Science and Social Studies teachers are being cut to reduce the total number of sections. Additionally, French is being cut, possibly to part-time. The school will still offer Spanish. An assistant principal will also be added, based upon the school’s enrollment.
Hill Central School: One teacher. Grade 6 is being cut to reduce the total number of sections. Additionally, a part-time art teacher is being eliminated at the school leader’s request, and a school counselor position will also increase to full-time.
John S. Martinez Sea & Sky STEM Magnet School: One teacher. Grade 6 is being cut to reduce the total number of sections.
King-Robinson Interdistrict Magnet School: Three teachers. Grade 3, Grade 5, and Grade 6 are being cut to reduce the total number of sections. Additionally, a part-time library media specialist is being eliminated at the school leader’s request, and a school counselor position will also increase to full-time.
Lincoln-Bassett Community School: One teacher. Grade 2 is being cut to reduce the total number of sections. Additionally, funding from the Commissioner’s Network grant expired this year, resulting in the loss of an operations specialist and technology position, but the district will take on the cost of supporting an assistant principal and a climate specialist.
Mauro-Sheridan Science, Technology & Communications Interdistrict Magnet School: Two teachers. Video Literacy and Art teachers are being cut to reduce the total number of sections. Additionally, a part-time library media specialist is being eliminated at the school leader’s request, and a school counselor position will also increase to full-time.
Nathan Hale School: Three teachers. Grades 5/6, Grades K‑6, and Reading Interventionist are being cut to reduce the total number of sections.
Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy Magnet: Three teachers. Two Reading Interventionists are being reassigned to teach Grade 2 and Grade 5, and classroom teachers will now be in charge of providing literacy intervention. One Grade 7/8 Bilingual Teacher is also having their role taken on by other bilingual teachers in the class. Additionally, the music teacher is being eliminated at the school leader’s request, and the school counselor and library media specialist positions will both increase to full time.
Strong 21st Century Communications Magnet: Two teachers. Grade 1 and Grade 3 are being cut to reduce the total number of sections.
West Rock STREAM Academy Interdistrict Magnet: Four teachers. Grade 2 and Grade 3 are being cut to reduce the total number of sections. A Reading Interventionist is being eliminated, and classroom teachers will now be in charge of providing literacy intervention. A Magnet Resource Teacher is also being eliminated.
Which Elementary Schools Will Be Bigger?
Bishop Woods Architecture & Design Magnet School: One teacher. A reading intervention specialist will be added to focus on the upper grades.
Christopher Columbus Family Academy: Half a teacher. The library media specialist will increase to full time.
Which Elementary Schools Will Be Unaffected?
Augusta Lewis Troup School, Barnard Environmental Studies Interdistrict Magnet School, L.W. Beecher Museum School of Arts & Sciences Interdistrict Magnet, John C. Daniels School of International Communication, East Rock Community & Cultural Studies Magnet, Edgewood Creative Thinking through STEAM Magnet School, Fair Haven School, Quinnipiac Real World Math STEM Magnet School, Reginald Mayo Early Childhood School, Ross-Woodward Classical Studies Interdistrict Magnet School, Wexler-Grant Community School and Worthington Hooker School will see no changes.
Additionally, Clinton Avenue School’s funding from the Commissioner’s Network grant expired this year, but the district will take on the cost of supporting a climate specialist and a special education teacher within the school.
The letter does not mention what will happen at Davis Street Arts & Academics Interdistrict Magnet nor Truman School.
Which High Schools Will Be Smaller?
Cooperative Arts & Humanities Interdistrict Magnet School: Four teachers. Creative Writing will be cut, possibly eliminating a course on Writing the Novella, but two teachers remain for the 89 students in the program. Science will be cut to reduce the total number of Environmental Biology sections. And Math will likely be cut, though the district is reviewing whether it can cover all required sections. Birks left out that Theater is also being cut.
Engineering & Science University Interdistrict Magnet School: Three teachers. History and English are being cut to reduce the total number of sections, possibly eliminating film and creative writing courses. World Language will also be cut, possibly necessitating a part-time teacher for AP French.
James Hillhouse High School: Four teachers. English, World Language and Social Studies are being cut, and the school leader says their classes will all be picked up by other teachers.
Hill Regional Career High School Interdistrict Magnet: Four teachers. Two Social Studies teachers are being cut to reduce the total number of civics sections and eliminate introduction to economics, geography and psychology. Other AP-trained teachers will still offer AP World History and AP Psychology. Birks left out that Music and World Languages are also being cut.
High School in the Community Interdistrict Magnet: One teacher. Classes in New Haven’s history, the Vietnam War’s conflict, the Sixties’ turmoil and constitutional law could be eliminated, depending on scheduling.
Metropolitan Business Academy Interdistrict Magnet: Three teachers. Business, Humanities and Science classes could be eliminated, depending on scheduling.
New Haven Academy Interdistrict Magnet: One teacher. Special Education is being cut for no given reason.
The Sound School Regional Vocational Aquaculture Center: One teacher. World Language is being cut to reduce the total number of Italian and Spanish sections. Birks left out that a Math teacher and an Aquaculture Technology teacher were also targeted for involuntary transfer, but both resigned.
Which High Schools Will Be Bigger?
None of them.
Which High Schools Will Be Unaffected?
Adult Education, Riverside Opportunity High School and Wilbur Cross High School will see no changes.