Stratford board unanimously approves letter pressing state to fulfill special-education funding promises

An unnamed board member said the Stratford School District Board of Education approved a letter drafted by the acting superintendent at a special meeting and agreed to circulate it to other districts and state legislators.

The letter, approved unanimously, asks state lawmakers to "keep their promises" on funding and to act sooner than previously signaled. "This is a year where I think the state needs to really, keep their promises and and look at some of the things they've been doing in the past," a board member said, referring in particular to special-education funding.

Board members said the letter will be shared first with Southern Fairfield County superintendents and their boards, then with other districts and state legislators. A speaker said members would sign the letter, and that electronic signatures could be used to expedite circulation. The board noted that one district had already drafted a similar letter and that more boards were expected to join the effort.

Procedurally, a motion to approve the letter was made, seconded and carried without amendment. The meeting record shows the motion passed unanimously; individual roll-call votes or the number of board members present were not recorded in the provided transcript.

Meeting discussion included logistics for finalizing the document: the date line had to be added, signatures would be collected from members present, and staff would upload and distribute the finalized letter. Board members also noted a separate item about food choices that they planned to address at a later meeting.

After approving the letter, the board moved to adjourn the special meeting.