New Haven resident and high school senior Harmony Cruz-Bustamante went to Yale University for a program last summer, on a scholarship. They fought back tears, as they saw the amenities Yale students are used to — things that seem like luxuries to their classmates at Wilbur Cross High School.
“The lights were working, the TV was new, and the tables and the chairs were a beautiful mahogany,” Cruz-Bustamante said. “I felt dizzy with rage and sorrow.”
Cruz-Bustamante spoke with educators and teacher union officials in front of Wilbur Cross on Friday, where they called on the Board of Alders to increase funding to the school district. But they are running out of time. The board is set to vote on the budget on Tuesday.
Union officials said Mayor Justin Elicker’s proposed $208 million education budget is not enough to keep up with staff salary increases and student needs.
The president of New Haven Federation of Teachers, Leslie Blatteau, said the district’s original request for $220 million would fully fund the school district, but the city’s proposed budget falls short by $12 million.
She said the education budget makes up 31% of the city’s budget, down from 37% in 2010.
“So this narrative that the schools are the primary driver of increasing city costs is just not true,” Blattaeu said.
Both Mayor Justin Elicker’s office and Alder Anna Festa, representing Ward 10 where Wilbur Cross High School is located, did not respond to requests for comment by Friday afternoon. In his budget proposal, Elicker wrote the city is including “an increase of $5 million to New Haven Public Schools to support student learning, the retention and recruitment of a strong teaching workforce, and the expansion of a growing career pathways program.”
Still, Blatteau said increased funding further would better help renovate school facilities, address the needs of non-English speaking students, and help students with mental health needs.
Student Cruz-Bustamante said more money would also mean less crowded classrooms due to hiring more teachers.
While many districts across the state are also facing looming budget woes as federal COVID-19 pandemic relief funding ends, Blattaeu said New Haven isn’t facing layoffs, because the district didn’t use recent federal grants to help pay for salaries. Instead, she said the district hired more teachers and used those additional teachers to fill in vacancies.
Meanwhile, Shelton, Stratford and Hartford are facing layoffs.
But avoiding layoffs does not mean educators are making livable wages, according to some advocates. Hyclis Williams, president of New Haven Paraprofessionals Union, said added money would help students, but would also raise salaries for paraprofessionals.
Teacher aides can’t make ends meet with their meager salaries, she said.
“The average paraprofessional makes $24,000 a year and has to work multiple jobs to survive,” Williams said.
This story was first published May 24, 2024 by Connecticut Public.