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Teachers and students at CBU warn cuts would harm special-education services and class sizes
Summary
At a Senate Education Committee visit to CBU High School, a special educator, a former teacher and a student warned that staffing cuts, rising health-care costs and proposals to consolidate districts risk reducing inclusion and individualized support for students with disabilities.
Marie Dimanadetto, a special educator at CVU and resident of Richmond, told the Senate Education Committee that inclusion and services for students with disabilities should be prioritized as lawmakers consider district restructuring and budgets. "It's really scary right now to be... a special educator," Dimanadetto said, noting many families with intensive needs cannot attend hearings because they are caring for their children.
Dimanadetto flagged the rising cost of teacher health care as a significant pressure on district budgets, telling the committee that health-care costs "are going to double next year," and asking the senators to consider statewide health-care funding in their deliberations.
Nick Kennedy, who taught in Illinois for 10 years, described how very large class loads undercut teachers' ability to provide feedback and form relationships, recalling that at one point "the most students I had in one year... was 204 students." He urged lawmakers to weigh class size and instructional quality when seeking efficiencies.
Johnny Bush, a student from Williston who said he receives services for ADHD and dyslexia, asked the committee to protect programs that teach everyday skills. "If cuts were going to be made, they should not be made there because they are very needed at the school," Bush said, adding that losing those programs would be "super duper bad."
The committee heard multiple testimonials that preserving staff and services matters both for academic outcomes and students' sense of belonging. Senators took no formal votes at the visit and said they would carry community feedback back to Montpelier ahead of the next session.
