As of Thursday, none of these threatened cuts have been implemented, but local leaders remain afraid that New Haven schools will face steep reductions in federal funding from the Trump administration, especially as the Trump administration attempts to dismantle the Department of Education. Meanwhile, even with federal funds intact, New Haven Public Schools have struggled to fund normal operations this school year.

“It’s quite ironic that the Trump administration says they want to give control over schools back to the states, except for the issues that Mr. Trump cares about,” Mayor Justin Elicker said. “They are, on the one hand, giving control of the schools back to the state, but on the other hand, micromanaging how our schools educate our children.”

The proposed cuts have already created a climate of uncertainty, according to Michael Morton, spokesperson for the School and State Finance Project, making planning difficult for school districts and hurting students. 

Minnesota and New York have refused to comply with the federal memo to dismantle DEI, but Connecticut officials have taken a different approach. 

On Tuesday, Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker told superintendents that they have more time to respond to the memo than initially feared and that her office is still formulating a response, the Connecticut Post reported.

In 2020, Connecticut became the first state in the country to require all public high schools to offer an ethnic studies curriculum in Black and Latine history, with Asian American history added in fall 2025.

In his state of the state address in January, Governor Ned Lamont urged state legislators to let the Trump cuts play out over the coming months and “focus on what we can do to build on the progress we’ve made over the last six years.”

In recent weeks, Lamont has expressed a willingness to declare a fiscal emergency if the Trump administration cuts federal funding for Medicaid, allowing the state to bypass its fiscal guardrails. But Lamont’s response to potential cuts to federal funds for public schools remains unclear, Elicker said.

In a joint statement last month with the state senate president and house speaker, Lamont promised to protect “our most essential programs” from federal cuts.

“No state can restore every cut that comes from Washington or ignore the effects, especially on public health,” they wrote. “However, sound fiscal practices have positioned us better than most states in the nation. If this pattern of devastating cuts continues, we will be prepared to exercise emergency powers. Although we hope that Washington reverses course, we must plan for the inevitable or unpredictable.”

Also last month, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, who has positioned himself as a vocal opponent of the Trump administration, joined a lawsuit from dozens of states to prevent the dismantling of the Department of Education. The Department administers millions of dollars in federal funds to NHPS each year and is responsible for civil rights oversight nationwide.

The rising tensions between the federal and state governments comes amid a long-simmering fight over state education funding at the state capitol, as state legislators hammer out a budget for the next two years. 

In March, Elicker traveled to Hartford with 75 New Haven Public Schools students to testify before the state Education Committee in favor of SB1511, which aims to address “disconnected youth” in the state by increasing the base amount the state spends per student each year.

The Trump cuts will only exacerbate existing inequalities in education funding in Connecticut, John Carlos Musser, a senior at Wilbur Cross High School, told the News.

The threatened Title 1 funds are critical for NHPS. According to Musser, for example, they were used to purchase all of the district’s Chromebook computers.

“Those cuts would be disastrous. Even with the funding that we’re currently getting with the federal government, we’re looking at cuts and deficits and not being able to meet the needs of our students,” said Leslie Blatteau ’97 GRD ’07, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers. “It would begin to accomplish what the Trump administration wants, which is our public schools to be starved out of existence.”

Blatteau said that if push comes to shove, she believes state leaders would protect the new ethnic studies curriculum and other programs targeted by the Trump administration. But proactive state action is necessary, Blatteau added. 

Elicker told the News that New Haven will likely sue the Trump administration once again if the cuts are carried out. He called on state leaders to also do their part by providing further support for the state’s public schools, regardless of changes in federal funding.

“What I would like to see is that state leadership make clear that our values are shared across the state, and that no matter what happens, no matter what decisions the Trump administration implements, we in Connecticut stand together, and will fight things together, and defend one another,” Elicker said.

In the 2023-24 school year, Connecticut public schools served more than half a million students.

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Now, that same program is in limbo as the Trump administration tries to cut funding to the Center for Civic Education, which runs the project in New England. 

“I have to teach facts and current events and what’s going on. But yes, students do express their opinions on what is happening. And yes, there is fear,” Grindrod said.

Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order instructing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to dismantle the department she was appointed to lead. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security announced in January that immigration raids were no longer prohibited in “sensitive locations” like schools. 

Across New Haven, the effects of Trump’s education policies are already being felt in the classroom, alaming educators, students and city leaders.

Mayor Justin Elicker said Trump’s approach to education is hypocritical.

“The Trump administration has this idea of putting the authority for education back to the states at the same time that he’s attempting to take away our authority to choose how our children in our public schools are educated,” Elicker said.

The dismantling of the Department of Education will result in less oversight and civil rights protection in public schools nationwide, Elicker added. 

John Carlos Musser, a senior at Wilbur Cross, is concerned that federal cuts will only widen long-standing inequalities between urban and suburban schools in Connecticut. He called on wealthy Connecticut residents to contribute more to urban schools.

“New Haven is under attack from the Trump administration, and we need more money to counter the massive blows that are going to be had,” he said.

Shortly after the presidential election in November, Stephen Staysniak, an English teacher at Metropolitan Business Academy, told the News he was confident his work would be protected, even if students in his class remained concerned about how the new administration might impact their families. Five months later, Staysniak feels the same.

“On a personal level, I find it extraordinarily disturbing, but I wouldn’t say that that’s had an impact on our school community and the conversations we’re having,” Staysniak said.

Staysniak praised student leaders for organizing to protect undocumented students, and expressed confidence in the district’s protocol for potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. 

State leaders, Staysniak emphasized, have only doubled down on their support for the ethnic studies and diversity programs targeted by the Trump administration. “I feel very protected in what I teach, both in my school, in my district, and in my state,” he said. 

At Wilbur Cross, Grindrod remains concerned about the dissonance between what he teaches his students and the reality of contemporary politics, as many of the norms included in the curriculum aren’t being followed by the federal administration, he said.

According to Grindrod, changes in federal policy have already caused uncertainty in New Haven schools, especially with the potential threat to Title One funds caused by Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education.

“Things are so disruptive right now that it’s hard to even just plan like next week. I can’t even imagine what the people on Meadow Street are trying to do with planning a budget,” Grindrod said, referring to NHPS administration headquarters. 

New Haven depends on federal Title One grants for students in poverty to support its public schools. A cut to the Title One program could result in almost 700 teachers losing their jobs in the New Haven area alone, Staysniak — who also serves on the labor board of the New Haven Federation of Teachers — said. 

Last year, Staysniak told the News that he found the president’s promise to dismantle the Department of Education unfeasible. Now, he remains confident that key federal programs will remain intact, even if under different agencies, but is more concerned.

“It’s shocking to see it happen right in front of you,” he said.

New Haven Public Schools reported 3,437 employees in the 2023-2024 school year.

Elijah Hurewitz-Ravitch contributed reporting.

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The Board of Education approved the agreement last Friday. The new contract provides for a wage increase of $6 an hour over the course of the next four years, beginning with an increase of $2.50 for the 2024-25 school year. Local 217 UNITE HERE, Connecticut’s primary labor union for hospitality workers, represented cafeteria staff in the negotiations.

“This contract will see the most significant raises that the cafeteria workers in New Haven have achieved in decades,” Joshua Stanley GRD ’18, Local 217’s secretary-treasurer said. “This is a very significant achievement and event.” 

The additional $6 represents a 28 percent wage increase for the lowest-paid classifications of workers, according to Stanley. The contract also provides additional training for lead cooks.

Stanley emphasized that the raises will tangibly improve the lives of cafeteria workers.

“In terms of the jump forward this will bring for our members, this will get them back on their feet,” Stanley said. “Rent, food, bills have gone up so much in the past five years that while this is an historic contract that we’re all extremely proud of, what it will make possible is [for] people to afford the cost of living.”

Betty Alford, a lead cook at Truman School, said she was “so excited” about the new contract.

“They gave us what we wanted, and I’m thankful for it. I’m so grateful for it. I can do more things now, with this raise. I can buy more things now, because, before you’d have to penny pinch everything,” Alford said.

Negotiations between Local 217 and the school system began in June 2024. 

Earlier this year, in freezing January winds, cafeteria workers picketed in front of the Board of Education building to push for an agreement. The protests followed Local 217’s successful advocacy for workers at Omni New Haven Hotel.

Overall, Alford said, the contract negotiation process was “great,” although Stanley declined to describe it on the record. 

“We ought to mark this moment as a great example of negotiation without a great deal of extra clamor,” Edward Joyner, the secretary of the Board of Education, said at the Friday meeting. “I think it’s a template for future negotiations with union staff.”

The new contract will run through the 2027-28 academic year.

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New Haven Police Department communications officer Christian Bruckhart said that a student at Cross apparently showed “what other students thought was a handgun.” Once rumors of the alleged weapon spread from students to staff, a staff member alerted a school resource officer who called the police around 12:50 p.m. Bruckhart said that the school was immediately placed in lockdown “out of an abundance of caution,” and that the student did not make any threats. 

“There was nothing to indicate that the student was going to hurt anyone,” Bruckhart said. 

Once the school was in lockdown, officers worked to identify the student in question. Reviewing surveillance footage, they learned that the student had left the school shortly after displaying the alleged handgun, though the police could not confirm if the weapon was real. After about two hours, the lockdown was lifted. 

Maya Harpaz-Levy, a junior at Wilbur Cross, was in a meeting with a counselor when the lockdown began. 

“We were stuck in a tiny room for two hours,” Harpaz-Levy wrote to the News. “People were very relieved to leave, and they were complaining about the lockdown. It didn’t really seem like students were concerned.”

According to a press release sent out by the NHPD on Wednesday night, detectives located the wanted student after a “brief canvass.” The student was found with a second student, who was in possession of a BB gun. Bruckhart told the News that the NHPD determined that the BB gun was the weapon that triggered the lockdown. BB guns shoot small, metallic pellets that can pierce the skin. At a high velocity, they can be lethal, but are less dangerous than firearms.

The two students were taken into custody. According to the NHPD press release, the student who “caused the lockdown” was charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds, threatening in the second degree and breach of peace in the second degree. The student found with the BB gun was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon, interfering with an officer and breach of peace in the second degree.

“We are encouraging students and staff to attend school tomorrow because we believe it to be safe,” New Haven Public Schools spokesperson Justin Harmon wrote to the News on Wednesday afternoon.

Wilbur Cross High School is the largest comprehensive high school in the New Haven Public Schools, with over 1,700 students.

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Two weeks ago, legislators from the state’s Select Committee on Special Education convened for the third of four stops on their “listening tour” of Connecticut in a half-full ballroom at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport.

“Special education is not going to be so special if everyone is in it,” Joy Colon, a teacher in Stamford Public Schools and a member of the Trumbull Town Council, told legislators.

For nearly two hours, teachers, parents and administrators recalled similar circumstances in schools across Southwestern Connecticut, from Stamford to New Haven. A number teared up recounting their experiences trying to get their students the special education services they are guaranteed by federal law. Speaker after speaker touched on one of the most controversial aspects of Connecticut’s special education system: private, out-of-district special education facilities.

Districts in Connecticut spend millions of dollars each year to send special education students to 88 private special education schools in the state. According to Rep. Maryam Khan, around 75 percent of these out-of-district facilities are nonprofits, but the other 25 percent are for-profit entities, many of which are owned by private equity firms.

Analisa Robertson, a special education teacher in Stamford Public Schools, expressed her concerns about outplacements to legislators.

“Districts should be creating their own special ed academies, where we can have therapeutic environments and don’t have to pay such outrageous fees,” Robertson said.

Rising costs

New Haven Public Schools alone spends $30,106,429 annually to educate around 285 special education students in private special education facilities, according to NHPS Communications Director Justin Harmon. The district spends millions each year on transportation to these facilities alone.

According to Harmon, the cost of these out-of-district placements has increased in the last few years, as has the number of students who need them.

For many district leaders and policymakers, the reasons for these cost increases remain unclear. 

“The costs appear to us to be rising rapidly,” Harmon wrote to the News. “The number of students identified as having learning disabilities has increased over time. As to the price of special education services, this is a good question to ask one or more of the providers.”

Rep. Maryam Khan, a former special education teacher and Deputy Majority leader, expressed concern about the rising costs of out-of-district special education placements. This issue is affecting districts across the state, both rural and urban, she said.

Connecticut has long relied on private special education providers, although a number of states do not. The costs for both nonprofit and for-profit private special education placements have gone up significantly in recent years, Khan said.

There have been no legislative changes to staffing ratios which would explain the rising costs, Khan said. Any increased costs due to inflation would also affect public school staffing costs, but the state’s public schools have not registered such increases, she added.

“I don’t see a reasonable kind of explanation right now that could explain [those] costs,” Khan said. “I am hearing some of them say that they are struggling to make their budgets. So I just don’t understand what has happened there that has changed.”

In his biennial budget address earlier this month, Governor Ned Lamont called for $14 million in state grants to incentivize districts to invest in in-district special education programs. He also proposed capping the cost of out-of-district placement. These programs would not come into effect until the second year of the two-year budget cycle.

Although the governor was concerned about additional spending this fiscal year, on Wednesday, Senate President and New Haven Senator Martin Looney and Speaker of the House Matt Ritter announced a plan to direct $40 million in surplus from this fiscal year to reimburse districts for some of the costs of special education.

Despite ongoing disputes over spending, state action is needed urgently, the speakers in Bridgeport argued last Tuesday.

“We need more financial support from the state of Connecticut,” Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, told legislators.

She called on the state to revise the Education Cost Sharing formula to account for special education costs, expand state grants to cover special education costs and cap student-teacher ratios for special education students.

Blatteau emphasized the importance of increased state regulation of out-of-district special education schools.

“Tuition increases are skyrocketing, and we can’t keep up. And we’re very concerned about takeover by private equity firms,” Blatteau said. “Why are private corporations preying on vulnerable students and trying to make a profit? This is exactly why we need government to intervene.”

Regulation

According to Khan, the Connecticut State Department of Education does approve private special education facilities, but much of the onus for regulation and supervision rests on individual school districts.

“If you’re a large district, like New Haven or Hartford, and you have students going to 25 different providers … there’s no way that you can go and do site visits throughout the year,” she said. “The staffing that would be required of a local district to be able to do that is not there.”

State inspectors, she said, are few and far between, and special education advocates have expressed concern that their recommendations are not enforced.

“We visit each facility to learn about its program and infrastructure. We oversee the placement process for individual students. The Connecticut State Department of Education provides oversight and monitoring for special education programs; we work from their list of approved providers,” Harmon wrote the News on behalf of NHPS, an account seemingly counter to  Khan’s concerns. 

The state’s Taskforce to Study Special Education Services and Funding, of which Khan was a member, recommended in May that districts reinvest in new in-district programs.

Khan expressed confidence that the governor’s proposal would encourage in-district programs but agreed with advocates that additional support is necessary this year, not just the next.

Blatteau also expressed support for the governor’s efforts to encourage special education in students’ home districts.

At the Bridgeport meeting, however, some parents and teachers praised outplacement facilities as providers of critical educational services.

According to Tom Cosker, an advocate for Disability Rights CT, Connecticut has the highest rate of out-of-district placements for special education students, with more than 6 percent of special education students sent out of their districts.

Both for-profit and nonprofit out-placement facilities are a problem, but for-profit out-placement schools are particularly problematic, Cosker said. These schools focus too much on profit, not on student outcomes, he argued, often relying on staff that are not certified to provide special education services.

Cosker praised the governor’s proposals, but said they would fall short of meeting the needs in the state. He is also worried an increase in state reimbursements for special education costs could fuel further outplacements.

Disability Rights CT is a federally designated Protection and Advocacy Organization for people with disabilities in the state.

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Thursday afternoon’s picket demanded a fair contract for the service workers, represented by Local 217 UNITE HERE. New Haven Public Schools cafeteria workers, who serve nearly 20,000 students, have worked without a contract since it expired on June 30.

Union members said that delayed contract negotiations and an alleged lack of engagement from the Board of Education have impeded their ability to stay afloat financially in the wake of the rising cost of living. A rise in wages is at the core of their demands for a third contract — one they have been negotiating since April. 

“It’s been so long that we need to make it clear that we need to get a third contract,” said Josh Stanley GRD ’18,  secretary-treasurer of Local 217. “[Workers] remained in the poverty they were put into by the rate of inflation we’ve seen.”

The union initially hoped to achieve a “Christmas bump” with wage increases for its workers and their families, but negotiations were delayed for reasons unknown to union leaders. Now, the goal is to settle a new contract by Valentine’s Day. 

The New Haven Federation of Teachers stands in solidarity with Local 217 and the public school cafeteria workers, said union president Leslie Blatteau ’97. 

“Before our students get to our classrooms, they stop off in the cafeteria for breakfast,” Blatteau said. “Midday, they go to the cafeteria for lunch. The cafeteria workers who work in our schools provide crucial support for our students, and so we believe that they deserve to be paid a living wage.”

New Haven Public Schools spokesperson Justin Harmon said in a statement that the district “values the important work” of cafeteria workers and looks forward to a successor contract. 

In addition to higher wages, the group is hoping to secure more affordable healthcare for its workers, according to Stanley. 

A longtime employee and resident of New Haven, Jasanea Hernandez, who was present at Thursday’s picket, said that the lack of a contract has been “nerve-wracking” and strained her ability to support her family. 

“Nothing is going to change that we’re going to take care of our babies in the New Haven public schools,” said Hernandez. “I do what I do because I love it, but we need to be treated fairly. We need to feel secure.”

Drawing on their shared identity as parents whose children attend New Haven Public Schools, Hernandez hopes that Superintendent Madeline Negrón will recognize that her support is critical for cafeteria workers to continue serving the city’s children. 

The Board of Education is located on 54 Meadow St.

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Three alders expressed skepticism of the proposal that Mayor Justin Elicker first announced early last month, but the Board ultimately approved the measure unanimously. 

“When I came here today, I was not in support of this item, but I am going to support this now,” Ward 27 Alder and Democratic Majority Leader Richard Furlow said. “Our students need help. Our students need help, but I’m going to say to the Board of Education, ‘Pull it together.’” 

The mayor’s proposal will redirect two pots of money to the schools. Five and a half million dollars in unspent federal America Rescue Plan Act funds will be transferred to the district’s capital budget, helping to address the district’s acute deferred maintenance crisis. Three million dollars in surplus tax revenue from the 2023-24 fiscal year will be transferred to the NHPS general fund to close the district’s budget deficit and avoid teacher layoffs. 

Unsatisfied with the NHPS fiscal affairs, Furlow called for the district to close schools if necessary and implement the “right-sizing” of staff and teachers necessary for financial stability. 

Ward 10 Alder Anna Festa, who sits on the Finance Committee, also “reluctantly” supported the measure. She expressed frustration that New Haven taxpayers are regularly asked to fill budget gaps at NHPS and urged the state and federal governments to address funding shortages in urban districts. 

“We can’t keep doing this to the residents of this city when there are so many asks from the residents as well,” she said.

The $5.5 million in ARPA funds originally set aside as a “buffer” in the city’s budget should instead be set aside for road infrastructure projects in the city, Festa said. She also questioned why the Board of Education was not able to support NHPS’ needs with the federal funds they received during the pandemic.

Ward 13 Alder Rosa Santana echoed Furlow and Festa’s frustrations with the proposal. 

Speaking to the News after the meeting, Furlow stressed the lack of clarity on the district’s plans for the funds. The $3 million is supposed to support the district’s contractual obligations to its teachers, but it will serve mainly as a cushion in the NHPS budget, he said. Festa shared these concerns, calling the district’s explanation for how the $3 million “buffer” in the budget would be spent “vague.” 

Furlow objected to the district’s request for funds outside of the standard budget process. The extra funds for NHPS amount to a “creative accounting” measure, setting aside extra funds in case the district cannot balance its budget at the end of the year, he told the News.

“We want to be supportive, but at the same time, we don’t want to just throw money in the air,” Furlow said. 

Furlow also questioned why NHPS was requesting funding for maintenance issues only after facilities had deteriorated significantly.

“You don’t wake up one morning and find mold in the walls,” he said. “Get it together.” 

Furlow called on NHPS to present the Board of Alders with line items rather than requests for pools of money. The Democratic majority leader also expressed little confidence in NHPS management. He instead expressed “confidence” that alders will be difficult to persuade when asked for another large budget transfer if funds aren’t spent “wisely.”

Elicker, who is a member of the Board of Education, defended his proposal and NHPS’ fiscal approach.

“Dr. Negron and her team worked very hard to reduce the budget gap by trying to find efficiencies and eliminating some programming, and they were able to reduce the gap to around $3 million without layoffs,” he told the News. “Given that the city had a surplus as we closed our fiscal year 23-24 budget, I felt it was important to invest in New Haven public schools.”

Elicker dismissed the alders’ concerns about a lack of clarity on how funds would be spent, characterizing the process as “fully transparent.” He highlighted the work of the Board of Education Finance and Operations Committee, which must review every expenditure publicly. 

The mayor also underscored the importance of increased state support for NHPS, so higher education costs do not fall solely on the city. NHPS is doing the best it can with what it has, Elicker said. 

“There’s some people that promote myths about New Haven public schools not using funding efficiently. We spend less per pupil than the state average. We spend less of our overall budget on administrators than the statewide average. We have incredible capital fund needs,” he said. “I think oftentimes people, when they’re not digging into the budget, they make claims that are not accurate.”

Elicker blamed the deferred maintenance crisis on a lack of state funds and municipal investment in preventative maintenance.

Asked after the meeting whether he supported the mayor’s approach, Alder Furlow promptly answered “No.” 

“When we give a budget, you’re expected to stay within that budget,” he said. “We don’t put money to the side just in case you can’t meet the budget. That negates the purpose of having a budget.” 

The next Board of Alders meeting is on Dec. 2, 2024.

Correction, 10/20: This article has been updated to reflect that Elicker is a member, not chair, of the Board of Education.

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That, the New Haven Public Schools teacher and parent explained, is what her colleagues called the district’s newly renovated administrative building at 21 Wooster Place. With its terrazzo floors, millwork, light fixtures, floor-to-ceiling windows and view onto the 19th century Wooster Square Park, the building was “beautiful,” Stockton said. 

Meanwhile, school buildings across the district suffer from decades of deferred maintenance. 

At the monthly meeting of the Board of Alders Education Committee last week, Alder Sarah Miller ’03 asked New Haven Public Schools Superintendent Madeline Negrón about reports that the district was paying for “a very high-end renovation” to the secondary office building. These reports of luxury have been circulating for weeks among NHPS teachers and have been categorically denied by the district.

“I want to clarify the rumors,” Negrón told Miller, declaring the claims unsubstantiated. “The project went along because … to stop it would have been a loss of funds. When it came time to say, ‘Can we order new furniture?’ that was when I immediately said, ‘Absolutely not.’”

At their Feb. 26 meeting, the Board of Education approved an increase in the funds allocated for renovations at the Wooster Place facility for a total of $1,230,964.00, paid to A. Prete Construction for the project. Justin Harmon, NHPS communications director, confirmed this number via email. This expenditure comes in the midst of a deferred maintenance crisis in the city’s public schools and the mayor’s recent proposal to redirect $5.5 million in unspent federal pandemic funds to the district’s capital budget. The News spoke with alders, teachers and labor leaders who expressed concern about the district’s use of capital funds. 

According to Negrón, the project was begun before she was appointed in July 2023 “to create more spaces to bring people together” by moving the district’s “academic team” to Wooster Place. 

The project was intended to save money on rent for the district’s Gateway Center at 54 Meadow St., Harmon wrote. The district aimed to save money on renting office spaces for their over 100 administrative employees by vacating the eighth floor of the Gateway Center.

According to Harmon, the Wooster Place facility required significant renovations before it could be used, especially after asbestos was discovered. 

The district has long planned to move out of the Gateway Center entirely, but that has not yet occurred, Negrón acknowledged.

“We’re still trying to figure out a way that we can basically move out of [Gateway],” she told Miller. “I believe part of [the Wooster Place project] was how can we begin that process of eventually being able to move out of Gateway, but we are nowhere close because the reality is that there are no spaces where we all fit at this point.”

Negrón wanted to halt the project when she first learned of it, she told the committee, but soon realized canceling the project would have its own financial consequences. 

“I wanted to put a hold on it,” she told Miller, “but the assessment would have been that if I would have put a hold on it we’d have lost money that had been already invested. So that project continues.”

According to Harmon, the project to renovate over 4,000 square feet of the facility — including major HVAC, electrical and mechanical upgrades — is already complete. Harmon also confirmed that the district will not purchase new furniture for the facility, instead repurposing furniture from Meadow Street. 

Rent for the eighth floor of the Gateway facility, Harmon wrote, was $102,342 in the 2020–21 fiscal year, the last before administrators in that part of the building were transferred to Wooster Place. The rent would have increased nine percent in the last fiscal year alone. 

Stockton, a teacher at Truman Elementary School, addressed the committee after Negrón’s comments. She described reading about the project in public documents and feeling frustrated that the new facility appeared to have new blinds for its floor-to-ceiling windows while her school has waited more than five years for the district to address broken blinds and shades. 

“Teachers at Truman School literally move their 26 children around their classrooms all day long to try to keep the sun out of their eyes. They can’t use their smart boards at certain parts of the day because the glare is so bad that you can’t see it,” she told the committee. “It’s disruptive to learning.” 

Stockton expressed distrust of the district’s spending priorities and frustration with continued maintenance issues. 

Speaking to the News, she also questioned the size of the district’s administrative staff. 

“Having lots and lots and lots of middle management is a real luxury if you’re in a budget crisis,” she said. “And so it’s frustrating to sit here as a taxpayer, and hear we can’t hire enough security guards, or we can’t hire enough plumbers or carpenters because we’re in a financial crisis. … Maybe we can’t have all of these executive management positions until we meet our basic needs.”

Leslie Blatteau ’97 GRD ’07, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, praised Negrón’s fiscal approach, but acknowledged that the Wooster Place project raises real concerns about spending priorities. 

“It is incredibly concerning that decisions were made prior to Dr. Negrón’s arrival that led to money being diverted from classroom needs, from students’ direct needs, into a renovation project for folks who do not work with students everyday,” she told the News. “This isn’t about pitting one level of management against rank-and-file teachers or students. This is about, how do we make decisions that are in the best interest of our school communities? How do we make decisions that are going to instill trust?”

A number of her union’s members are “disappointed” and “disheartened” by the district’s decision to continue the Wooster Place project, Blatteau told the News.

She and her union are calling for the Board of Alders to set up a “labor-management community taskforce” to oversee the district’s capital fund and the mayor’s proposed allocation of federal dollars.

Blatteau called for a more open and collaborative approach to budgeting in the district.

“We need more transparency on this issue, and we need to continue to scrutinize budgets and budget plans to ensure that every dollar, every penny is going to improve the learning conditions for students and the working conditions for the hard working people who show up for students every day,” she said. 

Speaking to the News, Alder Miller echoed Blatteau’s praise for Negrón’s approach, but emphasized that it is the responsibility of district leadership to find the money for basic necessities in New Haven schools.

Miller also shares Blatteau’s concerns about the district’s spending priorities in regards to the Wooster Place facility.

“​​Why were those dollars approved for administrator offices, a pretty high-end facility, when we have such basic, basic unmet needs — needs, not just desires — in schools?” she said. “We used to have issues in the district where stuff like that happened all the time. I have confidence that Negrón wants to stop all that … but I think whenever this stuff starts to creep up again, we really need to call it out.”

21 Wooster Place is located between Chapel and Greene streets.

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In two workshops, New Haven Public Schools officials gave brief presentations and answered questions from the alders. Central to each of the issues raised in the workshops was a basic economic dilemma: how to allocate scarce resources. 

When Ashley Stockton, a Truman School teacher and Wilbur Cross parent, began working at the New Haven public school system in 2006, she was struck by the state of school facilities. More galling to her, though, has been the continued complacency and lack of improvement over the past 18 years. 

“These schools look really nice from the outside. And they’re literally falling apart on the inside,” Stockton said. “It’s like the Emperor’s New Clothes.”

The first workshop, which began with a presentation from NHPS Superintendent Madeline Negrón and Interim Chief Operating Officer Michael Carter, was focused on the maintenance of facilities — which, in some schools, are in dismal condition.

Earlier this month, Mayor Justin Elicker proposed that $5.5 million of the city’s remaining federal pandemic-era funds be directed to the schools’ capital budget. School officials said that the funds will be at least partially directed to remedying “significant issues” in heating and cooling systems and utility repair. 

Alder Frank L. Redente Jr. described “ghost” toilets and sinks that run water continuously for up to a week and broken lights at Fair Haven School, where he serves as a youth development coordinator. Carter explained that the mayor’s proposed funds will also go towards issues like these. The Board of Alders has not yet approved the proposal. 

“What would help us, in addition to having the dollars, is having additional people,” Carter added. “We only have three carpenters and two plumbers, and we need two or three times as much, so we can stay ahead of the curve as opposed to running behind it.” 

Carter said that the New Haven public school system is still waiting on municipal funding to fill those trade positions. 

The district began this year with a $2.3 million budget deficit; the New Haven Federation of Teachers, along with Elicker, recently called for increased federal and state funding to alleviate maintenance and staffing issues. State representatives instead placed the blame on decades of fiscal mismanagement. 

Like the NHPS facilities workforce, the Office of Security also suffers from budget-related vacancies. In the second workshop, Negrón said in the opening presentation that in 2010, NHPS employed 100 security officers. Now, because of efforts to reduce the district’s budget, that number is 56. 

Negrón, along with Assistant Superintendent Paul Whyte ’93 — who, given administrative vacancies, has stepped in to support Negrón in overseeing the security department — explained the daily “puzzle” of shuffling security officers between the district’s 44 schools.

This scarcity means that sometimes, schools like Fair Haven are left with only one security officer — and, at certain times of day, none at all. Redente explained that because his school’s security officer does not arrive until 8 a.m., he has to step up to the plate. Teachers, he explained, do not feel comfortable with the “homeless folks” and substance users who loiter outside the building. 

“All I can tell you,” Negrón responded, “is I’m not going to be able to create a body out of thin air.”

Alder Amy Marx LAW ’00 asked about the existing protocols for active shooter emergencies. Chief Thaddeus Reddish, the director of security, declined to explain specific staff practices, citing student safety. 

“We are state of the art when it comes to school security,” Reddish said. “We’ve upgraded our training. And trust me, it works. It works. So we are prepared to do the best we can.” 

Still, Alder Sarah Miller ’03 noted that security practices are inherently limited by facilities issues. Key components of active shooter protocol — turning off lights, lowering blinds, locking doors — are simply impossible if those implements are broken. 

Stockton said that at Truman, for instance, most of the blinds do not work.

Miller told the News that she was left unsatisfied with the meeting.

“We heard a lot of things that are being worked on, and we didn’t really hear a path to getting to a situation where basic, basic issues across the district are addressed,” Miller said. “We have a little more information about specific instances, but the so-called improvements that we’ve seen are really inadequate; they’re poorly done.”

The list of work orders — repairs needed in HVAC, carpentry, electrical writing and plumbing, among other areas — is long, Negrón said. And issues often go unaddressed. Therefore, they’re working together with experts like these HVAC, plumbing and solar services in Stockton, CA for residential plumbing repair.

Redente handed out packets of photos of water damage and missing ceiling tiles at Fair Haven, much of which, he told the News, dates back to 2018. Like Miller, he was unconvinced by what he heard at the meeting. 

“I’m looking for more,” Redente said. “We will do a fact-finding mission of our own, and call these parties back to the table again.”

The Education Committee convenes monthly at 6 p.m. 

The post Board of Alders unimpressed by NHPS updates on facilities, security appeared first on Yale Daily News.

After closing the books on the 2023-2024 fiscal budget on Sept. 30, New Haven saw a $16.4 million surplus in its general fund, marking the fourth consecutive year the city ran a surplus. Elicker proposed to put $3 million into NHPS’s operating budget. The remaining $13.4 million will be allocated to the city’s rainy day fund — which is money set aside in case of disruption to New Haven’s regular revenue. 

Elicker also proposed that $5.5 million of the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, which must be allocated by the end of 2024, be given to the schools’ capital budget for building maintenance and improvement. Last year, the city set aside these funds as revenue replacement, for any potential gaps in the budget that would’ve needed closing.

New Haven Public Schools began this school year with a $2.3 million budget deficit, after receiving only $5 million of the requested $17 million increase in city funds to maintain the previous year’s programs.

Elicker’s proposal will have to be approved by the Board of Alders.

Additional NHPS funds will help close the deficit

“It’s a happy day for the schools,” Superintendent Madeline Negrón said. She expressed confidence that alders will approve Elicker’s proposal because “we are surrounded by individuals that are committed to making and upholding the promise of public education for New Haven public school students.”

To address the budget deficit, NHPS slashed $11.8 million worth of its previous services, Negron said, including a reduction in administrative operations. Elicker’s recommended additional $3 million will aid the schools in balancing their budget. 

Furthermore, the serious maintenance concerns plaguing 39 of 41 public school buildings are the result of years of failure to invest proper funds in the facilities. According to Negron, adequate facilities maintenance costs two percent of a property’s value per year. The schools are valued at $1.38 billion, meaning New Haven would be spending $27.6 million annually on maintenance to adhere to industry standards. 

By contrast, Negron said, the public school system was only able to allocate $16.6 million to its capital budget, which is used for facilities maintenance, renovation and construction. The additional $5.5 million coming from ARPA funding will “go a long way,” she said, toward informational technology and facilities investment.

“The reality is that [the schools] … need more, but unfortunately, because of salary increases and fixed cost increases and because of the challenges of the school deficit, they actually began with less,” Elicker said. 

In the last five years, New Haven has increased its contribution to the public schools’ budget by 48 percent. More funding, Elicker said, needs to come from state leaders — a claim education advocates and Elicker have been pushing as concerns for New Haven’s schools have worsened. 

Fourth year of budget surplus

According to Elicker, the primary drivers of the budget surplus were an additional $5.4 million in state tax funding allocation to New Haven and an additional $2.9 million in revenue from building permits. The city also had attrition and vacancy savings as it struggled in recent years to fill its budgeted positions. 

Although vacancies contributed to the budget surplus, Elicker ensured that the city was still “working very hard” to recruit people to fill those roles because the vacancies have put “a lot of pressure” on the existing city staff, who are picking up the slack from unfilled positions.

This is the fourth consecutive year New Haven has had a budget surplus, which Elicker credits to better expense and revenue initiatives. 

Elicker has sworn to cap borrowing at $30 million per year so that New Haven’s debt payments will go down over time. Elicker also worked with former Yale president Peter Salovey to increase Yale’s voluntary contribution to the city from $13 million to $23 million annually in 2021. 

Elicker said growth in New Haven has also increased tax revenue. In past years, city residents also saw property tax increases after a state-mandated revaluation in 2021.  

Elicker emphasized that while the budget surplus demonstrates great progress, the city still has a lot of work to do. According to Elicker, New Haven has $2.5 billion in unfunded liabilities — driven by underfunded pensions, $700 million in debt and healthcare payments to retirees. 

However, City Budget Director Shannon McCue emphasized that New Haven has taken great strides in developing reserve funds, going from a negative $10 million fund balance in 2018 to more than $50 million in reserves today.

“If we see any shortfalls, any kind of fiscal pressure, we will have reserves in order to address those and mitigate any of those pressures and continue to deliver services to the city, which is always most important,” McCue said.

Elicker is “quite confident” that the city will face “another challenging budget” when it comes time to plan the 2025-2026 fiscal year’s expenses.

Most notably, Elicker said, the New Haven Police Department’s union is reviewing an agreement that would ensure the police department pays competitive salaries. This would be a significant additional expenditure, ensuring the next budget season will continue to be challenging for the schools. 

The next Board of Alders meeting is scheduled for Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m.

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