Teachers in New Haven are pushing for more federal funding for education as pandemic relief runs out on Monday and they held rallies at three schools in the city.
"We already didn't have enough. Like, we already don't have the things that we need to meet our students' needs and to like deliver the world-class education that they deserve," Izzi Geller, a teacher, said.
In New Haven, they've already been facing an uphill battle with funding.
“We believe it shouldn’t just take a pandemic to ensure that the schools where we work and serve and where our students attend are fully funded,” Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, said.
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In June, they managed to find a grant to cover $10 million, but are still $2 million short this year.
That led to cuts in transportation and staff who retired were not replaced.
The "Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief" funding that came from the government is expiring Monday, so the rallies are part of a nationwide multi-city push for swift action in Congress to approve an act.
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It would provide additional funding through 2031 for schools with high concentrations of low-income students.
“We were banking on saving at least a million dollars in transportation. We're not there yet with a million dollars, right? So some of our ideas are now going to completely pan out the way that we had hoped. So we are still trying to mitigate that budget,” Dr. Madeline Negron, the superintendent, said.
Teachers also say there are clear disparities between school districts.
“There are some schools and some school districts that are able to fully fund and offer students a wide range of incredible opportunities. And then there are other districts, like New Haven, where we have to continue to cut year after year," said New Haven Federation of Teachers President Leslie Blatteau.
The rallies were held at Metropolitan Business Academy on Water Street, Fair Haven School on Grand Avenue and Brennan-Rogers Magnet School on Wilmot Road.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said New Haven schools will need an additional $35 million dollars every year to have reasonable staffing levels, so getting additional federal funding and revisiting how the state sets fiscal guardrails could open the door to additional money coming to the city’s schools.
“It’s not just important, it’s imperative, that the state function in a way to help these people. We talk a lot about the issue of equity. Equity is something that you do in addition to what you’ve already done to make up for things you haven’t done well in the past. That requires more, not less” Sen. Gary Winfield, (D-West Haven, New Haven) said.
