Unionized teachers in Stamford have filed a grievance over what they call surprise last-minute layoffs for this fall and the sudden transfer of thirty-one teachers, some to special ed classrooms they say they’re not qualified to teach.
Stamford Education Association President John Corcoran says, at this late date, no staff changes were expected for the 2026-27 schoolyear.
Instead, five teachers were recently laid off and thirty-one were involuntarily transferred, putting them in a career bind as summer starts.
“I was told weeks ago that I would be staying in Fourth Grade,” says Brittany Summa, a longtime teacher at Davenport Ridge Elementary. “I was pulled in at 3:30 pm yesterday (Thurs., Jun. 11) and told I’m being moved to a self-contained special education classroom. I had no words. I was very confused.”
Twenty of those being transferred will be teaching special ed. Some hold a certification from many years ago, but haven’t recently taught special ed. They’re also in line for a pay cut.
“Now they’re going to have to decide, ‘Do I resign?’” says Corcoran. “’Do I move on, or do I go onto the involuntary list and take a job that I might have similar certification for, but I have to pay bills, pay college loans, whatever it is… for 60 or 80 percent of what I was making the year before?’”
Multimedia specialist Elaine Gencarelli is one of those laid off, saying she was “completely blindsided” by an outgoing administration.
“Our superintendent, our assistant superintendent and our H.R. people are making choices that they’re not explaining, and that’s what we need. And, I need my job back, honestly.”
She’s referring to Superintendent Dr. Temu Lucero, who is leaving the district this month.
The teachers hope the Stamford Board of Education steps in, as it did in April to block Lucero’s transfers of two high school principals.
The Hearst Connecticut newspapers obtained a letter dated Friday from the district's human resources office to the Stamford school community, explaining that the personnel moves are the result of plunging enrollment and claiming that more layoffs were narrowly averted:
We recognize that involuntary transfers and reassignments can be difficult and unsettling, particularly for educators who have established strong connections to specific schools, grade levels, subject areas, and student communities. These transfers and reassignments, however, have played an important role in reducing the number of layoffs that would otherwise have been necessary.
