As we head into this year’s legislative session, we once again find ourselves in a conversation about school funding. Though last year, we made great strides in achieving equitable funding for schools across Connecticut, we now need to ensure that school districts are spending the funding in an equitable manner to help benefit all educators and students.
So far, I continue to see budget struggles throughout my district. There have been no changes in the amount of money for supply orders, field trip funds, equipment or materials. The pressure from parents and communities on how money should be spent in the classroom has caused a discrepancy as to where money should be allocated. Additionally, a lack of districts and decision makers listening to teachers in the classroom, affects the ways in which districts are choosing to spend additional funds.
Many districts also used the ESSER funds to implement programs to benefit curriculum and to hire necessary support staff. It is so important that districts use the ECS funding to continue these initiatives. If they don’t, all of the work achieved by these new programs and staffers will be for naught. It will be another example of change and inconsistency for students, putting them at yet another disadvantage.
Initially, the COVID-19 pandemic opened our eyes to a whole new way of incorporating technology into our classrooms. While this has been incredibly beneficial to lesson planning and staying current, the sad reality is that most students are using district-provided Chromebooks that are barely functional. Fully funding schools includes keeping technology up to date, functioning, and providing schools with an IT department equipped to help meet these needs. Without these considerations, students will only fall further behind their peers in more affluent districts, thus widening the opportunity gap.
Possibly most importantly, these budget issues have a direct correlation with the teacher shortage we are facing in Connecticut. This teaching shortage, coupled with the lack of available substitute teachers, impacts my day-to-day teaching. When every prep period is being used to cover a different colleague’s class instead of lesson planning, making photo copies, contacting parents, or grading, we are losing more than just our time — we’re losing our ability to best perform in our jobs.
Teacher burnout is real and the lack of educators and substitute teachers to fill vacant positions is only going to exacerbate this issue. Not having necessary supplies like paper, books, or pencils — which we are also dealing with as educators — is almost secondary to not having time to do basic teaching.
Additionally, on top of the teaching shortage we are already experiencing, with the end of the ESSER funds, many districts are already bracing for staff layoffs. This seems almost impossible given that many schools are already working with a bare bones staff. Our districts need to be putting these additionally granted funds won in last year’s legislative session into recruitment programs and competitive teacher salaries, rather than accepting looming layoffs.
Staffing is the biggest problem when it comes to my experiences in Hartford Public Schools. It is the current and impending vacancies that are really causing our beautiful and capable students to struggle. The entire country is in a teaching shortage — but without competitive wages, high needs districts like Hartford are only going to fall further behind.
We are in such a unique position with these funds, and we need to ensure the funds remain where they were promised in last year’s budget. Our educators, our students, and our communities need this to succeed. I am urging Connecticut school districts to consider teachers’ voices when making budget decisions, and to keep the best interests of students at the forefront of their minds.
Tiffany Moyer-Washington is a Hartford Educator, and E4E-CT member.