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Parents and students urge board to preserve 6‑hour ESY and expand AIG
Summary
Parents and several students told the Ridgefield Board of Education that cutting Extended School Year (ESY) hours and AIG services would harm vulnerable and gifted learners; speakers asked the board to retain a 6‑hour ESY day for qualifying students and to grow the new AIG program rather than shrink it.
At the April 27 special meeting of the Ridgefield Board of Education, parents and students urged the board to keep the Extended School Year (ESY) program and to expand the newly established Academically and Intellectually Gifted (AIG) course offerings.
"For my daughter, ESY is not just a summer program. It is the bridge that keeps her from losing the skills she has worked all year to build," parent Austin Machiaroli told the board, arguing that reducing the ESY day from six hours to three would "cut opportunity" for students who require more time to regulate and learn. Machiaroli said some families cannot afford private alternatives and that treating unequal needs the same is not equity.
Student speakers also asked the board not to reverse recent program gains. Fourth grader Landon Pulford described how AIG keeps him challenged: "AIG makes me feel proud, challenged, and happy. Please do not cut the AIG program." Christina Jessamy, a parent of elementary students, said AIG is "essential" and that early signs of the program indicate it is already enhancing classroom instruction and should be expanded.
Aidan Ephraim, a high‑school sophomore and class president, framed the appeal in procedural terms, urging the board to balance budget constraints with student needs and to "listen to the teachers" who are working in classrooms. He warned that some budget savings inevitability fall on students and asked the board to pursue bipartisan, respectful debate.
Why it matters: ESY and AIG serve two distinct student populations—those at risk of regression without extended services and students needing enrichment. Changes to ESY hours or the scale of AIG could affect service access for students with individualized needs, and parents at the meeting said the board’s decisions would have immediate implications for families and staff planning.
What comes next: The ESY and AIG programs were explicitly considered as part of the board’s budget scenarios discussed later in the meeting; board members restored student‑facing FTE for ESY and included AIG in the adopted scenario B budget that the board approved that evening.
