State leaders met with teachers on Friday to go over what challenges are faced by students and staff in Bridgeport.
State Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker met with Bridgeport teachers Friday to hear their biggest concerns.
The meeting follows the state Board of Education’s announcement that it’s stepping in to help Bridgeport Public Schools improve student performance.
One teacher, comparing Bridgeport schools to Fairfield schools just down the street, asked one fundamental question:
“Shouldn’t we all be entitled to the same type of educational experience?” he asked.
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They shared concerns about overcrowded classrooms, students who deal with stress and trauma at home that makes learning a challenge, and a chronic underfunding of the school budget.
“Our kids don’t always have the resources. Our kids don’t always get what they should get and that’s a problem for me,” another teacher said.
This all comes as the governor says the school system has reached a breaking point.
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“The turnover you’ve seen in the superintendent’s office, the disfunction in the board, all the money not going into the classroom. That’s what I heard from these teachers,” Lamont said. “All this money is going elsewhere to the administrators; I want it going to the classroom.”
Russell-Tucker said the first step is having a technical team to assess the district.
“We’re doing that and then we’re also going to ensure that the board gets the training that it needs to have,” Russell-Tucker said.
The conversation centered around school budget funding and the $32 million shortfall ahead.
Board Vice Chair Joseph Sokolovic said the deficit is due in part to lack of budget adjustments once federal COVID relief dollars for schools were spent.
“The plan was to always go back to pre-ESSER level staffing, instead in the last year, we’ve bloated our administrative staff,” Sokolovic said, referring to the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds issued nationwide.
He said he agrees with Lamont that cuts should be made to the district administration.
“We need to get rid of the top staff that we’ve hired within the last year, before we touch the classroom,” Sokolovic said.
Sen. Herron Keyon Gaston (D-Bridgeport) said he is behind the effort to increase funding for the district.
“I hear your heart, I hear the concerns that you raised and I want to let you know that we’re fighting every day up in Hartford to make sure that we’re bringing the proper resources here,” Gaston said.
