Enfield teachers continue to push for requested school budget funding

There’s a continued push for school funding in Enfield with teachers trying to convince the town council to move forward with a proposed budget.

It comes as town councilors are considering less funding, saying there’s not enough money in the town budget.

Outside of Enfield Town Hall, teachers are holding signs pushing for funding from the town council.

The Connecticut Education Association said Enfield teachers want to see the $82.5 million school budget be passed by the town council. It’s about an 8.7% increase from last year and was approved by the Board of Education in February.

Part of it is to keep 121 educators that got pink slips.

“They need to be thinking what’s most important which is the children and the future,” Angela Foss, an Enfield teacher, said.

One parent said she’s supporting the funding, saying teachers do important work for her children.

“They’re instrumental. They’re unreplaceable. They’re not another set of parents, but more people to love and care about your kids is never a bad thing,” Mia Lewis, an Enfield parent, said.

However, discussion within a majority of the town council has been no increase to only a 2% jump. In a previous meeting, Mayor Ken Nelson said it’s a difficult budget situation with cuts likely possible.

“They're out of COVID funds. There is no more money to rely on and that's why we're in the situation we're in right now,” he said in a meeting earlier this month.

But Town Council Minority Leader John Santanella said he supports fully funding the requests, saying potential cuts could be devastating.

“Everything is on the line from school sports to clubs to AP programs. It’s all up for grabs at this point with a funding amount that low,” he said.

The town council will have a final vote on the town budget which includes the school budget at a meeting on May 20. Teachers say they expect that meeting to be well attended.