Governor Malloy claims to be the “education” governor, and yet, in order to offset the state’s large deficit, he has proposed massive cuts to both education and social services across the state. Some of the proposed cuts directly affecting education and social services to children are:

·         Flat funding for Education Cost Sharing (ECS)-this is basically a cut, since there is no accounting for contractual and inflationary increase.  Stamford only receives 47% of the fully funded, outdated formula, a shortfall of $11 million dollars.   

·         $6.4 million cut to struggling school districts to cover the cost of afterschool programs and summer school to help raise achievement

·         No increase in the funds allocated under the ECS formula to Alliance districts such as Stamford

·         $1 million cut to Department of Public Health School-Based Health clinics

·         $6 million cut from the Office of Early Childhood

·         $61.3 million cut from Higher education (UCONN, Office of Higher Education, Board of Regents)

·         $6.3 million cut from the Department of Social Services

·         $15.7 million cut from the Department of Children and Families

·         $20 million cut from Voluntary Services, Dept of Developmental Services (programs to children and adolescents who have emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs)

Despite all of these cuts to the fundamental services that our children, young adults and families need and depend on, Governor Malloy was able to find the funds to for charter schools, which includes:

·         $12 million increase to expand the number of Charter schools statewide

·         $4 million to fund the Stamford Charter School For Excellence opening next year

·         $20 million increase in charter school funding over the next two years (an increase of almost 34%), while the public schools across the state will see a cut of close to $70 million dollars.

The approval of the Stamford Charter School For Excellence and other charter schools statewide was overwhelmingly opposed by communities and city Boards of Education where they are slated to open, but this opposition was ignored by the State Board of Ed and fast-tracked for the 2015-16 school year.  To put it in perspective, the $4 million slated for the Stamford Charter School For Excellence would have funded 61 new teachers in the Stamford Public Schools.

The solution is not to funnel money to charter schools that simply do not and cannot serve the majority of CT students.

Please sign this petition which will be sent to our state representatives and let them know that these cuts are unacceptable and the funding must be restored to help our schools continue to educate our children.  For more information on the budget and testimony from Stamford Public Schools Board of Ed members, please contact PTCStamfordCT@gmail.com