As a teacher in New London for eight years and as a city resident since the early 1990s, I have a vested interest in our city budget.

One of my children is a product of the New London Public School system, graduating with high honors, and is now pursuing his teaching certificate at Connecticut College. His plan upon graduation is to seek employment in New London. My other child represents New London High School as a band member, tennis player, cheerleader, Envirothon competitor, and National Honor Society student.

I love teaching, I love New London, and I love teaching in New London. I live on the same street as the school that I teach in. I have the best job in the world.

These strong ties to New London led me to attend the last couple of City Council meetings. Not surprisingly, as a teacher and parent, I support fully funding education. A comment made about school drinking fountains has bothered me since the last meeting I attended.  In defending the decision not to fully fund the school board's education spending request, a councilor pointed to the need to maintain our buildings so that the students of Bennie Dover could go into the hall and get a drink of water. Money was needed not for education alone, but to pay maintenance workers,  mechanics and laborers to address our history of run down, poorly maintained city buildings. He had a passionate tone as he posed the question, "What if a kid wants a drink of water?"

But I got to thinking. That argument is all well and good if a drink of water were the only thing lacking when we talk about what kids need when they get to school. Yes, they need water. Yes, they need well-maintained buildings. But there are many other needs.

Councilors should consider these other needs before acting on the plan to remove money from the education budget.

One of my five-year-old students, who is acting out in ways that are not conducive to his academic success, can't get a meeting with the school psychologist. His grandfather (who was raising him while his mother was not able to care for him) passed away in October and he has seen the school psychologist only twice since then. His behavior is a problem, but we have no school social worker and only a part-time psychologist to serve him. But he can use the water fountain. It works.

One of his best friends in my class is on her second foster home this year. She was leaving the building to visit her incarcerated father every week, and missing instruction time. She is having self-control issues. Unfortunately, she has never seen the school psychologist.

Last month, in one week, I had one mom call to report that her family had recently found themselves homeless (I had no school social worker to refer her to) and a dad came to visit the school to report that the mother of another one of my five-year-olds was killed in an automobile accident. Both girls are back in school, neither having been visited by a school psychologist. But they can get drinks of water from a functioning water fountain.

I am sure every teacher in every school in our city has stories such as these that will break your heart. I know every day that we make differences. But fully funding education has far more impact on students than sending them on a field trip, or having enough glue sticks, or even having water fountains that work. And our kids deserve all of those supports.

It is my hope that the council and mayor reconsider just who they are ignoring by cutting the education budget.

Stacy Sherman-Watson is a kindergaten teacher at the Harbor School.