Webutuck Business Administrator Robert Farrier said the district received about $658,000 in federal funding in the 2024-'25 school year. That money funded programs like pre-K and disability services.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced on Tuesday, March 11, that 50% of the department’s workforce would be fired by March 21.
This workforce reduction coincides with cuts to the tune of over $1 billion in grant funding to teacher recruitment and training organizations, the Regional Education Laboratory program, Equity Assistance Centers and grants awarded under the Comprehensive Centers Program that provide “capacity-building” training to schools nationwide.
So far, federal funding to public school districts has not been cut. But some education advocates are raising alarm bells about the cuts and how they might impact local public school districts.
In the Webutuck school district, federal funding supports programs for low-income students and families, students with disabilities, and universal pre-K to the tune of about $658,000 in the 2024-’25 school year, representing a little over 2.8% of the revenue that Webutuck schools had available in the budget.
That money is in addition to the money in the $27 million general fund that local voters approved last May, and Webutuck Business Administrator Robert Farrier said they factor it in to the operating budget of the district in specific ways.
“We use most of our Title funding for teacher salaries,” Farrier said. Grants for universal pre-K subsidize preschool teacher salaries at Webutuck schools, so Farrier only has to rely on the general fund for a small portion of preschool teacher salaries. The rest comes directly from federal grants.
“If we were to lose that, that’s where that impact would come,” Farrier said. “That $658,000 would have to be put back into the main budget, which would be obviously a big hurdle.”
The story is largely the same across the Connecticut border at the Region One School District.
Region One, the administrative body which oversees public schools in Northwest Connecticut, including Cornwall, Sharon, Salisbury, Falls Village, North Canaan and Kent, received just over $1.36 million in federal grant revenue for the 2024-’25 school year.
That represents 3.1% of the Region One budget, and funds programs like special education and healthcare for students that qualify for Medicare, Region One Business Manager Sam Herrick explained.
“For students with disabilities we receive about $780,000 a year of the $1.36 million,” Herrick said. “So a little more than half of our federal money is related to special education.”
The remainder of the federal money funds student nutrition programs and remedial services, including funding a portion of those teachers’ salaries across the district.
As of Friday, March 14, Region One is going through budget talks under the assumption that federal funding will remain in place for those programs.
“We haven’t received any guidance from the State of Connecticut Department of Education or from the federal government,” Herrick said. “As we all see, things are just happening pretty quickly, but there has not been any information forthcoming with what’s coming next.”
Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias emphasized the cuts to the federal Department of Education workforce and grant programs will have uneven consequences, mostly affecting low-income students and students with disabilities and schools in poorer communities.
“These are the extra services that are all about giving everybody the same chance of being successful,” Dias said. “When we start to look at where these cuts are going to hit, it’s really the services and the support network we’re building for our students that struggle.”
She said school budgets don’t have extra wiggle room to accommodate sudden cuts to funding, and special education programs already fall short of the established goals. Dias said schools are supposed to be reimbursed at 40% for special education expenses from federal grants, but in reality that reimbursement typically falls in the 14-17% range.
“Then you layer in that the state reimbursement is coming up, I believe, $137 million short in special education funds,” Dias said. “And all of those dollars, particularly in special education, are mandated dollars. Those are bills that have to be paid. When we talk about any net loss in resources, it’s going to impact what we’re able to do for children.”
Until there are more answers and clarity from the federal government, schools will just have to have to manage as best they can.
“We’ve got our public hearing coming up at the beginning of next month,” Herrick said. “Everyone’s working hard to put forward the best and most responsible budget we can, and that’s all I feel like we can do at this point.”
John Dennis, of Millerton, presents a bluegill he caught in Rudd Pond on Friday morning, Feb. 6. Dennis said he catches enough fish for a meal — usually about a dozen fish — before packing up and shuffling off the ice.
MILLERTON — Rudd Pond is open for ice fishing as of Thursday, Feb. 5.
Taconic State Park rangers announced the ice was safe for fishing in a Facebook post Thursday morning. Ice on the pond must average at least 6 inches thick across the entire surface before it is opened to recreation, according to park staff.
On Friday, Feb. 6, Brian Booth of Millbrook and John Dennis of Millerton were out on the ice catching crappie and bluegill at 10 a.m.
"I've been fishing here since I was a kid," Dennis said. He was jigging, which is a fishing technique where a baited hook is dropped through a hole in the ice and "jigged" to simulate natural movement.
Booth was fishing through a combination of jigging and devices called "flip-ups," which have a line connected to a spring-loaded flag that flips up when a fish grabs the hook.
Brian Booth, of Millbrook, demonstrates a "flip-up," on Friday, Feb. 6, at Rudd Pond. A flip-up is an ice fishing device that suspends a baited hook connected to a spring-loaded flag that flips up when a fish takes the bait.Photo by Nathan Miller
Temperatures are predicted to stay well below freezing for the next week. An extreme cold weather warning was in effect for the region all weekend and stretched into Monday morning on Feb. 9.
Forecasts predict heavy winds and blustery conditions to continue this week, with a chance for temperatures to increase leading into this weekend. Booth and Dennis each said that wind is a major contributor to uncomfortable conditions on the ice, where natural wind breaks are nonexistent.
Dennis uses a sled with a collapsible shelter to haul his ice fishing equipment onto the pond. He said that the tent can be a great boon, especially when combined with a small space heater.
"I could fish in my t-shirt," Dennis said.
But wind has caused problems when Dennis’s sled wasn’t anchored properly. He said he was dragged across the ice by strong gusts during a recent trip to a frozen lake in Connecticut.
Rudd Pond is open from sunrise to sunset year-round. Taconic State Park employees said they will continue to monitor the ice and provide updates on its status.
Drivers should expect more police on the roads this weekend as law enforcement warns of ramped-up DWI check-points over Super Bowl weekend.
Law enforcement is expected to ramp up DWI check-points across the region this weekend.
Across Dutchess County, local law enforcement agencies will take part in a “high-visibility enforcement effort” during Super Bowl weekend aimed at preventing drivers from operating vehicles under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Increased patrols and sobriety checkpoints are planned throughout the county from Sunday, Feb. 8, through Monday, Feb. 9.
In a statement, Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino emphasized the need for safe roads and thanked law enforcement who “work year-round to keep our neighborhoods safe.” She added, “Make the winning play during Super Bowl weekend and plan for a safe ride home.”
Nationwide, traffic fatality data indicates Super Bowl Sunday is one of the deadliest days of the year for impaired driving, with a significantly higher number of alcohol-related deaths than on typical Sundays.
During the Jan. 29 Village Board meeting, trustees voted to sign the annual STOP-DWI agreement with Dutchess County, part of a statewide effort to keep dangerous drivers off the roads. Similar efforts also take place around Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and during the December holiday season.
Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said his department typically participates in all DWI check-points, but will not this weekend because of staffing issues. He said that does not mean county and state police will not be active in the Millerton area.
Students wore black at Housatonic Valley Regional High School Friday, Jan. 30, while recognizing a day of silence to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
FALLS VILLAGE — In the wake of two fatal shootings involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota, students across the country have organized demonstrations to protest the federal agency. While some teens have staged school walkouts or public protests, students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School chose a quieter approach.
On Friday, Jan. 30, a group of HVRHS students organized a voluntary “day of silence,” encouraging participants to wear black as a form of peaceful protest without disrupting classes.
The idea was spearheaded by junior Sophia Fitz, who said she wanted a way for students to express their concerns while remaining in school.
“What really inspired me was that I was feeling very helpless with these issues,” Fitz said. “Staying educated with what’s going on in not only our country but globally can be very stressful as a teenager. Kids right now are feeling very hopeless and want to do something, but don’t know how.”
Teachers Peter Verymilyea and Damon Osora were on board with the idea early on, describing it as a peaceful and respectful way for students to express their beliefs.
Assistant Principal Steven Schibi also backed the effort, emphasizing the importance of student participation.“I think it’s important for us to listen to students,” he said. “And they have to learn how to have a voice in such a way that it’s not disruptive.”
After discussions with Superintendent Melony Brady-Shanley and Principal Ian Strever, school administrators agreed that participation would be optional and that students could choose whether to wear black or not.
Schibi, along with several staff members, participated in the movement by wearing black themselves. Math department chair Kara Jones was among the participating teachers. “Everybody deserves their voice, so I’d rather do the day of silence than everybody stay home,” she said.
Among HVRHS students who supported the protest, at least one cited concern for friends affected by immigration enforcement.
Sophomore Peyton Bushnell said he felt anxious, fearing for the safety of friends and acquaintances. “I think it’s all really messed up,” Bushnell said. “I have a lot of Hispanic friends, and I worry if there’s ICE in Great Barrington, if they came here [and] deported my friends. I can’t even imagine.”
Bushnell said Fitz’s initiative encouraged him to speak more openly about the issue.
Senior Molly Ford echoed that sentiment. “I think it’s a peaceful way to protest and I think it’s the best way to do so,” Ford said.
Many students wore black to show support, and senior Victoria Brooks shared her thoughts on what it meant to her. “It means following along in a form of advocacy alongside other students,” Brooks said.
Some students declined to comment when asked about the protest. Others said they were unaware the protest was taking place. Three seniors interviewed during lunch said they would have participated had they known, calling it a “neat idea.”
Not all students were convinced of the protest’s impact. A group of juniors questioned whether it would make a difference.
“I think that it is good that we’re trying to do something,” one student said. “But I’m not sure how much the silence aspect of it will help, but I think that it’s good that we’re trying.”
Some students questioned the efficacy of the protests, including a group of seniors who offered their opinions. They expressed the belief that the protests were “pointless,” and that President Donald Trump probably didn’t even know that HVRHS existed.
“I just don’t think it’s the best way to go about it. Like, what is us being silent and wearing black gonna do,” one of the seniors said.
Senior Cohen Cecchinato voiced his opposition to the protests in another interview.
“The staying silent, I think, is for the lives that were lost, which I agree with,” Cecchinato said. “But I think that wearing black, like the movement that it’s behind, the people that are putting it into place in our school are doing it because it’s like the ‘F ICE’ movement or the abolish ICE movement, which I think is just wrong.”
Other students said they believed political protests don’t belong in school.
“I just don’t think we should bring politics into school,” one senior said. Another added, “I think it’s causing … a really big divide and people are using it to be advantageous to themselves and their own beliefs.”
However, one senior expressed a sharply critical view of the protest. Senior Ashton Osborne dismissed students who chose to wear black or participate in the demonstration and criticized organizer Sophia Fitz. He also said he strongly supported the federal immigration agency and added that if he were old enough, he would want to work for ICE.
The comments reflected a minority viewpoint among students.
Mia DiRocco, Hannah Johnson and Peter Austin are seniors at Housatonic Valley Regional High School and participants in The Lakeville Journal’s student journalism program, which produces HVRHS Today.
PINE PLAINS — Dutchess County Legislator Chris Drago, D-19, will host a public forum later this month to discuss ongoing childcare challenges — and potential solutions — facing families in Northern Dutchess. The discussion will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at The Stissing Center in Pine Plains and is free and open to the public.
Drago said the goal of the forum is to gather community feedback that can be shared with county and state stakeholders, as Dutchess County positions itself to benefit from $20 million in state funding as part of a new childcare pilot program.
Earlier this month, Dutchess County was named as one of three counties in New York selected to participate in the pilot, which was announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul as part of a broader plan to bring universal childcare to the state. The funding is expected to support expanded childcare capacity, with a focus on infants and toddlers.
“We are inviting people who have expressed concern about childcare in Northern Dutchess, along with local school and faith-based program leaders, nonprofit organizations, and elected officials,” Drago said in a statement, calling childcare solutions a “critical need in our communities.”
The event follows the recent closure of the North East Community Center’s Early Learning Program (ELP), which left a number of families in Millerton and surrounding towns without childcare options — and left teachers without jobs. NECC announced the closure of ELP in early November and officially closed its doors on Dec. 18, 2025.
In a signal of support, Assemblymember Didi Barrett — who represents a largely rural district that covers parts of Dutchess and Columbia Counties — joined childcare advocates in the state capital last week to hear concerns from constituents. Barrett has praised recent state investments aimed at addressing childcare gaps, saying she will fight to ensure funds reach rural parts of her district.
“I am committed to ensuring that this is truly universal childcare and that the program addresses the childcare needs in Millerton, North East, and the surrounding communities, especially with the recent closure of the North East Community Center’s Early Learning Program,” Barrett said.
In December, Barrett secured $1 million in funding to expand childcare services at Dutchess Community College, and said she is committed to ensuring that new state funds will benefit those in rural communities.
