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Are politics more important than Stamford students? It seems so.
Central office administrators and five BOE majority members believe they can pass the budget while disguising what is really happening. Their silence hides the questions they don’t want to answer. Truth doesn’t need force, but their game plan does.
Knowing budget season is under way, details are becoming clearer to the 5,000 high school students, 3,000+ parents, 400 teachers, 17 administrators, and 100 staff. Don’t forget Stamford’s 30,000+ taxpayers (19,000 single family homes; 11,000 condos; corporate and small business owners). Student learning should matter when facts are clear, not politics.
High School Schedule & Attendance Changes
The high school schedule has been changed three times since 2020 (Covid Schedule, 2020; 8-Period A/B Schedule, 2022; 7-Period A/B Schedule, 2024). No analysis has been done, but central office leaders state 14% of the 9th graders fail annually. They believe that this is strong enough data to change the schedule, yet again, for 2025-2026. These leaders also continue to revise attendance rules quarterly (without consequences for most students), graduate more seniors during summer school and raise graduation levels. Meanwhile, SAT scores are still stagnant—approximately 30% of the high school population can only pass one or two components (Mathematics or Reading/Writing).
As central office prepares for this fourth schedule change in five years, students, parents and educators are now even more furious. There has been little collaboration, no input from stakeholders or minority BOE members, and guidance counselors are trying to work miracles for disgruntled students. Common sense matters and families can read between the lines.
Obviously, the new flexible schedule seems to be less about improving learning and more about cutting costs.
BOE 2025-2026 Budget
Middle and high school block schedules are more expensive to implement. Sadly, central office administrators have never shared yearly costs. Now moving from a 7-period/2-day block to a 4-period/1 day block + AB flexible schedule—with a teacher/student ratio of 1 to 150/per semester, expenses will decrease (which is their intent). Since blocking efficacy is completely ignored by central office and overall learning is highly questionable, this new schedule is a scam. It is simply a smoke screen to save money.
The mayor is running for re-election. She supports free lunch for all students, but it costs $1M. Although it looks good for her campaign and the SPS, just ask our students how many really eat a ‘free’ breakfast or lunch? How much food is wasted school-wide? Districtwide? Getting data from central office is like pulling teeth, but students will share insightful details.
Special education is also long overdue for an audit, but this has never been done voluntarily. Last year 220 students were outplaced, now the district has 238 and increasing (March 2025). Ten new special education assistant principals are being added to this upcoming budget ($1.7M). Is this really going to solve the outplacement problem when administrative supervision has been lax for six years—lateral moves and title changes happen consistently? Parents, too, know if they hire a good lawyer, they can get their child outplaced at taxpayers’ expense. Why are there so many issues in special education in the first place? Transparency is hard to come by in this district.
Stamford BOE Rights
There is also confusion about the role of the Board and its Members. One-party rule seems to have taken privilege in interpreting law as it wishes. This needs to be reviewed—seriously reviewed.
▪In all signed contracts (administrators, teachers, paraeducators, security workers, parent facilitators), BOARD RIGHTS are stated in a variety of ways, but this is the main takeaway: It is recognized that the Board has and will continue to retain, whether exercised or not, the sole and unquestioned right, responsibility and prerogative to direct the operation of the public schools in the City of Stamford in all its aspects, and all of said rights, responsibilities and prerogatives not specifically abridged, delegated or modified by this Agreement are retained by the School Board.
▪Going further, BOE Policy 9000 states ‘In accordance with the General Statutes and City Charter, the Stamford BOE is the agent of the state and the duly constituted authority of the City of Stamford in all matters relating to the organization and administration of the schools.’
Where is the re-set button? This same fiasco happened in 2022…a surprise initiative, little collaboration and a community uproar. In best serving the interests of the City of Stamford, is this BOE sincerely listening to students, parents, teachers, and building leaders? Is this BOE really doing its due diligence supervising its only employee? More than ever, integrity and principle matter—not politics.
Dr. Rebecca Hamman currently serves as a member of the Stamford Board of Education. Her
comments are her own, and do not represent the official views of the Board of Education or its
committees.
