Teachers, librarians and parents urge board to avoid student-facing layoffs as superintendent warns cuts likely

Superintendent Adin Negron told the New Haven Board of Education that this year’s small state increase to the education budget will force “very tough choices,” and that the district may need to eliminate central office, teacher and support staff positions. “We will seek to decrease the scope of layoffs while prioritizing student facing jobs,” Negron said.

That warning set the tone for an extended public-comment period in which teachers, librarians, parents and students urged the board to protect classroom and student-facing roles. Speakers repeatedly identified library media specialists, arts teachers, academic coaches, paraprofessionals and after-school staff as positions that should not be cut.

“The impact of these layoffs extend far beyond the classroom,” said Theresa Purdy, a Coop High School teacher. “Larger class sizes mean less individual attention, which hinders academic progress and widens our achievement gaps.”

Jennifer Graves, vice president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, read a union petition asking the superintendent and mayor to reject layoff proposals that cut student-facing positions and to pursue specific mitigation strategies including reductions in executive team positions, a hiring freeze for nonessential administrative roles, selling unused property and a forensic audit of central budgets. “We call on Dr. Negron to hear from the community first before making any more cuts,” Graves read.

Several speakers connected the threat of layoffs to state funding decisions. “I am extremely disappointed in our governor’s small increase to the education budget,” Negron said in his opening remarks; multiple public commentators also criticized state funding decisions and urged local leaders to act. Ashley Stockton, a kindergarten teacher, urged the board to focus on “the variables within your immediate influence and control” rather than only blaming the governor.

Librarians emphasized program impact and usage data. “This year we checked out 52,681 books,” Kim Rogers, lead librarian for New Haven Public Schools, told the board, and she described e-resources and subscriptions the district maintains. Annalise Jurgensen, a library media specialist, said libraries help teach research and media literacy and argued that eliminating them would disproportionately harm students who rely on school resources.

Student speakers urged the board to consider the personal and developmental effects of cuts. “Our teachers became a big thing. … The place I call home is in the classrooms,” said Jafet Gonzalez, a junior at HSC, describing the emotional role of arts and librarians in students’ lives.

Board members acknowledged the seriousness of the budget situation and the public comments. Negron said staff and the board will work as quickly as possible to develop a mitigation plan and will continue to collect ideas from the public. He stressed legal and budgetary constraints: “We can only legally spend what we are allocated by the city, by the state, and by the federal government.”

Nut graf: The district faces budget pressure tied to state funding decisions and must produce a plan to close a shortfall. Teachers’ union leaders, librarians, classroom teachers and students urged the board to prioritize student-facing positions and offered specific cost-saving alternatives, while the superintendent warned layoffs may be unavoidable without additional revenue.

Board response and next steps: The superintendent said the administration will present a mitigation plan to the board and the public. Multiple speakers asked the board to consider audit and property-sale options, freeze administrative hiring and reexamine contracts before cutting classroom positions. The superintendent and board did not adopt any layoffs at the meeting; no formal action to cut positions was taken during the session.

Ending: Public comments concluded after more than an hour of testimony. The board did not vote on layoffs; members moved on to routine agenda items including approval of minutes, personnel actions and policy readings. The district said it will share details of any proposed mitigation plan with the board and the public when available.