Fairfield Parents Plan Rally After Education Budget Cuts Proposed

FAIRFIELD, CT — Parents plan to rally Sunday outside Old Town Hall after the first selectwoman announced a proposed town budget Friday that would see Fairfield schools receive $2 million less in funding than the Board of Education requested.

The rally is set to take place 11 a.m. on Town Hall Green.

“Now more than ever, we must invest in our kids,” said a flier for the event, organized by Fairfield’s PTA Council.

Although First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick said in a news release Friday that she intended to increase education spending by $7.5 million — or just over 4 percent — that amount is a significant decrease compared to the $9.5 million year-over-year budget hike the school board approved in January.

Kupchick, whose 2021-22 town budget includes a 1.98 percent tax increase, said Fairfield residents can’t afford the more than 5 percent spending spike the Board of Education proposed.

Kupchick’s budget is far from final. After she presents the annual spending plan Monday to the Board of Selectmen, it requires approval from that body, as well as the Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting.