Danbury educators certainly are faced with a troubling dilemma -- how to rectify a budget that is $2 million less than requested. But that gap must not be resolved on the backs of students.
Among the remedies being considered seriously by education leaders is charging an extracurricular fee of $60 per student at Danbury High School.
This is wrong, and we strongly implore the Board of Education and education leaders to look elsewhere for funds or savings.
Danbury students must not be penalized for wanting to participate in extracurricular activities. At times, these very activities -- such as a football team or a drama club -- could be an incentive to keep a student in school.
[...]
The board is grappling with budget realities: It had requested $116.1 million -- about $4.2 million more than the present year. But Mayor Mark Boughton recommended an increase of only $2 million, which, as he said, is better than last year when no increase was approved.
Remedies now being considered by the board are grim indeed. The elimination of 45.1 positions -- more than half of them teachers -- is among the proposals.
The budget process is not over yet. Educators have made their case to the education subcommittee of the City Council, and the full council needs to consider the budget.
We beseech Danbury educators to keep searching for other ways to make up the difference. Do not start charging students who want to participate in extracurricular activities at Danbury High School.
As I stated last night on TV, as the Board of Education and City Council butt heads, the people who suffer most are the one's who shouldn't be penalized. The collection of 60,000 dollars is a drop in the bucket when your talking about a school budget that's over 100,000,000 dollars.
When you take into consideration that principals who received a NINE percent raise last year are looking for another raise this year, I'm sure the BOE can find a better way to fund extracurricular activities than digging into kid's pockets.
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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.
Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.
Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.
On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.
