There are some noticeable differences from previous years at Fitch, ranging from fewer supplies in art classrooms to fewer security guards, and much of this can be directly traced to the budget approved for this school year.
On May 1, many teachers and students attended a Board of Ed meeting to show support for Groton Public Schools in light of the Town Council wanting to underfund the budget by several million dollars. The Board of Ed agreed with the Groton Education Association that this would adversely affect the quality of education for students. Though these large cuts did not pass, the budget is still not what the school needs and has impacted many aspects of life at Fitch.
Among the many areas directly affected is the Art Department. This is noticeable in the Jewelry and Metals class where students deal with old machines and insufficient supplies.
“I feel as though the budget is impacting the students’ lives regarding the fine arts because the art program is being less funded as well as some classes having to be cut to one semester,” said Lilyanna Gomez, senior.
Students in the Foods class have also noticed changes in the course.
“I feel like a lot of the food was cut down due to the budget,” said Penelope Garcia, senior. “A lot of the meals that we were supposed to make we can’t do, we’ve had to replace them with cheaper recipes.”
Another department that has been heavily affected is the Music Department. There are no longer enough instruments for students due to a lack of funds to replace or fix damaged equipment.
Outside of these three content areas, other electives have been cut leading to fewer options for students and bigger class sizes.
Besides classes, the budget has resulted in cuts for many tutors, paraeducators, and security guards. At the beginning of the school year, Fitch was staffed with four security guards, half of the number from last year.
Within Fitch, the administration is well aware of the challenges brought on by these recent changes.
“I know the school and our district are doing the best they can with the budget that we have,” said Assistant Principal Miss Hodge. We have a school that has students who need to be as successful as they can and that requires financial resources and this hurts everyone, athletics classroom instructions, books, field trips, and anything that you can think of that costs money we have to think twice about.
In particular, Hodge noted the impact on support staff as being especially difficult to navigate.
“When we need extra support in paraprofessionals or tutors or instructional materials, we have had to find creative ways to make sure students can meet the needs of students without having all the websites that we need or tutors that we need.”
While many students might not know about how the budget has led to changes at Fitch, Miss Hodge hopes they become more invested in understanding.
“Students should care about the budget because it directly impacts them. Even just a field trip they may not be able to go on [due to the budget could] enrich their experience.”
