Public Testimony to the New London City Council by Seanice Austin
Seanice Austin
April 2025
Good evening, members of the City Council.
My name is Seanice Austin, I live at 1132 Ocean Avenue, and I serve as the co-director of FRESH New London, a community-based organization committed to cultivating youth leadership and food justice in our city.
Tonight, I’m here to speak in support of the Board of Education’s budget request and to urge this Council to reconsider the current proposal that flat-funds New London Public Schools—a proposal that fundamentally fails our young people.
Let me be clear: this is not about politics. This is about people—our children, our families, our future.
FRESH works directly with youth every day. These young people—your constituents—are not just future leaders. They are current leaders: testifying in Hartford, organizing in our neighborhoods, and showing up at City Hall to ask the adults in their community to invest in them. If you’ve ever doubted what our youth are capable of, I invite you to sit in one of our leadership workshops. The passion, the vision, and the brilliance they bring to the table is unmatched. But brilliance needs resources to thrive.
The mayor’s proposed budget would provide $47.4 million, a 15.4% increase from last year. But let’s not be distracted by percentages—this is still more than $7.2 million short of what the Board of Education has said is necessary. The reality is, flat funding the budget will result in cutting teachers, support staff, and crucial services, particularly those for our multilingual learners, special education students, and students in transition. Our ask is for you to meet the Board of Education half way with a $4 million increase. I don’t make this ask of the city lightly. We’re also asking the Board of Education to create a long-term financial strategy and holding them accountable and being fiscally prudent. The state is cutting Education funding and PILOT funding which is impacting the city budget departments HOWEVER we cannot balance the budget on the backs of our kids.
Yes, I’m aware of the fiscal pressures the city faces—state-level cuts, increasing costs, and the need for financial stability. But we do have options:
Our Fund Balance stands at over $19 million, well above the 10% threshold of what’s considered financially healthy.
We are giving the Police Department an 8.4% increase—that’s over $1.1 million. This isn’t about taking away from public safety. It’s about balancing our priorities and acknowledging that education is public safety.
Corporations are receiving tax incentives to operate here. Let’s be real: if they want to be part of our community, they should contribute to the foundation that allows their workers—and their workers’ families—to thrive.
And while I appreciate the Mayor’s efforts to establish a stabilization fund for city services, I have to ask: Isn’t education a city service worth stabilizing? If we fail to provide stability to our schools, we undermine the very foundation of New London’s future.
Some argue that dipping into the Fund Balance could harm our credit rating. That’s not the full story. Agencies like Moody’s look at a range of financial and non-financial factors: economic development, government responsiveness, and long-term strategic investments. Protecting public education is a strategic investment.
Let me close with this: New London is one of the most distressed municipalities in the state. That’s not a secret. But what is often overlooked is that we are also one of the most resilient. We rise because our community—especially our youth—refuse to give up. But resilience doesn’t mean they should have to do more with less.
I ask you, as leaders and neighbors, to hear the call of our young people and meet this moment with courage. Fund New London Public Schools with a $4M increase. Our students deserve better—and so does our city.
Thank you.
In the most recent special meeting on April 23, the City Council approved the first reading of the Mayor’s budget. A total of 40 students, teachers, and community members showed up to the reading. 20 of which shared powerful testimonies, where folks named the discrepancies of this harmful decision and made the necessary ask of our city. Among the twenty was Shanice Austin‘s testimony, which delivered the core message of our campaign heartily and effectively.