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Protester: Ed Cuts Will Mean Death of Norwalk

NORWALK, Conn. – Natasha Willcox got a reprieve from her precalculus homework this year, but the Norwalk student wasn't too happy about it.

"We had one week where we didn't do anything," said the Brien McMahon High School junior. "We had no paper to make copies for tests or worksheets or anything else."

The 17-year-old was among about 40 people holding protest signs at about 5 p.m. Thursday on the lawn of City Hall, drawing honks from East Avenue motorists, as they chanted, "Two, four, six, eight, We just want to educate" and "Work it out politicians," among other slogans. They were protesting the budget proposed by Superintendent Susan Marks. It reflects about $7.7 million in cuts from her recommended budget and includes many teacher layoffs.

The protesters were trying to influence the outcome of a Common Council Finance Committee meeting that evening. "Stop trying to think you're something special and fix our schools instead," Natasha said, a reference to politicians.

"I came to the public meeting this week, and to the Common Council, and I saw a lot of impassioned speakers and a lot of indifferent politicians," said Barbara Smyth, who organized the rally. "The schools have been underfunded for five years now, and they're down to bare bones. These cuts will decimate – it's the death of Norwalk Public Schools. If that happens, it's the death of our city.

"I just wanted to harness the energy I saw the other night (at the public hearing) and get it across to the politicians that they need to sit down at the table and work this out."

She was pleased with the turnout for a protest organized by email. People came and went, and the protesters continued to number 40 to 50 people. That did not include school administrators, politicians and Board of Education members who came by.

"The reality of the situation is this: Unless the unions give a zero there is nothing to talk about," said Jack Chiaramonte, school board chairman. "We are not going to go to the taxpayer, who is already paying more money than any other district around us, for more money to pay a group of teachers that have gotten every raise and every dollar in this economy of economic turmoil that we live on, that they feel they have to be excluded from. That's just not right."

But the president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers disagreed with Chiaramonte's stance.

"We gave first and we gave the most," said Bruce Mellion. "In our negotiations in the spring of 2009, we gave the city back $7 million by taking the HSA insurance plan. ... While other people were already getting 3.5 and other big numbers, we were already, in the new negotiations for this contract, 1.35, 1.36 and 1.37, on a general wage increase ... that's fine, that's what we'll live with negotiated in the contract."

He, too, was pleased with the turnout. "The beauty of this is, it's parents coming out to support the work that we are doing. There are almost no teachers involved in this," he said.

"Our education is really important," said Alex D'Adamo, 9, a Naramake Elementary School student whose last day in third grade is Friday. "I think we should support it."One outcome of teacher layoffs would be larger class sizes.

"Twenty-eight kids in a classroom is not acceptable," said Alex's mother, Anna D'Adamo. "I cannot imagine a third-grade classroom with that many children in it. The rooms are just too small."

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