Winsted to lay off 30 teachers

WINSTED — By a unanimous decision, the Board of Education decided to lay off up to 30 teachers, two custodian positions, 2.5 clerical positions and one nurse during a special meeting held on Thursday, June 2.There are currently 80 certified teachers employed in the school district. In recent years, the total has been as high as 100, but cuts have reduced that number each year.The vote came a few days after the town approved the proposed budget for fiscal 2011-12.The education budget for the next school year will come in at $18,600,000, which is $2,820,561 less than what the Board of Education recommended.The proposed amount is below the town’s most recent minimum budget requirement (MBR) of $20,049,466, an amount set by the state in late April.Members of the Board of Education insist that the school district will have a funding shortfall of $1,361,094 below the MBR.“It has become clear that a substantial amount of reductions have to be made in our budget,” Superintendent of Schools Blaise Salerno told board members at the special meeting. “The largest [budgetary] portion is school personnel.”Salerno was the one who made the recommendation for the layoffs to the board.Earlier in the day, Salerno met with many of the district’s staff members to discuss the potential layoffs.“None of them were surprised,” he said. “They all saw this coming. It would be inappropriate not to inform staff members who would be impacted.”Board Chairman Kathleen O’Brien recommended that the board vote for the layoffs.“He has to give [the employees] pink slips,” O’Brien said. “It’s a courtesy to give these people pink slips.”Board member Carol Palomba asked Salerno whether or not closing a school building would make a difference.“We are looking at such a huge funding gap that closing a building would not even begin to close that gap,” Salerno said. “Closing a building would probably save us $100,000, and that isn’t even a drop in the bucket. To get to the MBR, you will have to cut $1.3 million of the proposed budget that we sent to the Board of Selectman. It’s as simple as that.”Board member Joseph Hanecak made the motion for the cuts, while board member James DiVita seconded it.“I’m absolutely comfortable with this [motion] because we have to do something,” DiVita said. “We can always call these teachers back.”Before the vote was taken, DiVita asked Salerno if there was any other way to make up the budget shortfall.“I don’t see any,” Salerno said. “If I did, you know that this would be the last thing that I would do.”

Latest News

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Classifieds - February 26, 2026

Help Wanted

PART-TIME CARE-GIVER NEEDED: possibly LIVE-IN. Bright private STUDIO on 10 acres. Queen Bed, En-Suite Bathroom, Kitchenette & Garage. SHARON 407-620-7777.

The Salisbury Association’s Land Trust seeks part-time Land Steward: Responsibilities include monitoring easements and preserves, filing monitoring reports, documenting and reporting violations or encroachments, and recruiting and supervising volunteer monitors. The Steward will also execute preserve and trail stewardship according to Management Plans and manage contractor activity. Up to 10 hours per week, compensation commensurate with experience. Further details and requirements are available on request. To apply: Send cover letter, resume, and references to info@salisburyassociation.org. The Salisbury Association is an equal opportunity employer.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

To save birds, plant for caterpillars

Fireweed attracts the fabulous hummingbird sphinx moth.

Photo provided by Wild Seed Project

You must figure that, as rough as the cold weather has been for us, it’s worse for wildlife. Here, by the banks of the Housatonic, flocks of dark-eyed juncos, song sparrows, tufted titmice and black-capped chickadees have taken up residence in the boxwood — presumably because of its proximity to the breakfast bar. I no longer have a bird feeder after bears destroyed two versions and simply throw chili-flavored birdseed onto the snow twice a day. The tiny creatures from the boxwood are joined by blue jays, cardinals and a solitary flicker.

These birds will soon enough be nesting, and their babies will require a nonstop diet of caterpillars. This source of soft-bodied protein makes up more than 90 percent of native bird chicks’ diets, with each clutch consuming between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars before they fledge. That means we need a lot of caterpillars if we want our bird population to survive.

Keep ReadingShow less
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett and the home for American illustration

Stephanie Haboush Plunkett

L. Tomaino
"The field of illustration is very close to my heart"
— Stephanie Plunkett

For more than three decades, Stephanie Haboush Plunkett has worked to elevate illustration as a serious art form. As chief curator and Rockwell Center director at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, she has helped bring national and international attention to an art form long dismissed as merely commercial.

Her commitment to illustration is deeply personal. Plunkett grew up watching her father, Joseph Haboush, an illustrator and graphic designer, work late into the night in his home studio creating art and hand-lettered logos for package designs, toys and licensed-character products for the Walt Disney Co. and other clients.

Keep ReadingShow less
Free film screening and talk on end-of-life care
‘Come See Me in the Good Light’ is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.
Provided

Craig Davis, co-founder and board chair of East Mountain House, an end-of-life care facility in Lakeville, will sponsor a March 5 screening of the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light” at The Moviehouse in Millerton, followed by a discussion with attendees.

The film, which is nominated for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, follows the poet Andrea Gibson and their partner Megan Falley as they are suddenly and unimaginably forced to navigate a terminal illness. The free screening invites audiences to gather not just for a film but for reflection on mortality, healing, connection and the ways communities support one another through difficult life transitions.

Keep ReadingShow less
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.