Middletown BOE candidates emphasize teacher pay, staffing and budget transparency

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Candidates for the Middletown Board of Education told an audience at a candidate forum hosted by the Middletown Federation of Teachers and Middletown High School National Honor Society on Oct. 27 that their top budget priorities would be boosting staff pay, addressing paraeducator shortages and increasing transparency around spending.

The emphasis followed repeated candidate statements that teacher recruitment and retention and support staff shortages are the district’s most urgent operational problems. "Teacher burnout remains unacceptably high, and we continue to hemorrhage seasoned and dedicated staff," Republican candidate Chris Cardella said. "This has to stop." Democratic candidate Alex Cohen said supplies and classroom resources would be his first focus: "We want the supplies, we want the resources." Independent candidate Liz Crooks said her "students first" approach would guide…