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NORWALK, Conn. Aaron Hull had questions for the chairperson of the Norwalk Board of Education following a vote last week to authorize extensive layoffs of teachers, administrators and school aides.
"Why are we taking my kid's librarian away? My daughter was in tears because she heard her kindergarten teacher was fired," Hull asked Chairperson Jack Chiaramonte.
While there are no plans at present to help retain Christina Malizia as a kindergarten teacher at Brookside Elementary School, Mayor Richard Moccia has an idea designed to help keep Librarian Paula Madden on board, according to Fred Wilms, chairperson of the board of estimate and taxation (BET).
Moccia has proposed giving the board of education more time to repay the $2.2 million it was loaned by the BET recently. "It would provide the board of ed about $460,000 of relief out of next year's budget," Wilms said. "The mayor and the superintendent have had some discussions that perhaps those savings would be applied toward the library aides, and maybe one or two assistant principal positions."
Moccia did not return a request for comment. Wilms stressed that the decision of where to spend the additional money in the budget would be up to schools Superintendent Susan Marks and the board of education, but the mayor is responding to the public's wishes. "I know there was a lot of comment about the libraries and the aides," he said. "If we were to take this action tonight it would perhaps provide some funds for those areas."
The matter will be discussed at a special BET meeting Monday night. Finance Director Tom Hamilton is also expected to discuss an audit of the board of education's budget designed to make sure the disastrous $4 million shortfall in this year's budget would never happen again.
Moccia's plan is to spread the $2.2 million repayment over three years instead of two, Wilms said. The BET is concerned about the fiscal health of the city as a whole, he said, but this may be possible. "Obviously the concerns are the potential impact on the rating agencies," Wilms said. "I know that Tom Hamilton has been in extensive discussions with them, and also with a financial advisor and I know that's going to be a key area of discussion, whether there's room to accommodate the mayor's motion. I believe there may be some room to do that."
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