Parents speak out against education cuts at Groton RTM meeting
Groton — About a dozen parents and residents spoke out against cuts to the proposed education budget at the Representative Town Meeting on Monday night.
The RTM meeting, which saw a handful of other residents speak about cuts to the library and potential tax increases, will now spend time considering the budget put forth by the town council, which cut $2.9 million from the school budget.
"I’m hoping the RTM will give us the money to support our kids and our schools,” said parent Frances Whitney.
She said that cuts to the education budget will lead to a disastrous outcome for students down the road, and during the meeting she spread the word about a online petition that asks the RTM to oppose education budget cuts.
The petition, “Make sure Groton RTM supports education!” had around 100 signatures as of 9 p.m. Monday.
Ian Thomas, who has two stepchildren at Westside Middle School, said he felt that the council had acted too quickly without more direction from the state.
"Given the controversial nature of the governor’s (school funding) formula ... I find it troublesome that the council has given up so much so quickly,” he said.
In mid-April, the Town Council voted to cut $5 million from the school board’s budget request, sparking outcry from parents and the school.
Following those deep cuts to the budget, Superintendent Michael Graner said he would have no choice but to close Pleasant Valley Elementary School. The town council voted to restore some $2.2 million to the school budget on April 21.
With many questions from parents about how the proposed budget will affect their children, Superintendent Michael Graner gave an update on the changes if the budget cuts were to take place Monday night.
He said that it appeared that a state budget will not materialize until July, and hoped that should some state funding be restored, some cuts might be reversed, but it was still a very difficult budget to prepare.
"I'm going back to my roots in the Coast Guard: hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," he said.
The budget, he said, will eliminate the jobs of 18 teachers, one secretary, two custodians and one administrator, as well as various miscellaneous costs at Pleasant Valley Elementary, he said. In addition, 10 paraprofessionals will be eliminated, and six teachers at West Side Middle School and Fitch High School. Graner noted that those positions at West Side Middle will be combined with Cutler Middle School so that teachers will split their time at both.
Members of the RTM asked Graner where the roughly 300 students from Pleasant Valley Middle School would go.
“Several students will go to the two magnet schools,” Graner said, noting a committee had been convened to work on moving those students. “We’re (also) going to create another class at each grade K-5 that will accommodate other children.”
The RTM will continue working on the budget in committee, and the town council will set a final tax rate based on the budget approved at the Representative Town Meeting.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
