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The What

The What: The Latest on the School Budget Crisis; the Hamlet at Saugatuck, and more

The What is your look around southwest Connecticut for the week of June 16.

The What: The Latest on the School Budget Crisis; the Hamlet at Saugatuck, and more
Hope all the fathers and father figures had a great Father's Day. (Photo by Kelly Prinz)

Monday, June 16 

Happy Monday! Districts are still dealing with budget issues as more funding has become available from the state legislature. See the latest.

Highlights 

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

Spotlight

This section features our main reporting each week.

Earlier this month, hundreds of parents, students, and teachers packed into Norwalk’s City Hall asking the Board of Education not to cut music and arts programs, as well as beloved teachers from their schools. 

Local and state elected officials said they heard these concerns and worked to allocate an additional $6 million for the district to stave off some of these cuts. 

“The public came out in large numbers and expressed their concerns about what was being cut from the budget that they felt was very important for the development of their children,” Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling said at a press conference on June 10. “We listened and we heard.”

After days of negotiations, the Board of Education and school officials said they agreed with the proposal and will accept the additional funding. This will officially be finalized at the June 17 Board of Education meeting. 

“This additional funding allows us not only to preserve band and string programs, which are vital to a well-rounded student experience, but also to support staff benefits and give school leaders flexibility to meet the unique needs of their buildings,” said Superintendent Dr. Alexandra Estrella in a statement. “These decisions reflect our ongoing commitment to educational excellence, equity, and responsible stewardship of public resources.”

However, while the results were positive, the past week has been a contentious one in the city, pitting city and state officials against school district leaders. At the same time, Bridgeport, another school district facing potential wide-spread cuts due to budget issues, is still going through the approved state budget and waiting to see how it will impact the district.

“One of the things that my staff and I are doing is trying to unpack the meanings of all those bills that were passed,” Acting Superintendent Royce Avery said at the June 9 Board of Education meeting. “There's a lot of misconceptions about the dollars that the district is receiving, and before I get in front of the community … I needed a little bit more time to really understand those numbers, making sure that they're accurate in my mind, in the CFO’s mind, so that we can have accurate information.”

Read our second piece exploring these budget challenges, or check out our initial reporting that dove into the budget issues districts were facing. 

This Week at a Glance

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

  • In Bridgeport, the City Council will meet on Monday, June 16 at 7 p.m. and review the submission of applications to the state for the new East End Elementary School project. 
  • In Stamford, the Transportation Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 17 at 7 p.m. and review pedestrian safety zones in the city. Learn more about Stamford’s Vision Zero efforts. 
  • In Norwalk, the Board of Education will meet on Tuesday, June 17 at 5:30 p.m. and vote on a new reconciliation plan for its operating budget now that an additional $6 million was made available. Learn more about the funding and how it came to be. 
  • In Fairfield, the Town Plan and Zoning Commission continues to discuss the 441 Post Road proposal that would bring 478 residential units to the site. It’s on the agenda for its public meeting on Tuesday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m. and also will be discussed in executive session the next day. 
  • In Greenwich, the Planning & Zoning Commission is meeting on Tuesday, June 17 at 4 p.m. and will review a proposal from Greenwich Hospital to renovate existing pavilions at the hospital and turn them into a Smilow Cancer Center. Learn more about the impact of local hospitals in our region.  
  • In Westport, 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, is still in front of the Planning & Zoning Commission, which is meeting on Monday, June 16 at 6 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

  • Tuesday, June 17: Operations Planning Committee at 4 p.m. | Board of Finance at 7:30 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 18: Commission on Aging  at 9 a.m. | HHR Building Committee at 6 p.m. | Advisory Commission on Coastal Waters at 7 p.m. | Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting at 7:30 p.m. | Zoning Board of Appeals at 7:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 19: Police Commission at 3 p.m.

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

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