Parents, teachers urge Verona Board to preserve Lanning second‑grade section as budget cuts force consolidation

Dozens of parents and teachers pressed the Verona Board of Education on May 13 to maintain a third incoming second‑grade section at Lanning Avenue School, saying the district’s decision to collapse three sections into two will raise class sizes to 25–26 students and harm instruction for young and special‑needs learners.

“We are not asking for more. We are asking for what has been,” said Cassidy Perna, a third‑generation Verona resident and parent, urging the board to reconsider the consolidation and explore alternatives such as reallocating surplus or adjusting other budget cuts. Sarah O’Connor, a parent and former district teacher, said, “Plain and simple, that is a loss to Lanning and our children.”

Board members and district leaders responded that the budget was balanced under tight constraints. Superintendent (as identified in the transcript) said the district faced an $800,000 adequacy gap from the state, rising health and utility costs and limits imposed by a 2% tax levy cap. The superintendent also highlighted district gains in academic indicators this year — an increase in average summative ratings, chronic absenteeism down 1.5%, and enrollment up by 30 students this year — while explaining that staffing and Title I funding reductions forced difficult tradeoffs.

Several speakers said the decision disproportionately affects Lanning, which they described as having a higher share of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans. Veronica Erickson asked the board to state the explicit threshold for when three sections are required, noting that second grade is often the year for initial special‑education classifications and that clustering students with higher needs can complicate compliance and instruction.

Parents and teachers described not being consulted before the change and urged the board to provide contingency plans and earlier communication. Stephanie Povarelic said the district’s approach felt "reactive," adding that she was told additional support would be hired only if the change proved unsuccessful: “Why do we have to wait for our children to fail in order to provide them with the resource they need?”

Board members said they have repeatedly advocated to municipal leaders for pilot funds (payments in lieu of taxes) and passed a resolution to request those funds be shared with the school district; they said the town council has not provided the district its requested share. Members stressed that many budget reductions were made before the consolidation decision — including cutting stipends and finding lower‑cost vendors — and that the board had tried to avoid teacher layoffs despite a large budget gap.

The superintendent and others also said new state provisions (referred to in the meeting as tax levy incentive aid) may allow the district to exceed the 2% cap for adequacy reasons in the next budget year, but that change came after the current budget was finalized. Board members flagged the need for a strategic community conversation about long‑term options, including the possibility of a referendum or a grade‑band reconfiguration for future years.

The board moved and approved multiple routine agenda items (personnel A1–A14; education B1–B8; athletics C1; finance E1–E5; governance F1) by roll call during the meeting. No formal reversal of the Lanning section consolidation was announced before adjournment; the meeting concluded with instructions about next steps and encouragement that community members engage with the board and town council.

The board will next meet on May 28 in the Verona Learning Commons.