A tense battle is brewing in Ansonia between the city and the school board and hundreds of thousands of dollars for education is at stake.
“My biggest fear is that I won’t have the resources that I need,” said Tamia Esson, a sophomore at Ansonia High School.
That’s why fired up students and parents packed an Ansonia tax board meeting on Thursday as the debate swirled about cuts to school funding. There’s outrage that the city’s Board of Aldermen voted to slash $600,000 from the Board of Education back in January.
“We can’t make payroll if we don’t have that $600,000,” said Carol Merlone, Ansonia Schools Superintendent.
The standoff has reached a courtroom because the Ansonia Board of Education is now suing the City of Ansonia.
In a nine-page lawsuit filed on Wednesday, the board argues the city is “illegally” cutting its cash after already having approved the education budget.
“I’m very frustrated that it has come to this. It’s very disheartening,” said Merlone.
Local
“I would like to see, have seen a peaceful resolution,” said Daniel King, (R) the Board of Apportionment & Taxation chair.
King pointed out that while the school district is facing a local cut, it unexpectedly received more than a million dollars from the state.
City leaders noted it was the late state budget in 2017 that forced Ansonia to tweak its own numbers earlier this year, including for the schools.
“For the city, we have to balance the budget and make sure all services are taken care of,” King said.
When it comes to the extra state money, the superintendent is pushing back, saying it can really only be used for certain things. After a vote on Thursday, the issue moves back to the city aldermen.
