Stratford residents plead with council to restore librarians, reading and math specialists

Dozens of Stratford residents urged the Town Council on March 11 to restore proposed cuts to librarians, reading specialists, math coaches and the Alpha alternative program, arguing the positions are essential to student learning and equity.

"Students need librarians," said Mike Fiorello, president of the Stratford Education Association, arguing that librarian and intervention roles are central to school success and that the proposed reductions represent "a race to the bottom." Multiple teachers, parents and students described concrete benefits these staff provide: targeted reading interventions, ESOL support, technology and research skills, and small-group instruction that they said cannot simply be replaced by untrained tutors.

Several speakers directly asked the council to fund the acting superintendent’s recommended 6.69% increase for the Board of Education. "Please consider your responsibility to young learners," Sarah Rua, a Board of Education employee, told councilors, citing measurable improvements in a child helped by reading and math coaches. Fifth grader Sophia Ramlal told the council librarians "help prepare students for the future," and offered energy-efficiency and extracurricular reprioritization as alternate savings to preserve staffing.

Community groups, a union representative and current and former Board of Education members emphasized the fiscal and long-term consequences of reductions. Andrea Corcoran, a former board chair, warned against relying on one-time grant dollars to cover recurring positions and urged the council to avoid what she called a "fiscal cliff." Michael Langston, president of UAW Local 376, said staffing shortages create the appearance of a surplus and cautioned that cuts would accelerate a "race to the bottom" that would make Stratford less competitive for teachers and families.

Several speakers highlighted the Alpha program as a lifeline for vulnerable students and asked councilors to visit the program before making funding decisions. Parents and educators described cases where library media specialists and coaches produced measurable gains in student fluency and math achievement and warned that eliminating the roles would increase special-education costs and reduce college and career readiness.

The council did not act on personnel changes during the meeting; public comment preceded budget workshops. The mayor and councilors said the administration will continue budget work through the committee process and that detailed deliberations will follow during scheduled workshops.