Fairfield Stops Pay-To-Play, Trims Spanish Classes

Anne Pasco said she was “disturbed” by the Fairfield Board of Education’s final decision Tuesday night. The school board got rid of the controversial “pay to play” plan to charge high school students to take part in sports next year. But Pasco, president of the teachers union, worried about six of her colleagues in the foreign language department who will be laid off because of budget cuts.

“It is sad, because many staff members are losing their jobs,” Fairfield parent Jeanine Pacewicz said after the meeting.

The school board made its final budget adjustments Tuesday night to deal with a $2.8 million cut by the Board of Selectmen and Representative Town Meeting in the 2011-12 budget. The board decided to continue with planned cuts to middle and elementary school foreign language classes, slicing the time fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders will spend in Spanish class in half.

Parents including Jessica Gerber, whose daughter will start the program next year in fourth grade, said she accepts the board's decision. “I’m not thrilled, but I’m OK with her having 50 percent,” Gerber said. “It’s still going to be there.”

But instead of charging for sports, the board took up the alternatives suggested by Superintendent David Title. Fairfield will charge a $50 fee per semester for all students at Fairfield Warde and Fairfield Ludlowe who wish to park in the high schools' lots. Other changes included cutbacks to maintenance services and new software. Title said the district will also not replace two teachers who recently decided to retire.

Some board members pitched ideas to keep the world language classes intact. Sue Brand offered a plan that included cutting elementary school clerical fees and lunch monitors, stipends for middle school team leaders and a math and science specialist at Dwight Elementary, as well as postponements to maintenance projects. Perry Liu suggested canceling the board’s plan to “grandfather” students already at redistricted middle schools to save on transportation costs. But both measures lost in 3-6 votes by the board.

Title said some of his planned cuts could be saved if the town voted to restore $800,000 to the district in the June 14 referendum. “World language would certainly be my first priority in terms of any restoration, were the referendum successful,” Title said.

What do you think of the final decisions made by the school board? Share your opinions in the comments below. 

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