A week after students came to the Capitol to protest budget cuts that would have eliminated sports at the state's vocational-technical schools, the state department of education announced that the programs will be restored.
But, as Courant education writer Vanessa de la Torre notes, it's not a permanent reprieve. The programs could still be scrapped if a concession agreement designed to save the state $1.6 billion over two years is not ratified by unionized employees.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's office worked with the department of education to find money to restore the programs for the fall because the union's decision won't be known until after Aug. 18, which is after the deadline by which schools have to commit to the state athletic conference.
And it doesn't mean the sports programs will be permanently restored if the unions reject the concession agreement. "To be clear, this money will need to be found elsewhere in [the state department of education's] budget, and this is not an indication that future seasons of sports programs at the vo-tech schools will be funded, should the agreement not be ratified,'' said a statement issued by the department.
Colleen Flanagan, spokeswoman for the governor's office, said it was a question of timing. "If ultimately the [agreement] is ratified, the money for the sports programs would be in place, but it would be too late for the vo-tech schools to participate for the fall season,'' she said this morning. "As you'll note in DOE's statement, this is not an indication that winter and spring sports would be funded should the agreement be voted down."