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Middletown residents urge council to protect schools, Russell Library and core services amid proposed budget cuts
Summary
At a hybrid public hearing on the City of Middletown's proposed FY2026–27 budget, dozens of residents, students, union leaders and city staff urged the Common Council to avoid cuts to schools, the Russell Library and essential maintenance, and to seek new revenue such as grant-writing capacity and increased university contributions.
MIDDLETOWN — Dozens of residents and students told the Common Council on April 28 that the city’s proposed FY2026–27 budget risks eroding services many say are vital to Middletown’s future.
Anne Percival, a trustee of the Russell Library, thanked the mayor and council for their work but urged them to preserve library funding because the library provides free resources and community programming for residents who are otherwise strained by rising costs.
“When everyone's budget is being squeezed tighter and tighter, it's more important than ever for our city to offer resources to all of our residents that are free,” Percival said.
Teachers and student speakers framed school funding as an investment. John Tucker, a biology teacher and vice president of the Middletown Federation of Teachers, cited research tying per-pupil funding to outcomes and urged the council to prioritize education despite constrained municipal resources. Students including Shanice Reed and Emma Milner said losing teachers and paraprofessionals would directly harm attendance and engagement.
“The human resource is one that must be prioritized,” Trevor Charles, a teacher and coach, told the council. “Great teachers can do great things with few resources, but those possibilities aren't an option if we have fewer great teachers due to budget cuts.”
City staff and union leaders warned of operational impacts from personnel reductions. Kristen Holden, the city’s risk manager, said reducing the insurance and benefits coordinator (IBC) position to $1 removes the ability to staff the role temporarily and shifts work to a small team, risking higher long-term claims costs. Vinny Ruffino, president of Local 466, warned deferred maintenance and unfilled positions have left city buildings and equipment deteriorating.
Speakers proposed revenue and policy responses: Matt Reich urged creating a municipal grant-writer position and asked Wesleyan University to increase public partnerships and financial contributions to offset municipal costs; Aaron Jones suggested using the grant coordinator the city has recently hired more effectively to bring outside funding into schools and city services.
Mayor’s Chief of Staff Stephen Kovac read a letter outlining the mayor’s proposal, a 5.49% increase over the current budget, noting a $3 million pension funding increase and double-digit health and insurance cost growth. Kovac requested that if additional state dollars arrive, the council not further cut core services and consider restoring positions currently funded at $1.
The public hearing produced no formal vote on the budget; council members will consider the proposals in upcoming deliberations. A motion to adjourn the hearing was made and seconded; only an 'Aye' was recorded audibly and no roll-call tally was read into the record.
