"Teachers deserve to be paid more!"
Post that on social media, and you'll get lots of likes.
Say it during a budget meeting, and the response will be more tepid, especially in Stafford, where the school budget is often a big point of contention. And it's likely to be so again this year. If you haven't been following along, here's the gist:
Stafford Public Schools need a budget increase of 9.88% to maintain the status quo
No one seems to believe that giving the schools what they say they need is an option
The administration has presented a series of budgets, the latest of which will be going to the Board of Finance and represents a 5.48% increase
This budget will still require cutting several staff members, including teachers
If you pay attention to Stafford's Board of Education (BOE) meetings year-round, you will notice a pattern of teachers and other staff leaving. At the same time, the schools struggle to recruit staff for already open positions. The problem seems clear; everyone's expenses are going up, and their wages are not keeping up with the cost of living. Meanwhile, there is a teacher shortage, so there are plenty of jobs to choose from. Add to that the uncertainty that comes with working in a town that frequently has to reduce staff, and you have a recipe for recruitment disaster.
Some BOE members have suggested that Stafford expand its recruitment efforts into neighboring Massachusetts. So, here are some stats reported by the National Education Association that may help you realize why teachers from over the state line are not rushing to get a job in town:
Connecticut’s average starting teacher salary is $48,784, ranked 13th in the country. Just over the state line in Massachusetts, the average starting salary is $51,057, sixth in the country.
Connecticut's average teacher salary was $83,400, ranked sixth in the nation. In Massachusetts, it's $92,307, ranked third in the country.
No amount of creative recruiting will convince someone with bills to pay to take less money for the same job, especially when, every budget season, you have to wonder if your job is next on the chopping block.
We can all acknowledge that low pay leads to teacher shortages and burnout. The picture is a bit more complicated in states like Connecticut, where teachers are paid relatively well compared to their counterparts in some other states. The fact is that towns like Stafford have to compete with neighboring districts and wealthier communities that can afford to pay their teachers more. Top-performing districts are willing to pay their educators handsomely. In Mansfield, an easy commute from Stafford, the average teacher salary is reportedly $91,077. (That number is actually from the 2018-2019 school year, so it may have changed since then.)
Lately, though, as I watch the schools battle a budget freeze and face the possibility of a deficit, I've been thinking about the larger implications of the tiny budget increases that Stafford's schools usually receive. As we dive into budget season, it's essential to understand how the actions of the past are impacting the school budgets right now. A few things happen when a town continually underfunds its schools.
First is the obvious: the schools have to make cuts and are put in the position of constantly asking for more money. People complain about the cuts, but also about the schools asking for more money. It's a cognitive dissonance I still can't wrap my head around. If you don't want to fund the schools, fine, but don't be surprised when your kid's sport gets cut.
Second, the budget eventually becomes so bare bones that there is no room to absorb unexpected costs like emergency repairs or hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexpected tuition and transportation costs for Special Education students (services the schools are legally mandated to provide). One kid can move into the district and blow the budget up.
In Stafford, the school district has a savings account with a confusingly long name, often called the non-lapsing account. Last year, much of the money in that account was used to pay for things the schools needed without having to put those items in the budget. Now, the fund is depleted, leaving the district with fewer savings to cover the unexpected.
The town has been working to create a capital improvement fund, but the schools need to build their balance back up, too. They must have enough to set aside for a rainy day to do that. Right now, it doesn't look like they will have enough to get through the year, with a projected deficit of nearly half a million dollars. If they cannot find savings to offset that deficit, they could have to ask for a supplemental appropriation from the Board of Finance. The extra money would likely have to come from the general fund, which is already in a problematic position, though the town has been working on building it back up.
In other words, continuing to underfund the school budget doesn't keep down the costs of operating a school system. It ultimately puts the entire town in a more perilous financial situation. So, as the BOE starts taking its case to the town, keep the longer-term implications of your vote at the referendum in mind. The financial picture is more complicated than it seems, and cuts come at a cost. It could be someone's job, your kid's favorite sport, or simply the ability to meet student needs, but there is a price to pay one way or the other.