Sign in Subscribe
The What

The What: School Budget Crisis; Safe Streets in Greenwich; Charter Meetings, and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of June 9.

The What: School Budget Crisis; Safe Streets in Greenwich; Charter Meetings, and more
Hope you all are enjoying the first few days of summer! (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, June 9

Happy Monday! It’s a busy week in southwest Connecticut so let’s dive right in. 

Highlights 

This section gives a brief overview of the key items in the newsletter.

  • Hundreds of teachers and school programs are facing elimination across the region as schools grapple with funding challenges. Explore our latest piece. 
  • Norwalk and Bridgeport will be voting on their budgets this week, both of which will result in cuts to staff and programs. The Norwalk Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. while the Bridgeport Board of Education will meet on Monday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. 
  • Fairfield’s Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. to also review the superintendent’s proposed 2025-2026 budget adjustments.
  • And in Greenwich, there will be a Public Meeting for Safe Streets Greenwich on Tuesday, June 10 at 6 p.m. where residents can learn more about efforts to improve street safety and share insights about the concerns that there are in their neighborhood. 

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

Cuts to teachers, music programs, support staff, counselors, and more are taking place across southwest Connecticut as school districts deal with budget challenges. The lives of thousands of students will soon be impacted as many lose supportive resources, popular programs, and maybe even a favorite teacher. 

Some districts faced smaller budget challenges. In Stamford, for example, the Board of Finance cut its budget request by $3.5 million. 

But for Norwalk and Bridgeport, the scale of the cuts are massive. Norwalk’s Board of Education is weighing a plan that would cut more than 100 teaching positions, eliminate music and band at the elementary school level, and more. Bridgeport’s Board of Education, facing an approximately $30 million budget gap, supported a plan that would eliminate assistant principals and programming, cut kindergarten paraprofessionals and library media specialists, provide less bus service to students, and more.  

“These cuts represent actual human beings,” Jeff Morrissey, president of the Bridgeport Education Association, told the board in April. “They represent children who will lose instruction in art and music. They represent children whose learning needs won't be met by trained interventionalists. And represent children who will lose opportunities to research and learn a love of literacy when they haven't the opportunity to communicate or connect with a librarian or media specialist.”

The question many community members are asking is why. Why are districts across the region facing these funding challenges, particularly as all districts saw an increase in their budgets from the previous year? 

Read more about the funding challenges facing school districts in southwest Connecticut.

This Week at a Glance

This section aims to highlight the most important meetings and news taking place each week. 

  • In Bridgeport, the Board of Education will meet on Monday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. and review the cost saving reduction measures the district needs to implement to balance its budget. Learn more about why Bridgeport and other districts are facing extreme budget challenges this year. 
  • Also in Bridgeport, there will be a Community Forum on the Facilities Master Plan on Wednesday, June 11 and Thursday, June 12, both at 5:30 p.m. where residents are invited to be a part of important conversations about the future of the school facilities.
  • And finally in Bridgeport, the Charter Revision Commission is hosting a public hearing on proposed updates to the city charter on Thursday, June 12 at 6 p.m.
  • In Stamford, the Board of Finance will meet on Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m. and vote on numerous items including $500,000 in funding for the Mill River Community Commons Project, which aims to be a “vital civic hub providing event space, public restrooms, extensive green space, a dog park, and outdoor seating that will create year-round vibrancy and support economic development downtown.” 
  • In Norwalk, the Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. to continue to debate and vote on how to reconcile the budget gap for this year. Learn more about why Norwalk and other districts are facing extreme budget challenges this year. 
  • In Fairfield, the Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. for a first reading of the superintendent’s proposed 2025-2026 budget adjustments.
  • Also in Fairfield, there will be a Board of Selectmen—Charter Revision Public Hearing on Thursday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. where residents can voice their thoughts on proposed changes to the town’s governing document.
  • In Greenwich, there will be a Public Meeting for the Safe Streets Greenwich on Tuesday, June 10 at 6 p.m. to learn more about efforts to improve street safety and share insights about the concerns in each neighborhood. 
  • In Darien, the Planning & Zoning Commission will meet on Tuesday, June 10 at 7 p.m. and hear updates on the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development—also known as the 10-year master plan—as well vote on regulations that would prohibit smoke, shops, vape shots, and tattoo parlors in the town. 
  • In Westport, two items continue to dominate local meetings—the Hamlet at Saugatuck proposal—which would be a new commercial center in town that includes 57 residential units, retail, restaurants, a hotel, and a rehabilitated office building—and a new Long Lots Elementary School. The Long Lots proposal is in front of the Planning & Zoning Commission on Monday, June 9 at 6 p.m., while discussions on its funding are in front of the RTM Education Committee on Tuesday, June 10 at 5:30 p.m.; the Board of Finance on Wednesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m.; and the full Representative Town Meeting on Thursday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, the Hamlet proposal is on the agenda at the Flood & Erosion Control Board on Tuesday, June 10 at 2 p.m.; the Planning & Zoning Commission on Wednesday, June 11 at 6 p.m.; and the Conservation Commission on Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m.

Plan Your Week

This section includes a list of meetings, events, and programming happening around southwest Connecticut each week.

Bridgeport

Stamford

Norwalk

Fairfield

Greenwich

Darien

Westport

Stay in touch!

As we continue to grow and evolve, please join us! You can do that by:

Please note: All of these agendas and information here are current as of Sunday night. Meeting times and agendas may get adjusted throughout the week.

Have a great week,

Kelly Prinz

Founder, Reporter at Coastal Connecticut Times

Read next