There was a big shake-up in Naugatuck Public Schools on Wednesday night as the Board of Education voted to shut down an elementary school and close an early learning center.
Some parents had no idea where their kids would end up. Starting next school year, Central Avenue Elementary won’t exist.
“My son asked me to go save his school and I'm trying my best,” Lisa Eggers said.
But trying didn’t work for Eggers. The Naugatuck Board of Education voted to get rid of it. Students will be transferred to other schools in town, but exactly where was still the question on Wednesday.
“It's going to be very difficult. We’re not sure, they haven't told us yet where they'll be going,” Eggers said.
Parents told NBC Connecticut that the quality of learning was their biggest concern because when their kids get moved to other schools, class sizes could jump from 15 students to 28.
“I want them to get the attention they need. There's a lot of issues I'm worried about, with the class sizes being that large,” Eggers said.
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Board members said the district will monitor class sizes to ensure they aren’t overcrowded.
“If we need to add more staffing because one class might get too big, we will look at that and address those issues,” David Egger said.
The district has made these big changes to save more than $1 million in a budget crisis. The plan will also entail shutting down Prospect Street School, which hasn’t had a working elevator for handicapped students. Those students and their programs will move to the Central Avenue building, because the elevator here works.
Since the actual Central Avenue Elementary School is shutting down, nine jobs will get cut. Most would be through attrition and retirement, but layoffs could be possible.
“All these issues are very tough and the board is struggling with them and we hope we make the right decisions,” Egger said.
That means more difficult decisions in the Naugatuck School district lie ahead. The board will decide on possible layoffs in the next few weeks.
