“We knew it, we predicted it, they are temporary positions but they are people,” Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez said.
Hartford Public Schools is in the process of notifying hundreds of staff members their positions will not be available next school year due to a combination of funding reasons.
“There has been a modest increase at the state level, there is an additional funding stream and that is at the local level that has been stable for the last 10 years at the same amount,” Torres-Rodriguez said.
There will be a total of 387 positions reduced - 320 of those are school staff positions and 67 are from the Central Office.
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Torres-Rodriguez said 60% of the school staff members being let go were hired through pandemic relief funds and the positions were meant to be temporary. With the COVID-19 money running out, the district is now left to look elsewhere for resources.
“I think about what our partners at the city level can do, because funds and resources can come from different ways,” Torres-Rodriguez said. “I know that social, behavioral, wellness support can come to our school via community partners for example.”
The other portion of positions being reduced include jobs that were not filled and staff members who are retiring.
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Over the coming weeks, staff members who are being laid off will have an opportunity to apply to other openings within the district. Currently, there are over 140 vacancies.
“So there is going to be a showcase that we are going to have for our educators to meet with their new potential school leaders,” Torres-Rodriguez said.
One Hartford grandparent is concerned how this will impact student success.
“When you lay off all those staff, the kids that don’t learn that fast, they are going to be way behind,” Lovis Gordon said.
A Hartford alumni worries about personal connections between students and teachers.
“I feel like whether it be a coach, teacher, trainer, whoever it may be, having that personal connection with the person you are learning from is detrimental in having a good successful journey in whatever you are teaching,” Konnor Atkinson said.
The superintendent does anticipate classrooms to be larger next school year, but not over the maximum limit.
In addition, as the process plays out, staff who are employed through the general fund may also be laid off. Torres-Rodriguez said it is still too early to tell how many positions that would be.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said in a statement:
"Our school system, like many others across the state and the country, is facing challenges now that federal funding is drying up. These federal funds papered over the structural holes in our budget, and we have to have difficult conversations to make sure we're providing adequate investments in Hartford schools and in our children.”
