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Teachers, parents demand special‑education positions be preserved and ask for fifth kindergarten at Roxbury
Summary
Teachers and parents told the Stamford Board that pending cuts to special‑education staff and the loss of classroom teachers will harm students; Roxbury speakers reported 84 incoming kindergartners and asked the district to use a contingency position to add a fifth kindergarten class.
Multiple teachers and parents spoke at the May 27 Stamford Board meeting urging the board to preserve special‑education teacher roles and to add a contingency kindergarten position at Roxbury School.
Stacy Smith, a special‑education teacher and parent, warned that proposed reductions in special‑education teachers will increase group sizes, stretch remaining staff and reduce individualized instruction for students with IEPs. “Cutting teacher positions means that the educators who remain will be stretched thin,” she said, adding that administration roles should not be increased at the expense of classroom services.
Roxbury educators described incoming kindergarten enrollment as unusually high. Teacher Kate Barford said the school has 84 incoming kindergarten students, 57 of whom are already registered, and said prior practice of moving students to magnet schools to lower counts disrupted cohorts. Multiple speakers asked the board to create a contingency teaching position so Roxbury can host a fifth kindergarten section when the new K–8 building opens.
Board members and the superintendent took note of the enrollment numbers and the public concern. Several speakers tied staffing decisions to the district budget and to the transition to the new Roxbury K–8 facility. Benita Maddox, vice president of the SEA kindergarten‑2 group, said changes to special‑education staffing will likely reduce students’ service hours unless caseloads and hours are explicitly addressed.
The board did not approve a staffing reversal at the meeting but heard multiple requests to revisit allocations and to prioritize classroom‑facing roles over administrative increases.
