Hartford wants to hear from parents and the community about issues in the school district, like enrollment and facility use. The city is launching a community outreach initiative for people to discuss the future of the district with public and online forums.
This initiative, put forth on Thursday by Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, is connected to a broader story about building conditions and consolidation in the district.
The city, the Board of Education, and community members seem to agree that the condition of some Hartford schools is not up to par. But there is growing tension between the city and the Board of Education over how to address those concerns.
State funding had previously been approved by the Board and the City to improve six schools in the district, which educators and community leaders agreed were needed.
“We have a stairwell that constantly has water leaking any time it rains to the point the custodial staff put buckets to catch water,” said one educator at a Hartford City Council meeting on Dec. 8.
“We’re looking at closing gaps and making sure that they’re achieving academically, but they’re in spaces that doesn’t mirror that,” said Corrie Betts, the president of the Greater Hartford NAACP, to NBC Connecticut on Dec. 23.
But in the fall, Arulampalam’s administration paused the projects, saying he wanted a plan to manage the school district’s future, citing a 25% decrease in enrollment at some schools over the past five years. He says there are too few resources spread across too many schools, and he is concerned that potential future school closures could put the city in debt after construction is complete.
“The City of Hartford cannot afford to pay the state hundreds of millions of dollars for school construction projects. So we need a real plan, especially in a number of under-enrolled schools,” said Arulampalam. “I think it’s what the community would like to see. A real plan for where we’re going, so we can get that school construction working again.”
Hartford’s Board of Education Chair Shontá Browdy says she feels the mayor is overstepping and that the need to fix the conditions is urgent, saying her board’s approved plans to address school conditions are being ignored.
“Is the city planning on fixing the buildings? Because where do the kids go?” asked Browdy. “This is years of planning and our due diligence as a school system to get to be to the point of being renovated. So, while we know the conditions are not good, that’s why we plan for school renovation.”
The mayor says the city hopes to have a funding plan by July 1, but he says they can still ask for an extension. He says they have no plan to lose any of the state funding.
The public feedback sessions will be taking place in person on Jan. 29 and Feb. 26. The feedback survey can be found here.
