Greenwich Schools Chief Jones: “We are going to keep Mr. Breaux where he belongs, at Greenwich High School.”

About 40 Greenwich High School music students showed up in their concert attire at Thursday’s BOE meeting to show their support for their teacher, Michael Breaux.

Mr. Breaux’s job had been eliminated to reduce FTEs in the music department from 5.0 to 4.2 next year at the high school in response to pre-enrollment numbers.

One elephant in the room was the bruising battle that still simmers between public schools families and the Republicans on the Board of Estimate and Taxation who voted on an operating budget that resulted in cuts to many staff at GHS and a new start time significantly earlier at GHS to save on transportation costs.

But the situation with Mr. Breaux hit a nerve with music students at GHS, even though he had been offered a position at Eastern Middle School.

Miller Fishback and Sylvester Pecora III published a well-read opinion piece on this news site that cited quotes from a Google form they circulated asking for comments about Mr. Breaux. (Bring Back Breaux: A Plea from GHS Students, June 10, 2025).

Then, on Thursday, 16, students and several parents signed up to speak in support of Mr. Breaux during public comment.

Mr. Breaux always asks me after every concert, ‘Who’s the man!’ but we all know in our hearts, it’s Mr. Breaux.”
–Nicholas Vo

Stories were compelling, describing a teacher who arrives to work at 6:00am and who often doesn’t leave until 7:00pm, 8:00pm or later.

They relayed anecdotes about the difference a single teacher made in their high school careers.

Sylvester Pecora III addressed the Greenwich Board of Education on June 12, 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager

Sylvester Pecora, a GHS junior, noted that the GHS band program, and music in general, had been threatened since the pandemic.

“Some music programs didn’t have a concert until spring of 2022. Select ensembles like like chamber orchestras and jazz bands were cancelled, while sports were still allowed to continue,” he said.

“He strives to open doors for students, treat them with care and show them that they are appreciated,” he said of Mr. Breaux.

“With a teacher like Mr. Breaux someone who left NYU to teach us, we students have a duty to speak up. He makes music feel like home, and is the only reason some of us come to school.”
– Miller Fishback

Nich0las Vo said this year was his first year in band, and he had expected it would be a one-year commitment.

“Mr. Breaux changed my belief single-handedly in one year. I’ve shared many connections with him. It all starts off with a single, hello, how are you? Every single day, every single time I sit down and play my instrument in his class. My favorite thing about Mr. Breaux is his passion and inspiration he takes to many students.”

“Mr. Breaux always asks me after every concert, ‘Who’s the man!’ but we all know in our hearts, it’s Mr. Breaux,” Nicholas said.

Ethan Plummer a senior, said, “Mr. Breaux cares deeply about his students and their interests and helps them be the best they can be. He has taken extra time out of his busy schedule to supervise our before school and after school rehearsals.”

“Without Mr. Breaux, Greenwich would lose a genuine person who cares about the success of his students,” he added.

Vera Kim, a GHS senior who plays alto sax and violin, said Mr. Breaux played an essential role in the GHS community, and was the only person she knew could play 10 different instruments at a high level.

“This year when I was in the Little Mermaid pit orchestra it was fascinating watching him switch from clarinet to bass clarinet to alpha sax and back to clarinet. One day a clarinet player was not available to perform and Mr. Breaux stepped in and played their part flawlessly.”

“He is one of the most talented, skilled and inspiring musicians I know, and an invaluable asset to the music department, with his multi-instrumentality and teaching experience.”

Ian Shum described band as more than a class, but a community.

‘That community thrives because of Mr. Breaux’s leadership, mentorship and dedication. He doesn’t just teach us how to play music. He teaches us to appreciate it. He encourages us to work as a team to push through mistakes and grow in confidence through performance.”

“It’s hard to stay focused, musically, academically and socially when we fear losing a teacher who has shaped the way we think, play and connect through music,” Ian added.

Rex Lu compared Mr. Breaux to John Keating in the film, Dead Poets Society.

“Like Mr. Keating, he’s a diamond in the rough, a teacher whose devotion to his students goes beyond the classroom. Mr. Breaux challenges us to step outside our comfort zones and encourage us to find our own voices, not just to learn, but to live and create authentically, forging our own paths with confidence and passion.”

Miller Fishback addressed the Board of Education on June 12 2025 Photo: Leslie Yager

Miller Fishback, a junior who said he had been a part of the district’s music program since grade 3, said enrollment did not reflect quality or justify eliminating an essential job.

“There’s still one concert band, one symphony band, and one wind ensemble. The structure won’t change. Removing staff makes it harder to maintain those core programs, let alone grow them. And if the structure does change, it will be an even larger loss to Greenwich High School. We’ve been told over and over that this is simply a logistical shuffle, that this is just something that happens in large school districts, but that logic doesn’t apply in this case.”

Miller described Mr. Breaux as the bedrock of the music department and said he was worried about stopping the momentum his teacher had built since the disruption of the pandemic.

“Mr. Breaux has rebuilding this program since the day he joined in August 2020. In the midst of Covid, he walked into a music department deeply impacted by cancelled concerts, reduced enrollment and disengaged students post-pandemic, and he changed that. Students who had not touched their instruments throughout Covid began to stay after school to practice, volunteer for other ban opportunities like jazz and pit orchestra, and simply fall in love with music once again. That kind of revival doesn’t happen on its own. It takes a teacher who inspires and makes students believe that they are capable of greatness.”

Miller mentioned the outpouring of support on the Google form.

“That is love,” Miller said. “With a teacher like Mr. Breaux someone who left NYU to teach us, we students have a duty to speak up. He makes music feel like home, and is the only reason some of us come to school.”

After public comment the board posed a few questions to GHS administration.

Vice principal Dana Tulotta Zoomed in remotely to explain that earlier that day, information about student requests had been input to Aspen to determine the sections each teacher would be assigned next year.

“The enrollment drives the sections,” she said, adding that enrollment looked to be down about 100 students.

Laura Kostin, Karen Hirsh and School Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones at the June 12, 2025 Board of Education meeting Photo: Leslie Yager

Schools superintendent Dr. Toni Jones described the student comments as “beautiful.”

“It’s obvious he means so much to the students, and certainly I’ll go back tomorrow and continue to reflect,” she promised.

“(The students) brought up some great points tonight. For all of the after school activities and what goes beyond what they do during the day. We always try to be active listeners and we’ll go back and have another discussion tomorrow.”

Jones noted there were plans for a brand new position around student support for mental health.

“That’s what stood out to for me tonight,” Jones said. “What I really heard was how (Mr. Breaux) is impacting lives. It’s not just the music.”

Late Friday afternoon, Dr. Jones emailed music families with good news.

“As you know, GHS administration was working on the 2025-2026 master schedule based on student pre-enrollment numbers, and as a result music teacher Mr. Michael Breaux, was set to be transferred to a middle school position due to lower enrollment. This change has brought sadness, frustration, and concern to our student musicians, educators and their families.

“While well-intentioned to be fiscally responsible there were some missing pieces which needed to be considered. The amount of time our music staff spend outside the classroom at music performances, the Essentially Ellington Jazz festival, football pep band, and more is enormous. The budget for 2025-2026 was not built counting on reductions in the music department. This decision was solely an outgrowth of the GHS administration working on their schedule with best intentions.”

Jones described the district’s music program as one of the premier programs in the country and said it was important not to harm the great work of staff or diminish the quality of programming.

“I had the great pleasure of attending the inaugural Candlelight Concert this year and it was a performance of professional quality few high schools in the country, if any could produce,” she wrote. “I was at football homecoming and sat right next to the pep band this year. I, too, love music.”

Jones also personally thanked the students who came to the Board of Education meeting on Thursday, describing their remarks as eloquent.

“They were articulate, kind, respectful, and shared heartfelt stories which reached well beyond music,” Jones wrote. “Great teachers do much more than teach content, they truly touch lives. It was evident that we have a team of five music educators who are committed, talented, and change lives for our GHS students.”

“What really resonated with me was the social and emotional aspect for how our students were being impacted. It was obvious to me it was not just the music. I have reflected, as the leader of this district, and we are going to keep Mr. Breaux where he belongs, at Greenwich High School. I have also learned through additional sharing, that there will be a great deal of enrollment shifts between now and September.”

“I also want to commend our music students on the way they advocated for their teacher and program. They were extremely respectful and thoughtful. They were the perfect example for all of us, as adults, what true advocacy can look like. Personally, after they all finished speaking, I was so inspired for the next generation of leaders.”

“Hopefully this note brings a sense of relief to our student musicians, their families, and music staff. Now, let’s get ready to celebrate the Class of 2025 on Tuesday and enjoy the last few days of school.”