BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Ahead of a new school year, parents and teachers in Bridgeport are feeling, as one parent put it – sad.
That’s due in part to a concern over the budget.
“Bridgeport is heavily under-funded. We have been for decades,” said Chaila Robinson, the coordinator of Wednesday’s march and a parent of children enrolled in Bridgeport Public Schools.
They say when COVID-19 federal funding runs out, they’ll be around $50-million short of their current operating levels, which as is, are already not enough.
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“We have students every year in Bridgeport who are taught all year long by a temporary sub,” said Aaron Newcome, a math teacher at Central High School.
“It’s our children who are in limbo. It’s our children who are never the true focus,” said Jessica Martinez, another parent with children enrolled in the Bridgeport school system.
Those marching are hoping to get some assistance at both the city and state level come the next legislative session.
“The kids in Fairfield, their education, they’re getting $5,000 more per student. If we had $5,000 more per student we would have $100 million every year,” said Newcome.
Adding to the issue is apparent tension between Bridgeport Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carmela Levy-David and her staff.
“I truly believe that she’s a dictator. And the staff is feeling trapped,” said Robinson.
Some have questioned certain decisions made by the superintendent, including stepping away from departmentalized classrooms for certain grade levels. This would mean teachers would have to teach more than the one subject they’ve been accustomed to teaching.
“I don’t think it is fair. I think it was wrong for them to be last-minute moved-around and changed to have to now adapt quickly. So, I feel as though that’s going to be a huge burden not only on the children but definitely on the teachers,” said Robinson.
The superintendent took to Facebook on Monday, addressing some of these concerns.
“We are going to slow this process down as much as we have to, to ensure that everyone is able to do this with confidence without any nervousness or anxiety,” said Levy-David. “You have been heard."
Still, parents and educators want to see more unity.
“I think that’s great that she says that she’s hearing us, but now, we’d like to be part of the conversation,” said Molly D’andrea, another parent.
“Don’t make decisions that don’t work for us. Parents and children matter, and we are always going to be the forefront of education because there is no education system without us parents enrolling our children,” said Robinson.
Regarding the march, Levy-David stated, “It’s great to see parents advocating for our students. We all want the best outcomes for them. It’s one of the things that unites us. I look forward to working more collaboratively with parents in our district during the school year.”
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Kaelee Collins is a multimedia journalist for FOX61 News. She can be reached at kcollins@fox61.com. Follow her on X, and Instagram.
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