New London Board approves roughly $4.5 million in school budget cuts, including staff reductions

The New London Board of Education voted May 27 to approve roughly $4.5 million in reductions to the 2025–26 district budget, adopting non-staffing reductions unanimously and approving a package of staffing cuts by a 5-2 margin.

Board President Elaine Maynard-Adams framed the measures as an unwanted but necessary response to the City Council and Board of Finance decision to flat-fund education. "There is an ugly task before the Board this evening, which is to reduce the budget by approximately $4.5 million," she said, adding that New London ranks third from the bottom for local educational contributions among Connecticut cities.

The non-staffing reductions were approved 7-0. Chief Financial Officer Michael Funk clarified the budget exhibit, saying that in the document a positive number indicates a cut while a negative number indicates an add. The board then approved the non-staffing package, which includes program eliminations and service reductions.

Board debate named several specific impacts: the cosmetology program was slated for elimination; Assistant Superintendent Dr. Hills-Papetti said six students had earned certificates through that program and that future enrollment was unknown. Executive Director of Operations Gautier described a three-tier maintenance plan: tier 1 covers required inspections (fire, sprinklers, elevators), tier 2 covers critical systems (HVAC, playgrounds) and tier 3 covers other repairs. He said $361,000 of remaining funds had been reserved for required maintenance and estimated only about $100,000 would remain for noncritical repairs.

The Board then considered staffing reductions. The package will reduce groundskeeping to one full-time position for the district and leave one crossing guard position (the crosswalk on Williams Street between the middle school and Jennings). The proposal also reduces supervisory staffing for Multilingual Learners, with Director Carrillo’s primary placement at the high school next year, and includes elimination of some school nurse positions (the nurse at the Williams School had been cut earlier; this proposal includes the nurse at St. Joseph’s School). HR Executive Director Christine Pemberton described a tiered outreach process for affected employees, including in-person meetings, written transition guides, and job-transition support such as resume review.

The staffing reductions motion passed 5-2. Board Members Alisha Blake and Karen Bergin voted no. Several board members warned of diminished services: Karen Bergin said the district was removing opportunities that regional commissions and local leaders had previously recommended and that the cuts "will not be accomplished without a huge impact." Board member Danni Cruz characterized the local funding decision as a failure of city leadership: "This was a blatant failure of the Council on our students and families," he said.

Sarah Turner, a New London resident who addressed the Board during public comment, urged better communication about personnel decisions. She said her daughter learned about planned cuts at a National Honor Society meeting and that a teacher was notified while accompanying students to a tennis match, prompting Turner to call Human Resources.

What passed - Non-staffing reductions: approved 7-0. - Staffing reductions: approved 5-2 (nays: Alisha Blake; Karen Bergin).

What happens next Board leaders said they will communicate the eliminated services to the Mayor’s Office and City Council and seek additional appropriations if required. Several board members said the City will now need to consider taking on services the district can no longer fund.

Votes at a glance - Approve May 12, 2025 minutes: carried 6-0-1 (Mr. Cruz abstained). - Consent agenda (calendar revisions, line-item transfers): carried 7-0. - Non-staffing reductions: carried 7-0. - Staffing reductions: carried 5-2 (Blake, Bergin opposed).

The board adjourned at 9:34 p.m.