The views stated here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors of this newspaper. We welcome supporting or opposing views on any published item. Received August 11, 2026.
I am writing this not as a Board of Education member. I do not speak for the Board, and these views are mine alone. I am writing as a citizen, a parent, and a public school employee with thirty years of experience in education. Having served as a school psychologist in our district for eleven years and currently serving in that same capacity in a neighboring town, I have witnessed firsthand how public education has evolved over three decades.
We are currently at a pivotal moment for our community and our schools, yet our collective engagement remains alarmingly low. Voter turnout for critical budget decisions has been hovering at around 20 percent. To my neighbors, friends, parents, and our young voters: this is not enough. We cannot claim to value our community and our children while leaving decisions about their future to a small fraction of the eligible voters.
At the recent budget hearing, what struck me the most were some comments from the floor: individuals suggesting that we are spending “too much money” on special education, some even using outdated and offensive language to describe those students, and questioning the necessity of those services. Others reminisced about their own school days, insisting that class sizes of thirty were standard, implying that we should be content with returning to that model.
To be blunt, Haddam and Killingworth: This is not who I thought we were.
These comments demonstrate misunderstandings of what modern public education is and does. Education is not about managing crowds in a room; it is the mandate of educators to meet the individual needs of every single child who walks through that door. In my career I have always led with how I would advocate for each child as if they were mine; every child gets my best. To strip the resources allocated to our special education students, the very students who require the most support to thrive, is to turn our backs on the community we profess to be.
Furthermore, the “if it was good enough for me, it’s good enough for them” argument regarding class sizes is a dangerous relic. Thirty years ago, the expectations for student outcomes, the complexities of curriculum, and the social-emotional challenges our youth faced were vastly different. We do our students a disservice by measuring their current needs against our past experiences. Education is an investment in the future, not a museum exhibit of the past. If we want our graduates to be the nurses, engineers, teachers, and leaders who will sustain our communities and care for us, we must provide an environment that fosters their potential, not one that squeezes it until it breaks.
Opening without a budget would be a failure. It would not be good for students, and it will not be good for our district’s stability. In my personal opinion, this budget has already been trimmed to the bone. In my opinion, the Superintendent and the Board have worked to balance fiscal responsibility with essential operational needs. Without a budget, we risk operational paralysis, hiring freezes, and a chaotic start to the school year for our most precious resource as a community.
I understand that budgets are contentious and that many feel frustration with rising costs. I understand that many will continue to vote no, and they are entitled to that right. My plea today is to those of you who are NOT voting. The way to achieve efficiency is not through apathy or by voting down budgets in the hopes that “something better” will appear. It happens through consistent, informed participation.
We are a community that prides itself on being “genuinely good people.” We are a community that says we show up for each other. It is time to prove it. Whether you are a parent, a senior citizen who understands the value of a strong town, or a young adult who knows the caliber of our schools, your vote is your voice. Years ago, my family bought shirts from the cross country team that read, “We are HK Family.” It is time to act like it.
Twenty percent turnout is not the community speaking; it is a silence that speaks volumes. Do not let that silence define us. Please, get out and vote on August 25, 2026 from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Let us show that we value our future more than the comfort of staying home.
Heather Pach, Haddam
