Teachers, librarians and parents urge New Haven board to spare arts and library staff amid proposed cuts

Dozens of teachers, librarians, parents and union representatives pressed the New Haven Board of Education on April 28 to protect student-facing staff after the superintendent outlined potential budget cuts.

"Librarians aren't extras. We aren't luxuries. We are teachers," Kim Rogers, lead librarian for New Haven Public Schools, told the board as multiple speakers described libraries and arts programs as essential to literacy and student engagement. Teachers and union leaders said the district has already taken cuts and freezes and urged the board to prioritize cuts at central office or contract reductions rather than eliminate library media specialists, arts teachers or paraeducators.

Several speakers quantified the potential impact: Melody Gallagher and others said the district faces proposals that would eliminate roughly 29 arts educator positions and that the district's library-media staffing would be dramatically reduced if proposed cuts proceed. Gillian Lynch described the effect of losing 125 student-facing employees and urged the board to seek changes to the state's Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula so urban districts receive more sustained funding.

Jenny Graves, vice president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, urged large-scale advocacy, calling for legislative change in Hartford. Multiple speakers asked the board to make public any mitigation plans and to explain why particular personnel decisions were made.

What happens next: public commenters were told their remarks were noted and would be referred to administration for review; the superintendent said the district will continue to advocate for additional state resources and will return with mitigation details if new funds are not secured.