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Danbury School, City Officials Rally For Meeting On Funding Shortages

DANBURY, Conn. — The Danbury Public Schools and the Board of Education will join Mayor Mark Boughton, the City Council, state legislators and community leaders for a public meeting on state budget issues on Monday, Oct. 5.

Danbury Public Schools superintendent Sal Pascarella will join city officials for a public meeting on Oct. 5 in the wake of state budget cuts.

Danbury Public Schools superintendent Sal Pascarella will join city officials for a public meeting on Oct. 5 in the wake of state budget cuts.

Photo Credit: Danbury Public Schools

The meeting will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Broadview Middle School, located at 72 Hospital Ave. in Danbury.

The key issue remains that based on the Education Cost Sharing formula suspended by state lawmakers two years ago, local schools are running at a shortfall of $30 million per year.

Despite ongoing issues, local schools are surviving with celebrated programs and students at both the middle school and high school levels.

“Our schools and our teachers are doing a phenomenal job, especially in light of the financial constraints that we face together as a district,” School Superintendent Sal Pascarella said.

“Because of their dedication and hard work in and out of the classroom, we are able to achieve great results. But we need to do better and the taxpayers need some relief.”

Increased funding at the state level would ensure the school district's ability to increase its course offerings and programs at all levels.

Options to fix the budget shortfall will be considered, either a one-time ECS state grant or to keep advocating for funding that matches local students' needs, city officials said.

The results will be put into a plan that will be presented to local lawmakers with an eye towards finding a solution in next year's legislative session.

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