Teacher Union Seeks Injunction To Stop Gov. Malloy's $557 Million In Education Cuts

TORRINGTON, CT — The Connecticut Education Association union that represents 43,000 teachers in the state is seeking an injunction against Gov. Dannel Malloy's executive order which implements large cuts to many school districts.

Malloy's executive order went into effect because of the lack of a fully approved budget. It cuts $557 million across the state for educational funding. A total of 85 school systems will lose all state funding while 54 lose some funding and 30 Alliance Districts are flat funded compared to previous years.

“The governor’s ECS cuts are dangerous and would be devastating for students, parents, teachers, and
communities across the state,” said CEA President Sheila Cohen in a statement. “They violate state statutes and the state’s constitutional obligation to provide adequate education to public school students."

Republicans with the help of some Democrats passed a state budget, but Malloy recently vetoed it. The governor said the budget contained large problems, including a large cut to UConn that could force the closure of some regional campuses.

Related: Massive Education Cuts Proposed By Malloy To Hundreds Of CT Towns

A veto session is scheduled for Tuesday. If Malloy's veto is overturned or another budget is passed the cuts wouldn't fully go into effect.

Malloy has run state finances by executive order since July 1 when the new fiscal year began. The Torrington City Council has voted in favor of becoming plaintiffs in the injunction. It received a quarterly education cost sharing check form the state for $1.2 million compared to $8 million it received last year. If Malloy's order is fully implemented the city would have to use its entire budget reserve and would still have an $11 million gap for education funding.

“We have already taken cost-saving measures including delaying the beginning of school, implementing a hiring freeze that resulted in reductions of services, and reducing office hours in the city’s recreation department," said Torrington May Elinor Carbone. "With additional cuts, vital resources and critical services that our residents rely upon are all in jeopardy of being drastically cut or eliminated.”

The Town of Brooklyn has also joined in seeking an injunction.

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