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Teachers urge Cromwell school board to reconsider cut to a first‑grade position
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Summary
A first‑grade teacher told the Cromwell Board of Education that cutting a first‑grade teaching position from the 2026–27 budget will harm students’ learning and social‑emotional supports; the board agreed to revisit budget topics on a future agenda but did not change the approved budget immediately.
Amanda Rothschild, a first‑grade teacher at ECS, told the Cromwell Board of Education on April 7 that cutting a first‑grade teaching position proposed in the board’s budget submission would “not only affect the teachers and staff, but most importantly, it will directly impact the children and their futures.” She asked the board to reconsider the cut ahead of next year’s school year.
Rothschild described current first‑grade class sizes and said the district supports students with diverse needs — including food insecurity, homelessness, trauma and anxiety — that require more, not fewer, classroom resources. She warned that the position’s removal, even if justified as attrition, could force larger class sizes and place greater pressure on existing teachers and substitutes.
Board members thanked Rothschild and other teachers for speaking but declined to engage in back‑and‑forth during public comment, citing legal norms about public‑comment procedures. Chair noted that the board had “extensive conversations” before making decisions about the budget and said the district would make meeting records available to the public.
During the meeting’s discussion of future agenda items, several board members asked leadership to put a broader review of budget implementation on a forthcoming agenda so the board can examine where cuts have been made and whether any changes should be considered after the town finance process is complete. The chair said the town must finalize its budget first and the board would try to schedule a budget review for May if calendar timing allows.
The board took no immediate vote to reverse the cut at the April 7 meeting; members instructed staff to provide information and said they would return to the topic at a later meeting.
