Students, teachers and parents urge Danbury Common Council to boost school funding, cite broken bathrooms and overcrowding

The Danbury Common Council heard more than two hours of public comment on April 24, 2025, on a proposed FY2025–26 budget that includes appropriations, a $3,000,000 capital bond authorization and new sewer and water rates. Dozens of students, parents, teachers and board members urged the council to increase investment in Danbury Public Schools, focusing especially on conditions at Danbury High School.

Students gave repeated, detailed accounts of unsanitary and unsafe bathroom conditions. “There hasn’t been running water in it,” said Christopher Borgeson, describing a hallway bathroom in Building D3. Student Ria Portra said exposed rebar in a stairwell, cobwebbed faucets and multiple out‑of‑order stalls make daily school life difficult for students, and urged council members to “use your power to listen to your constituents and work to save our schools.”

Parents and educators amplified the students’ appeals. The Board of Education chair told the council the board requested $194,000,000 and that the amount being discussed — roughly $190,000,000, she said — falls short of the system’s needs. Dr. Cara Casimiro, superintendent of Danbury Public Schools, said the district is “a growing, diverse, dynamic” system whose current level of support is not aligned with student needs and warned the city risks losing educators without competitive compensation.

Not all speakers supported a larger increase without caveats. Resident Warren Levy criticized the proposed approach to balancing the budget, saying about $9.5 million was withdrawn from fund reserves to subsidize the proposal and asking how those reserves would be replenished. He also cited a prior audit showing the Board of Education had an $8,000,000 surplus and questioned whether additional BOE funds should be released before a fresh audit.

Other supporters described the proposal as a major step forward. Michael Flanagan and several longtime residents praised audits and the mayor’s leadership and urged the council to approve a budget they characterized as responsible and forward‑looking. Supporters and critics alike emphasized the tradeoff between increased school investment and the tax burden on Danbury households.

Speakers repeatedly highlighted consequences for classroom time and equity: students reported walking multiple flights to find an open restroom, waiting in long lunch lines, canceled field trips, and teachers using personal funds for classroom supplies. “If students are forced to scale multiple flights of stairs to scour the school buildings for bathrooms, they will waste precious minutes outside of class,” senior Eric Guo said.

Mayor supporters and a speaker identified as Roberto Alves acknowledged the facilities problems and said the mayor’s chief of staff was already working on repairs, while stressing the administration’s broader fiscal constraints and efforts to secure state funding. The council president, Peter Bizaid, repeatedly reminded the public that members would listen but not engage during the hearing.

After the public comments, the council moved through the remaining agenda items — the $3,000,000 bond authorization for public improvements, ordinances to set sewer and water rates effective July 1, 2025, and resolutions on the Neighborhood Assistance Act and the Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority — with no public speakers on those items. The meeting recessed for 10 minutes so the council could convene a committee of the whole; Bizaid noted there would be no public speaking during that second part of the meeting.

What happens next: the council will continue its internal review of the budget and related ordinances during the committee of the whole; no formal vote on the full budget was recorded during the public hearing portion reported here.