Middletown board approves amended $2.2M-plus budget cut plan after public outcry over staff reductions

The Middletown School District Board of Education voted June 24 to approve an amended budget mitigation plan that the administration said reduces district spending by roughly $2,216,666 while restoring a manufacturing teacher and a STEM teacher after public and board member pushback.

The amendment reinstated the district’s proposed manufacturing/aerospace teacher position and kept a STEM teacher at McDonough School; the board approved the amended budget by voice and roll-call, and the motion carried.

The vote followed about an hour of public comment and a detailed budget presentation from Superintendent Dr. V and Natalie Forbes, the district’s executive director of finance. “Trying to make the best decisions possible for all students. Mitigating a $3,000,000 budget is not easy,” Dr. V told the board. Forbes summarized the administration’s proposal and said, “The total mitigation is $2,216,666.”

Why it matters: The changes affect staffing and student supports across elementary, middle and high schools, touching programs that parents and teachers said are central to student experience. Public commenters pressed the board to avoid cuts that would disproportionately affect small-school communities and specialized programs.

Public and staff concerns

Several McDonough parents and staff urged the board to preserve personnel tied closely to the school’s STEAM and extension programs. Paige McMullen, a McDonough parent, told the board: “I am here pleading with you to keep the McDonough staff as is intact for this upcoming year.” Rachel Drake, the McDonough parent representative, noted broader tradeoffs and said finding “$2,000,000 in cuts must be difficult,” and asked the board to prioritize cuts that wouldn’t “affect the children.”

Mandy Amptmanis, a health and physical-education teacher at McDonough, warned that removing the district’s DEI leadership would undercut equity initiatives: “If we do not have a director of DEIB and we are abandoning our commitment to equity.” Eighth-grade student Maya Dancy described TAG and STEM experiences at McDonough and said those programs have helped students win regional competitions and learn “real world” skills.

Administration proposal and changes

Forbes walked the board through personnel and line-item shifts, describing re-titling and salary reductions (for example, retitling the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning to chief of academics with a stated salary savings of $43,000) and multiple position eliminations or reassignments, including the director of communications, a proposed assistant athletics coordinator, and reductions in custodial management from two positions to one.

Forbes also explained that some positions would be moved from the general fund into grant-funded lines, and that the district’s mitigation package included stipends reductions and cuts tied to low enrollment in extracurriculars. She told the board, “Those positions will see no change in their relationship with Middletown Public Schools. Their salaries will just be covered under a grant line instead of under the general fund line.”

Board discussion and directed next steps

Board members pressed for operational detail and alternatives. Members asked whether administrative grant allowances could help cover the newly proposed grants manager salary; one board member proposed reducing the grants manager salary from $100,000 to $90,000 and cutting $75,000 from legal-fee increases to fund the manufacturing teacher on a three-quarter basis initially. That proposal was made, seconded, and adopted as an amendment. The board also agreed to restore the STEM teacher at McDonough.

The board discussed impacts on specific student supports: social-emotional learning (SEL) positions at Beaman and the high school will be eliminated as proposed, with administrators saying guidance counselors, social workers and contracted ESS services will absorb those responsibilities. Board members requested follow-up data on counselor caseloads and implementation plans.

Other notable points

- The administration proposed eliminating the district director of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) while retaining school-based DEIB coaches; the superintendent and staff said consultants and a restorative-practices approach would guide the work ongoing. - The ELA coach position will be reassigned to grade 8 at Beaman; one STEM coach position remains while another was reduced or reassigned, and the district said librarians and school-based staff will continue makerspace and STEM supports. - Facilities and operational savings were discussed; facilities staff reported ongoing solar credits and fuel-cell benefits that offset some energy costs. - Board members asked about property and casualty insurance for district buildings (owned by the city) and sought documentation of the intergovernmental billing arrangement.

Formal action

The board approved the administration’s budget as amended. The motion’s approval included the amendment to reinstate the manufacturing position with funding adjustments to the grants manager line and legal-fee increases. The board chairman said the motion carried following roll call.

What’s next

Board members directed the superintendent and finance staff to meet over the summer to create a schedule and monitor implementation. The administration committed to providing job descriptions, caseload estimates, and follow-up details requested by board members, and to continue outreach to community partners (including the local Chamber of Commerce and area manufacturers) about support for career-technical programs.

Ending

Superintendent Dr. V and Forbes thanked the board, staff and the public for patience during the revision process. The board adjourned after the vote.