Schools

New Haven Releases Statement on Passage of Prop 30

Board of Education incumbents Michelle Matthews, Jonas Dino and Michael Ritchie also held on to their seats in yesterday's election.

From the New Haven Unified School District:

New Haven Unified School District voters have re-elected Michelle Matthews and Jonas Dino to the Board of Education and given Michael Ritchie a full term on the Board.

Ms. Matthews, president of the Board for the past two years, was the leading vote-getter in Tuesday’s election, winning a second term as she received 7,758 votes (28.1%). Mr. Dino, the senior member of the Board, finished second with 7,659 votes (27.8%), earning a fourth term. Mr. Ritchie, who joined the Board last January after being appointed to fill the vacancy created when Trustee Kevin Harper moved out of the District, received 7,549 votes (27.3%).

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Challenger Nick Fresquez was fourth with 4,517 votes (16.4%).

Statewide, the passage of Proposition 30 was a relief to New Haven families and employees, Superintendent Kari McVeigh said.

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“While it doesn’t mean we will be able to restore any of the myriad cuts that we’ve been forced to make during the past several years – remember, Gov. Brown asked us to build our budgets on the supposition Prop 30 would succeed – it does mean our District will be spared an additional reduction that we estimated at $5.5 million,” Ms. McVeigh wrote in a message to employees this morning.

“We continue to face unprecedented financial challenges caused by five years of state budget cuts. All of us are familiar with the consequences: reduced services, larger class sizes; a school year that is five days shorter for students; and a work year that is nine days shorter for employees, on top of an additional 1 percent pay cut. The passage of Prop 30 won’t change any of that, but at least we are not being forced to make the school year and work year even shorter.”


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