There’s no news in the papers and not much going on.
So let’s debate who should serve on the next town council and Board of Education. Tell us why you think the way you do — and try to convince us that you’re right without being mean-spirited.
I’m sure I’m not alone in having no idea who should be elected.
294 Comments
September 24, 2007 at 3:58 pm
The Tories!
Oh, wait, hang on…wrong country. Sorry!
http://boatangdemetriou.wordpress.com/
September 24, 2007 at 5:38 pm
We should certainly vote Joe Visconti onto the town council. He’s been active and outspoken and someone willing to speak out in a forceful manner can only benefit our community.
You don’t have to agree with him. But he may get people talking and thinking in a way they didn’t before.
September 25, 2007 at 7:05 am
I also plan to vote for Joe Visconti. He’s unorthodox and outspoken, and he also cares about West Hartford. I appreciate that he doesn’t lurk in dark corners whispering to insiders about what it takes to win this or that district via the numbers game, and instead throws out ideas and interacts with the community. Love him or hate him - he’d put his heart and soul into making this town better.
As for the other people running - I have to say that I’m troubled by the lack of information and public commentary by them. Maybe a snipit here or there, but not much in the way of written conviction - and I mean that of all the candidates on both sides. The theme of this campaign has been “play it safe”. Very disappointing which is why many of us are having a hard time deciding who to vote for.
At least we have the voting record of the current council and BOE members. But lack of a plan or vision by new contenders is not a reason in of itself to change course. I’d love to see some courage by someone other than Joe to spell out what they will do in office and why.
September 25, 2007 at 10:28 am
I will not vote for Joe Visconti. Of course the King is right that candidates and public servants should engage with the public and elaborate on their positions (Harry Captain is exemplary in that regard). But in addition to Joe’s controversial tactics during the Blue Back controversy, he has demonstrated right here on this blog a contempt for facts, a willingness to categorically and repeatedly vilify the “education cartel” and other people with whom he disagrees, an unwillingness to respond in good faith when his assertions are challenged, and satisfaction with simplistic and ideologically-charged views on complex issues.
I appreciate Joe’s enthusiasm for civic life and his fabulous fashion sense and theatrical flair. Although the genteel character of the Town Council may conceal a dense political subtext that people like the King find exasperating, that doesn’t mean that voters should resort to a divisive, inflammatory individual like Joe. The town government should be comprised of thoughtful, knowledgeable, and upstanding people with the ability to forge consensus and act in the best long-term interests of the town. Eye on the prize.
September 25, 2007 at 10:41 am
I’m surprised to find myself in complete agreement with the King this morning regarding his concerns about this year’s elections. Here we are almost to the end of September, and so far it looks more like a high school popularity contest (”…vote for me, because I’m a great guy…”) than anything else.
Unless you are content to go to the polls like cattle to simply vote the party line (maybe this explains the popularity of the Cow Parade in WH), how is someone in this Town supposed to know where the candidates stand on the issues that concern us?
September 25, 2007 at 10:49 am
I hear a number of debates are planned for October. Stay tuned.
September 25, 2007 at 10:49 am
I’m voting for Visconti.
He’s the only one who is committed to make government more open and visible.
Consensus is highly over-rated and only waters down the end product.
September 25, 2007 at 11:57 am
Council debates were taped last night
BOE to be taped tomorrow (weds)
September 25, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I know I’m voting for Harry Captain. Even though he’s not of my party, on this blog he has shown himself to be a thoughtful, intelligent public servant who is willing to engage his constituents . We need more politicians like him.
By the same token, I am 100 percent in agreement with Turtle on Joe Visconti’s candidacy. I admire Joe for his passion and his willingness to put his name on the ballot. However, his meanspiritedness, lack of respect for the opinions of others and unwillingness to listen to opposing points of views are not the qualities I want running my town. In my opinion, Joe is a bombthrower. That’s OK, we need bombthrowers to shake things up one in a while. But bombthrowers do not do well when entrusted with the reins of power.
September 25, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Sorry to inform you, Harry Captain is not running
September 25, 2007 at 2:28 pm
And if he was, I would urge that no one should vote for him until he recants his vote to cut middle-school Quest.
Speaking of which, can someone identify who the other three members of the School Board are that voted to cut the Quest program? (I believe the vote was 4-3.) I plan on attending their next election rally with my “Quest for Less” sign.
September 25, 2007 at 2:41 pm
I will be supporting Peter Martin, Kelly Clark and Leon Davidoff for the council. Peter and Kelly are young, energetic people that this town needs, and Leon has the experience in local politics to really dig into the budget. We need stable, committed minority representation in town and these three are a great place to rebuold that. I urge any D’s, R’s or I’s to vote for them.
I will also support Diane Mudgge for BOE - she is smart, funny and great.
Elliot, tell us why I should vote for you.
My vote is up for grabs!
September 25, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Same as Diane, I’m “smart, funny and great”
also semi-young and still energetic like Kelly and Peter. Unfortunately I don’t have twins.
September 25, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Wait, who has twins? Kelly or Peter? That seals the deal for me
September 25, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Yes.
September 25, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Harry, Fiorentino, the Chair and Brassil-Spinella were the yea votes for cutting Quest (I.e., the current incumbent candidates were for keeping it), though I’m not going to hold that against them in my vote in ‘09m, R or D. The BOE was in a no-win situation after the massive budget cuts. (Oh no! I think I just opened up that topic again!).
September 25, 2007 at 3:52 pm
I thought Fiorentino was not going to run again, unfortunately.
September 25, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Oh, come on Elmwoodian, they could have found the money to keep Quest fully-funded. Particularly after $550,000 just magicallyshowed up out of thin air.
So I don’t buy the excuse that they cut Quest because they didn’t have the money. They cut Quest because they don’t think the gifted children in this Town deserve to have their special needs addressed. After all, they’re just a bunch of upper-income spoiled brats who probably get every whim in life handed to them on a silver platter anyway, right?
So Joe (or Elliot), if you haven’t already completed your debate yet, could you please throw this question into the hopper:
Do you think the children who are identified as having special needs requiring an adjustment in their curriculum that inspires and enriches their education deserve to have their programs funded, or is it only kids at the bottom of the academic spectrum that deserve to have their special needs addressed?
September 25, 2007 at 8:31 pm
At any rate, neither Harry, Fiorentino, the Chair nor Brassil-Spinella are running. The ones that voted for Quest (Schmidt, Putterman, Kindall) are. So, points for them? That’s up to the voters!
September 25, 2007 at 8:50 pm
My question was intended for the new batch of BOE candidates.
By the way, Elmwoodian, I neglected to thank you for clarifying who voted which way. And it appears the BOE resorted to an old trick used regularly in the U.S. Senate to let the members who are not up for re-election cast the controversial votes that everyone hopes will be forgotten in two to four years.
Not this time. Trust me to remind everyone in ‘09 of the travesty that befell Quest in ‘07 and who was responsible for that shameful decision.
September 25, 2007 at 9:51 pm
They cut Quest because they don’t think the gifted children in this Town deserve to have their special needs addressed. After all, they’re just a bunch of upper-income spoiled brats who probably get every whim in life handed to them on a silver platter anyway, right?
TWC, I’m shocked that you would think that anyone on the board would be that cynical about gifted children. I don’t think that’s at all true. There was a debate before the budget cuts ever came around about whether alternatives to Quest, particularly middle-school Quest, should be explored. By the way, I have a kid who’s very bright and so have a serious interest in enrichment programs.
You never did say how you would educate children who are struggling academically without spending money.
September 25, 2007 at 10:33 pm
I seriously doubt that there was the kind of collusion that you seem to be implying. It’s a pretty serious charge to be leveling on a group of principled public servants (I speak of all 7) who were working under extremely difficult conditions with bad and unpopular choices all around.
At any rate, even if we were to entertain your cynical theory of collusion, keep in mind, two of the votes for cutting Quest were made by Reps and two were made by Dems. Why would Lib Brassil Spinella, a conservative Rep, want to help the Dem incumbents by taking the hit?
September 25, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Turtle, you say
“But in addition to Joe’s controversial tactics during the Blue Back controversy, he has demonstrated right here on this blog a contempt for facts, a willingness to categorically and repeatedly vilify the “education cartel” and other people with whom he disagrees, an unwillingness to respond in good faith when his assertions are challenged, and satisfaction with simplistic and ideologically-charged views on complex issues.”
1.controversial tactics? and what were those?
2.Contempt for facts? which facts would those be?
3.wont respond in good faith? when would Joe ever not respond?
4. satisfied with simplistic and idelogically- charged views? - Control spending period, Teachers should have given back as Sklarz asked them so Quest could be saved, instead they told the taxpayers to take a hike, a tax hike.
September 26, 2007 at 5:59 am
That first “controversial” in that sentence should have been dropped, but anyway, in a word, “Taubman”.
As for the rest, that has been my perception these past several months reading you on this blog. You always do respond in some way, and some of that doggerel was pretty funny.
We would all like to “control spending”, but the devil is in the details, and we have already gone around the block about whether the teachers were justified in not making concessions during the budget crunch. I’d rather not revisit that issue now.
I wish you well, you rascal! If you had your own TV show I would tune in for sure.
September 26, 2007 at 7:26 am
Turtle is right on the button here.
The underlying issue in Blueback was who had the public trust. By accepting funding from Taubman and denying its existence (until their hand was forced), opponents of BBS severely damaged their credibility.
Say what you will about how the BBS issue was placed on the table, once it got placed there it was fully open to evaluation and the town had the chance to vote on its merits twice. Denying Taubman’s backing was an insult to the voter’s intelligence.
Members of the WHISP group looked me straight in the eye and shook their heads, “no,” when asked about receiving funds from Taubman (not Joe in this case). I will never vote for these two people (when or if they run again) because of that incident. Personally, I think Joe would not have lied, but the ’secret’ Taubman involvement stunk, and by association, implicated him too.
And Joe… I love ya…. you’re a fun personality and you raise some great points, but can you work with others? Can you sit through countless committee meetings in which i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed? The stuff that we all see on TV every other week is only a small part of the Council’s work.
Most important here, the Council works with the Town Manager and the Department heads to run the town. As much as any candidate says that they can change the system - they can’t. The system will be in place long after all of us are gone.
To be effective, a member of the Council has to be able to exert influence on the eight other council members and on the Town Staff - otherwise, they are just puffing hot air. And, a member of the Council (because they are legal representatives of the town) is severely restricted in what they can say or do - otherwise they leave the town open to litigation. Joe - will you be able to sit back when necessary and say nothing to prevent issues from ballooning or getting out of hand? I think not.
It’s easy to lob in a grenade. But what do you do once you’ve made the mess?
September 26, 2007 at 9:16 am
Rick shoots and scores. What kind of West Hartford resident in their right mind would elect someone who rails against consensus, slanders their potential colleagues and defames the professional town staff? Rick’s point about Joe taking Taubman’s 30 pieces of silver is almost (but not quite) incidental when you think about how damaging Joe would be to the sane, steady process by which this town runs, whether R’s or D’s are in the majority. If there are enough people that buy what he’s selling, I think we all know we’re looking at a one term wonder.
September 26, 2007 at 9:39 am
But lets’s talk about the truly crucial issue in these elections: the lawnsigns. I admit to a strong bias towards the D’s, but I’ll try to be fair.
Dems:
Best so far are the BOE candidates. I love the idea of having a common theme. The triangle graphics in the corners are perfectly abstract (unlike the all too common stars and stripes), but serve to link them when lined up side by side. Not sure how they have convinced homeowners to actually put up three at a time. Colors are unusual but bright. A beautiful sherbert rainbow.
Thornberry’s is very nice. Basic blue with streak of red. Solid, no-nonsense.
Brennen’s green signs are ok, though a little too plain. Color stands out though.
Coursey’s seem a little lopsided to me. Same colors as Thornberry’s but not quite as appealing.
Slifka’s is fine for him. Not too showy.
No sign yet of Verengia. Anyone sees one yet?
I remember liking Cantor’s a lot (though now, as i sit at my desk, I can’t remember a thing about it)
And Essie’s is great. I love the bold, lively first name!
As for the Republicans, I really do like the idea of running with a theme, but they are so boring that I don’t see how they will help with name recognition at all. Also, I don’t think red is a good choice in west hartford. Do they really want to remind us all of their links to the national party? I do give them credit, however, for putting the word “republican” on the signs. I sure there was a temptation not to do so.
Which leads to the fascinating fact that Visconti is, apparently, the only one not part of the red brigade. His blue signs stand out simply by way of contrast with the other members of his team. Is this simply a matter of timing, since he was a late addition to the slate, or an intentional decision. Either way, it certainly helps distinguish him from the field. As if he needed any help doing that.
September 26, 2007 at 11:38 am
I like the red signs - simple, straight forward, team oriented. They look great.
I haven’t seen any of Verrengia’s up, I think he’s the only one.
The ones I hate? Kindall’s. She has no opponent yet is spending money on yard signs? All she has to do is cast a vote for herself to win. That’s not the type of management I like to see. Although it won’t matter, I won’t be supporting her for that - poor judgment.
September 26, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I would hope voters would look into the platform of the candidates running for office and not base their votes on colors of lawn signs or who has the prettiest sign!
September 26, 2007 at 12:22 pm
“…I’m shocked that you would think that anyone on the board would be that cynical about gifted children…”
Turtle, I truly hope you’re right about my impressions of what lead to the cuts in the Quest Program. But I have yet to hear any reassurance from any of the School Board incumbents or candidates that they think the gifted children in this Town deserve a fair shake at the budget pie going forward.
And if there are alternatives to Quest under consideration in this Town, this is the first time I’ve heard anything about that subject. I’m all ears to learn more.
“…I seriously doubt that there was the kind of collusion that you seem to be implying…”
Elmwoodian, you’re probably right. But even if you’re wrong, I wouldn’t hold it against anyone to play smart politics on controversial issues like this one to maintain an elected position.
Nevertheless, if anyone took my comment as an unfair criticism of the honest and much-appreciated hard work completed by this Town’s elected officials for no pay (and not much more recognition), I truly do apologize.
September 26, 2007 at 4:31 pm
And they say in America you can grow up to be anything that you want to be. No matter what your political stripe. No matter what you do. I guess that applies everywhere in this country except West Hartford.
Each one of you who have railed against Joe Visconti would do better by doing something. Get out there and participate in government instead of lambasting anyone who will make the commitment. Try being a little more active instead of cerebral.
At least Joe has put his words into actions. You may not like them. But never once did he not stand up for his point of view and take on the pols and the papers and the locals. How many of you have done that? I would venture to guess it isn’t many.
I am not here to endorse Joe, but to possibly make you think. It never fails that you find something wrong with what Joe has to say. He isn’t right nearly all of the time, but one thing he does have is conviction.
Get over yourselves and come out from behind the blog and participate in your town. If you don’t like the candidates, be one. I’d like to see how many votes any one of you would get.
September 26, 2007 at 4:46 pm
While I have a hard time disagreeing with anyone who has expressed their reservations about Joe Visconti (who like most, I have met, sincerely like, but disagree with more often than not), I still wonder if West Hartford doesn’t need a Joe Visconti on the Town Council to stir things up a little bit. The current course of the ’07 election is a perfect example of what concerns me about the politics in this Town:
(1) Any issues that are the least bit controversial aren’t openly and honestly debated, due to what I fear is some misplaced concern that we can’t be reasonable in these debates and ultimately find consensus.
(2) The decision of how best to address such issues is made behind closed doors, where the public is never a witness to the true discussion and debate that takes place between our public officials or candidates.
(3) Once there is a general consensus on such issues, the Town Council and BOE members show up for their public meetings (or debates) and put on nothing more than a tightly choreographed show for the public to create the impression that this Town has embraced participatory democracy.
While I admit that the status quo might lead to a less contentious approach for making the key decisions in this Town, is everyone convinced that this approach leads to better results? My fear is that in everyone’s quest (no pun intended) for consensus, we risk excluding voices that might help direct this Town to more equitable results for all concerned.
The BlueBack Square fight might be a good example of what concerns me. If Joe (or someone like him) had been on the Council and forced an open and honest debate on this subject before several of these decisions were discussed and made behind closed doors, would this Town have had to suffer through two painful referendums and several lawsuits to reach the result that I agree was probably in the best interests of West Hartford (although only time will tell here)?
By the way, I’m still not voting for Joe. My father was a dedicated public school teacher, and I’m probably the only hard-carrying member of a union in the Elizabeth Park neighborhood. So Joe’s “villainization” of this Town’s teachers union is a show-stopper for me.
September 26, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Rick you are dead wrong,
I along with my fellow Republicans will change the system inside or outside of Power. You say I can’t sit through countless meeting as a councilor?, and you know this how? Have you a clue as to what it takes to gather thousands of signatures multiple times in 30 day periods, organize and educate the public, raise thousands of dollars, create public awareness as I have helped groups like Save the Center do?
The time needed for being a Town Councilor dwarfs what I already do daily to defend the public from Tools of Special Interest.
Just because you are a cynic and do not have the commitment to put your name in the hat to run for office, do not underestimate my tenacity, dedication and business experience to be a Town Councilor.
As far as Taubman, Save the Center received many thousands of dollars from hundreds of residents in Town way before we ever heard of Taubman (Last day of hearings on Blue Back when Taubmans reps left a report at the back of the Town hall room). I stated at the mic at our meetings that we at Save the Center would take anyones money to protect the Town from the done deal public subsidized monstrosity it now shows itself to be.
Fundraising 101: When a donor makes a donation, you don’t ask them to sign a waiver that they will not litigate in their own interest.
Should I name names as to the many influential people in Town (of the 9,100 who voted against the project) that supported us?
Richard Heapes aka Streetworks aka JDA development aka etc had West Hartford residents on their payroll legally, does that bother you too.
Do you think the public knows just who was paid directly to influence their neighbors on Blue Back?
Do you think it smart that Scott Slifka and all the rest of the council (except Kevin Conners) at the time went into paid Blue Back color brochures mailed to West Hartford residents weekly at a cost of $???,???.00 ?
These things don’t bother you my friend because you truly believe in public subsidy for Billionaires and seek/sought to overlook the appearance of ethical conflict. Scott & Company thought they could pose in the close to or over ? million dollar advertisments because they were residents, they wanted it both ways.
Gotta get dinner I’ll be back!
September 26, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Just as a point of information, there are two upcoming debates: October 10th at the Senior Center at Faxon Library and October 15th at Bristow Middle School hosted by townwide PTO organizations.
September 26, 2007 at 10:20 pm
Dr. Rick Liftig has been the Number One advocate for the Elmwood area in both his words and his actions. His relentless pursuit of Elmwood revitalization has directly and actually produced success and results in that area.
He has served this town as a dedicated, tireless pubic citizen and he deserves nothing short of our full-throated thanks and praise.
Joe’s knee-jerk and insulting response to Dr. Liftig’s reasoned post regarding Joe’s candidacy is even above and beyond what I have come to expect on this board. This is how he goes about seeking our vote? By insulting one of our most dedicated–and optimistic!– (”Cynical?” Seriously?) citizens?
Dr. Liftig deserves nothing less than a full apology.
September 26, 2007 at 10:50 pm
E.
No, Dr Liftig should apologize to me for his corrosive and assumptive remarks concerning my abilities to represent the people (as I have done above and beyond my civic duty for years now, dont forget 9,100 residents stood with me and found no representation with any of our then Town Councilors).
My reaction was not knee-Jerk, but timely and accurate, Rick knows all too well what he is doing in his hopeless attempts to reframe and redefine the Blue Back Square debate.
Property Tax increase’s for 08 is the real issue and where the Dems don’t want anyone to look at right now.
Phase in for year 2 of 07 municipal/education budget taxes “Plus” new “3.5-7%” tax increases for 08 will “combine” for a real shock and awe tax bill surprise in the mail for many of our most finacially vulnerable residents.
September 27, 2007 at 6:26 am
Elmwoodian, I really appreciate the nice comments and maybe back to you Joe, I need to ask… “what are your plans to change the system?”
Are the other Republicans on board?
Do you think that the Town Manager and the Town Staff will deal openly with you, or would you receive filtered information because of your past actions?
I’m not trying to dredge up BBS as much as I want to ask you about your future effectiveness. The system does not work perfectly and frankly, should be more open. Part of the problem with both BBS and the budget was the feeling of being blind-sided by the electorate.
I know you are a hard worker, but can you work within the system? (it’s not going away!) So please, you are welcome to shoot some holes in my last posting and explain (along with any other candidates) what you want to change and how you would do it?
September 27, 2007 at 9:09 am
Rick - Please stop asking Joe to give a reasoned response to a fair question. This guy views selling out to Taubman and costing the town thousands and thousands of dollars to be public service. His warped, messianic view of his “contributions” to this town should give any level headed WH resident serious pause in casting a ballot his way. Anyone can be a hard worker when the job at hand is self promotion, and as we have all seen from Joe, he excels at this particular task. Can anybody, even Joe’s followers see him working with committed, caring WH residents, town staff and other community leaders to achieve consensus? Seriously, I think we all know that we’ve got a better chance of seeing a painted cow take to the skies.
September 27, 2007 at 10:32 am
Rick, I will get you what you ask, in fact it is part of my media blitz comming soon.
JTS
selling out to Taubman? I hope you are using that as a metaphor, remember if you will, that Save the Center was in play long before Taubman appeared on the scene. Activism rules when the representative government fails us as it has done with Blue Back and taxes (budget referendums).
Self promotion you bet, all day long and for the people not the politics.
As far as concensus building, not for it:
“Concensus equals higher taxes”.
Challenging the status quo and competing for better ideas, solutions and innovation in government is needed more than ever today in West Hartford.
Also serious pause should go to your messianinc view of the tax and spend policies of the Democratic Party in Town.
Lastly, Democracy has it’s price as Blue Back Square LLC and the Town of West Hartford found out by excluding the bidding process in their public subsidy scheme.
September 27, 2007 at 11:20 am
This is my big problem with Joe - no matter what, the conversation comes back to BBS. We need to build a party that can represent (at least) the minority in this town and you can’t do that around a controversial cult of personality like Joe. People like Adler, Davidoff, Martin and Clark are a solid core of Republicans that are making specific policy pronouncements and are a calming but direct voice for change. We need to build on this group.
September 27, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Don’t be naive - the discussion will ALWAYS come back to BBS because that project forever changed the atmosphere of this town - it is no longer the small town for better or for worse. Whether it will be what it was promised still remains to be seen.
Visconti merely tried to wake people up to see the reality of what was happening in the deals that were forged. Feldman was secretive and out for his own best interest. He didn’t even have the stones to stick around to see it through. Visconti saw what was happening here was the same that had happened before when he lived elsewhere. In the end we were bought and sold. Stop villifying Visconti for trying to make sure we got a decent deal and that the entire proceedings were made open to the public. Half of the information that we did get as citizens would not have come to us without Visconti making a fuss. he should be lauded for that. The truth is there was a huge bait and switch going on and to this day we have not received the project that was promised. Even Healthtrax thought so which is why they have abandoned this project.
As for the upcoming election,
Clark is a no-show who is too busy caring for twins (and rightfully should be) She is just a placeholder for her husband who can’t run on his own name.
The solid core Republicans are Visconti and Seder.
They will make a difference on the Council.
The rest are Al Turco’s people (old guard).
One thing is for certain we need to get new blood and new ideas and new faces on this Council otherwise it’s just business as usual. If we don’t get our spending and our development priorities straight then all the Blue Backs in the world won’t save the financial health and success of this town.
We have some real difficult issues ahead of us and we need people who are willing to truly debate and question the issues not just provide “consensus”.
September 27, 2007 at 12:55 pm
“Self promotion you bet, all day long and for the people not the politics.”
Do you even read what you type? Self promotion, but for the people? Wonderful.
September 27, 2007 at 1:19 pm
It looks like the national Republicans’ contempt for the democratic process has filtered down to the town level if all this sneering about consensus is any indication.
September 27, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Hmm, Anonymous’ rantings sound awfully familiar, don’t they?
I don’t look at the Taubman relationship to the BBS opponents as corruption as much as it was a case of incredibly poor judgement. Didn’t the people in the anti-BBS crowd know that the minute they took one cent of Taubman money that it would be used to discredit them and ultimately doom the cause for which they were working? Even a political neophyte knows that who you take money from (be they labor unions, pharmaceutical companies, Log Cabin Republicans or Chinese businessmen) will allow your opponents to paint you as being in the pocket of that group?
As for consensus, it reminds me of what Ben Franklin said about rebellion: that it is always positive in the first person (our rebellion) and negative in the third person (their rebellion). Consensus is a wonderful thing when you’re in the majority, since it reinforces the status quo. That status quo will never change unless a strong alternative to it is proposed. Right now, I just don’t see it.
September 27, 2007 at 4:27 pm
Anonymous: What’s this about Clark being a “no-show” and a placeholder for her husband? Who is her husband and why wouldn’t he be on the ticket?
September 27, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Hey JTS
Being a candidate for the people is all about self promotion, “don’t you even think before you write?”
Terry
“Cult of personality”? hmn read the comment above “I” wrote for JTS.
Elmwoodian
What Anonymous may be touching on is that Kelly Clark’s husband will be working for Robinson & Cole, the law firm which represents the Town of West Hartford, the ones that defended us all from Taubmans lawsuits. Kelly is a wonderful person and is putting the Town before her family as she and her husband work hard to balance newborn twins with their desire to help make West Hartford better, I look forward to working with Kelly if we get elected together .
Also Peter Martin works for the law firm of Pepe and Hazard (SP) you know, where Al Turco works, the Al Turco who was/is? on Blue Back’s payroll.
Peter is another great Candidate for Town Council and I look forward to working with him if we get elected together.
Michael Seder is also a great Republican and although we differ on “Style’s” (Big Time), Mike and I always find common ground.
September 27, 2007 at 7:38 pm
“Being a candidate for the people is all about self promotion.”
Two thoughts about the above statement that make me cringe:
1) That you believe the above
2) That this deluded reasoning in any way stems from the education you received in WH
By the way, Pop Quiz:
A free Joe V lawn sign to the first person who can identify the 2 most brutally self serving, unintentionally ironic words in Joe’s statement below:
“What Anonymous may be touching on is that Kelly Clark’s husband will be working for Robinson & Cole, the law firm which represents the Town of West Hartford, the ones that defended us all from Taubmans lawsuits.”
Give up?
“us all”
As a rule, when you sell out to the other side, you’re no longer part of “us all.” Tell you what Joe, reimburse the town for whatever your leash-holder’s lawsuit cost us and we’ll call it even.
Us all.
Priceless.
September 27, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Which Joe V.’s sign do we get?
September 27, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Visconti cannot simply compliment any of his fellow republican candidates. If Joe is elected, it is clear that he will not be able to work with the D’s. My problem with Joe is that I don’t believe he will be able to work with R’s that are elected.
September 27, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Elmwoodian - Winner’s choice.
September 28, 2007 at 8:55 am
When I first ran for the Board of Education 4 years ago, I offered to hold the equivalent of “office hours” around town, similar to college professors who set aside 2 hours a week for students to come see them without an appointment. I did this twice, but no one ever attended, so I stopped.
Perhaps it’s worth trying this again, with a special invitation to the folks who participate on this blog. While electronic communications such as emails and blogs have their place, there is nothing quite like getting together face to face to build trust and understanding.
We could meet after work, before work, on a Sunday evening, during lunch… at Effies, the Quaker Diner, The Corner Pug, Prospect Café, Rockledge, or anywhere.
This way we could get past the formality of board meetings and the physical isolation of blogging to have a more meaningful dialogue about issues that people are rightfully concerned about.
The benefit of this kind of meeting to me as a Board of Ed member would be a better understanding of not just what West Hartford residents are concerned about, but why they are concerned. The benefit to the people who post to this blog might be a clearer understanding of the considerable thought and rationale that goes into each decision members of the Board of Ed make.
Perhaps most important of all, there would be an opportunity to brainstorm ideas, together, about how to balance improvements in our school system with fiscal responsibility.
How about it? Is anyone interested?
September 28, 2007 at 9:27 am
Yeah!
September 28, 2007 at 9:29 am
Bruce
I’m in, you know as JTS thinks anything to promote myself? Time and Place?
JTS
Wait your turn, I pitched that softball “us all” for Turtle, come on turtle, where’d ya go?
Also JTS please call Peter Martin and Kelly Clark to confirm our Kumbaya relationships. You can’t or won’t believe we are a team beyond our Blue Back connections because you just may be Scott Slifka behind that mask of a pseudonym, or maybe another Dem Tool. Come out Come out whoever you are!!!!
September 28, 2007 at 9:34 am
Don’t you have a job?
September 28, 2007 at 9:34 am
You’re too subtle for me, Joe!
September 28, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Got a Job
I’m “Self” employed, I love those job titles with “Self ” included, it makes for a better me.
September 28, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Please excuse me for breaking up the bash-Visconti-fest (as fun as that might be). But I’d like to get back to the core topic first raised in this post and offer up who I would vote for if they had the political courage to address the issue raised by Rick Green in his Courant column today, Magnets: Show Us Results.
Without regard to the candidate’s ultimate position on this issue, I’d be willing to vote for anyone who was willing to break from the “consensus” in this Town and revisit, re-explore and publicly debate whether or not racial rebalancing is the best approach for closing the achievement gap in West Hartford and this region.
Like Rick Green, I think the current strategies of spending millions of dollars to create or promote racially-based magnet schools–or perhaps even worse, putting young children on buses and shipping them off to other towns (e.g., Project Choice)–make no public policy sense if at the end of the day the intended beneficiaries of this expensive and disproportionate allocation of our public resources don’t perform any better than kids who are “stuck” in our stagnating neighborhood schools.
If you truly share my belief that we have a moral obligation to address this problem without turning our backs on the children in this Town who have equally legitimate educational needs, why do we continue to fund these “feel good” solutions if they fail to deliver on their ultimate goal?
September 28, 2007 at 1:09 pm
TWC -
We are easily distracted from the issues - very true.
The silence from both parties in this election has been deafening. Along with the magnet school/racial issue, we should be discussing town finances and priorities, development issues and traffic issues.
I am waiting for some (any!) candidate to address the issue of how our system works here. I have been around these zoning issues enough over the last ten years to know that the biggest problem with most of these developments is the surprise factor, not the development itself.
Is this month of October going to merely be one where the Republicans tell you how bad the Democrats are and the Democrats stand on their record (all past issues) or is someone going to say, “Let’s look to the future and make the town work better - here’s my plan… here are our priorities?”
September 28, 2007 at 2:48 pm
So TWC, are you at once advocating de facto segregation (which, of course, already exists throughout most of the West Hartford elementary schools) and defunding those schools who serve a disproportionate number of expensive-to-educate children?
Are you suggesting that if the magnet school teachers’ best efforts haven’t thus far closed the achievement gap, then there’s some extra-magnet solution out there that will incredibly reveal itself once the magnets have been “reconsidered”? (By the way, Smith performed well last year despite a bit of upheaval.) In other words, do you not suppose that every effort is already being made by West Hartford’s teachers and education administration to close the achievement gap? Do you really think they are content to simply “feel good”? Come on.
And don’t you think it’s a bit disingenuous to speak of “racially-balanced” schools when poverty and class are more at issue here? I don’t doubt your sincerity when you speak of our moral obligation to address this problem, but I can’t recall one instance when you suggested an alternative (or a moral one, anyway).
Whoa! Deja vu.
September 28, 2007 at 4:03 pm
No, turtle, I’m not advocating de facto segregation nor the “defunding” of any school or program that has kids with special needs.
What I am questioning is whether or not it makes more sense to take the significant amount of money this Town (and region) currently invests to address de facto segregation and invest these funds wherever needed the most to (1) decrease pupil-to-teacher ratios even further, (2) fully-fund the efforts of our schools to reach out to busy parents to make sure they are playing a more proactive roll in their kids’ education, and (3) in general, find a better way to get through to struggling kids that the solution to de facto segregation is to work hard in school, play by the rules (unless, of course, you’re a hedge fund manager), and then build your own mansion on the hill someday.
As far as anyone “feeling good” about the status quo, yes, I do believe there are some in this Town that are more content to simply put their blinders on and address the racial discrimination issues of a prior generation than to join the rest of us in the 21st century to address the realities of today—certainly not the hard working teachers or administrators in this Town, but some of the ones making the policy and investment decisions.
Lastly, you’re absolutely right I don’t have the silver-bullet solution to this intractable problem, which is why I’m looking for a creative and forward-thinking leader in this Town who knows more about this subject than I do to guide the way.
Is there anyone out there, or should I try to draft turtle to run for the BOE?
September 28, 2007 at 8:25 pm
No way!!
September 29, 2007 at 2:56 pm
The best thing I ever did for my children was to send them to Smith - a magnet school. I sent them there for full day K,the science/technology, great teachers and staff. They received a great education, PLUS the racial integration piece that they could not receive at their neighborhood school. My kids are more accepting of others, more grounded, and not phased by people who look or act differently than themselves. This has given them quite the edge not only academically(they are willing to work in groups, and play sports with others different from themselves) but socially as well. Isn’t that the point?!?!?!Being able to learn to the best of your ability and live, work and dwell in any kind of community??!!??
TO me, it is not just about maneuvering resources around the schools!
September 30, 2007 at 9:09 pm
@TWC:
I find it interesting that you are commenting on a program you seem to know nothing about. Quest takes either your free time or time away from real classes to encourage you to think creatively and focus an independent project. It’s a great idea in theory, however having been a part of it I would love to see quest be the first thing cut from our budget. It only serves to alienate “gifted students” from the rest of the school and waste their time. Call me a cynic, but there was never anything particularly special about us quest kids, and as much as you’d like to think the majority of us were middle to upper class kids.
If anything, quest was detrimental to our education, because not only were we pulled out of classes, they treated us as superior to our peers, and we were far from it. Quest is a program for parents, not students, I’ve never met a student who enjoys quest, its just for parents to feel good about themselves and their children. Why should we spend tax dollars so people can flatter themselves?
September 30, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Wow those are pretty strong words from Joseph Thomas. How long ago did you graduate? Are you a product of the current Quest program as it is run today? I myself was in “Project Challenge” back in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I found it fun, creative and challenging, and felt pretty special to have been included in it. I had not considered myself to be “brainy” and never felt isolated or alienated. I was also an athletic kid, and looking back on high school tend to pride myself on being rather well-rounded and having friends from lots of different groups in school - the “smart kids” and the “jocks” alike.
It is my understanding that Quest is a choice, and generally offered to kids who can handle, and want, an extra challenge and something different to do that can’t be done in the regular classroom. Independent investigations can be on any topic that interests the kids. And I believe they are pulled from Learning Lab (aka study hall) not from classes. At least at the middle school.
Maybe someone should take a survey of the kids in the program today. Are they happy that the program was cut back or upset? Do they wish it would go away? Do they participate because their parents force them to? Do they find friends of a like-mind when they go to Quest, feel challenged (in a positive way) by working with other students who are on their level instead of always being the smartest in the class?
I think that before the administration or the BOE make any further decisions about the Quest program, they should spend some time in the classrooms with the kids and really talk to them about what Quest means to them. Maybe there will be lots of Joseph Thomases, maybe there won’t be.
September 30, 2007 at 11:15 pm
I must correct myself, you’re right about being pulled out of learning labs as opposed to real classes. Its been a while and I was thinking about being pulled out of class in elementary school. However, there were many students without a learning lab, and because of the nature of the quest system were forced to go during their lunch period. I’m not someone who really values my lunch period now, but in middle school when its only 20 minutes and the only time to talk to a lot of your friends its more of a big deal.
I’m in my third year at Conard, so I would consider that a product of today’s Quest system. I probably wouldn’t have such harsh feelings towards the Quest program if it was voluntary as you say, however that is far from reality. It is always presented as a choice, but in practice it is more of a “forced option”.
I’d be interested in knowing the numbers of students who eventually quit quest, and the numbers of students added to fill the program. I personally know of people who both quit and were invited in subsequent years, presumably to keep the numbers steady. It was a very difficult process to get yourself in the program, and if you were in the program there were consequences for not attending, whether or not you wanted to. I myself could not quit by myself, and my parents had to intervene multiple times just to get myself out, and it took me two years to convince them to let me out. I found that anyone who wanted to quit also had the same experience, and for some reason parents are very against quitting quest.
I’m sure there are students who think of quest positively, however I’d say there are few that the program actually benefited in a practical way. I think that there are other ways to boost the self esteem of those feeling unchallenged without resorting to a costly, largely ineffective program.
I think that it can only hurt a young student to be with those of a like-mind, especially if the opinion they share is that they are the smartest kids in all of their classes. Intelligence should not be measured in knowledge, nor test scores. If one particular student knows a great deal more information than their peers in a particular subject, why waste their time in that class as well as another, unrelated one? Is it so bad to put them in a class where they will learn information that they don’t know rather than quest?
In quest while they tell you your project can be about anything you want, there are certainly restrictions as I discovered. I ended up doing my own research outside of class because I wasn’t allowed to in quest, and I have probably benefited more from that than anything I ever did in quest.
October 1, 2007 at 11:58 am
I’ve held back from posting to this string, in particular, because I thought it might be a more useful discussion for WH voters to discuss the pro/con attributes of particular candidates among themselves.
However, like many strings on the blog, oftentimes the subject yields topics/discussions that are very good – but not “on topic” with the subject line. What bothers me about this is that good discussion takes place on the sub-topic, however, the sharing is limited to “blog junkies” that follow all strings top-to-bottom. Many folks just read the headline and never see the good sub-topic buried in the string – in this case Quest.
Here’s my take on the broader subject – Gifted and Talented programming. The BOE and the administration support developing every student to their full potential. Every student means EVERY student across the spectrum from the most challenged student to the most gifted.
The BOE supports Gifted and Talented programming – period.
The BOE seeks to evaluate and implement the best Gifted and Talented programming available today, in 2007 public education. That may, or may not be Quest.
I feel the anxiety people have regarding the budget reduction made to Middle School Quest last year. The combination of a difficult budget year, honors options available to Middle School students, the retirement of a “Quest” person, and a management decision to evaluate the best Gifted and Talented programs available rather than just “filling the position” and continuing with the status quo was the basis of the decision.
October 1, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Oops…I meant to add a comment here in response to Theresa Lerner that ended up under a different post.
Sorry about that.
whdad: I don’t suppose you could move my comment to where it belongs?
October 1, 2007 at 8:53 pm
8: 47 pm: Joe plugs “West Hartford Blog” in his response on the Cable Access show. Hmmm.
Actually Joe, you did a nice job. You provided very informative and intelligent responses to questions by callers.
Was that Theresa calling in about the zero percent budget increase? Sounded like her voice. I could be wrong though.
October 1, 2007 at 10:23 pm
I have heard similar things to Joseph Thomas’s comments from my daughter who was in the KP Quest program for 6th & 7th grades recently (she just entered Hall this year0. She said a lot of her friends in Quest felt like they were told they could do whatever they wanted, but in fact they couldn’t. It was my impression as a parent that the project my daughter had was too long-term a project in terms of the rapidly changing interests she had at that age. She wanted to move on but was stuck with completing a project she had lost interest in. I have another daughter in KP Quest this year — the program is now once a week, with a new teacher, and with Odyssey of the Mind as an optional after-school class, open also to non-Quest students. I will be interested to see how this all plays out. Certainly we should look to see if Quest is the best program we can offer our gifted and talented students; if it is achieving its objectives; if there are more effective programs out there. But some type of Gifted & Talented program is essential. We don’t want our kids’ creative minds to die off in middle school, or to be funneled into far less positive activities. Kids who think differently — and not necessarily better, but differently — need a haven, especially in the crucial middle school years when kids can be so cruel to those who are different in any way.
October 2, 2007 at 12:23 am
Quest is a waste of money.
You have an alum who has attested to that.
Treat all kids like they are gifted and talented and see what happens.
Harry it couldn’t have been that difficult a budget year since so many nice raises were handed out. It is really so tiring to hear the BOE continually crying poverty and then they have the gall to turn around and cut programs and educational materials so they can stuff administrators’ pockets.
I hope parents wake up and throw all of these incumbents out of office, and if they don’t then they get what they deserve.
October 2, 2007 at 8:04 am
I caught just the last minutes of the Republican Record on WHC-TV last night; it seems the candidates wish to cut taxes. The segment of Report Card that followed was largely devoted to honoring Tom Fiorentino for his 12 years of service on the Board of Ed, and let’s just say that, especially by comparison to Mr. Fiorentino, the Republican slate was underwhelming.
Of course I may have missed something during the first 20 minutes of Republican Record. Let me guess. The candidates all vowed to “get spending under control”!
October 2, 2007 at 9:02 am
Harry, I appreciate your clarification of where the BOE incumbents stand on the issue of Quest and the broader concerns I’ve raised regarding this Town’s commitment to programs for kids at the upper-end of the academic spectrum. I will be sure to press this year’s fresh batch of candidates on this same issue to learn where they stand on this issue.
And although I think Joseph’s perspective on Quest is not reflective of my son’s experience in Quest so far, I will be the first to admit that this Town might be able to do better than Quest for these kids. So I applaud the BOE’s efforts to explore alternatives to Quest and would like to hear more this subject when you get a chance.
But the bottom-line is this: please don’t allow this Town to fall into the trap of simply teaching-to-the-test and ignoring what I believe is the fundamental responsibility of any public school system, and that is to direct an equitable allocation of public resources that stimulate and maximize the academic achievement of all children, not just those with the greatest academic needs.
October 2, 2007 at 3:26 pm
If there is wide-spread agreement that Quest is a program that should be retooled because its not an effective use of funds or student’s time, then it shouldn’t be funded. Programs that use taxpayer’s dollars should have clear and crisply defined objectives. And the results, like any program, should be measureable. Pretty clear cut - what do we get for our tax dollars? Define it. That is the responsibility of the BOE and educators.
October 2, 2007 at 6:44 pm
“…Programs that use taxpayer’s dollars should have clear and crisply defined objectives. And the results, like any program, should be measureable…
King, based on your proposed standard for what gets funded by this Town (or eliminated altogether) art, sports, music, theater, debate and just about any other form of class-room instruction or extra-curricular activity that doesn’t fall squarely within the subjects covered by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) testing would be subject to elimination. This type of education sounds pretty bleak to me and would hardly lead to the well-rounded individuals I think this Town should be producing.
But at least now we know another motivation for Bush’s promotion of the NCLB Act. It wasn’t just to bust the unions, but to give tax avoidance zealots like you an excuse to whittle down public education spending to the short-sighted and miserly levels we would end up with if we applied the standards you propose.
October 2, 2007 at 8:56 pm
King,
If there is wide-spread agreement that Quest is a program that should be retooled because its not an effective use of funds or student’s time, then it shouldn’t be funded.
Who said there is wide-spread agreement? Until the admin or BOE decide to talk to all the kids and their parents who participate in Quest, not just one child who had a less than satisfactory experience, then we do not have “wide-spread agreement.” I know at least one family that spoke about leaving WH last spring when they feared our gifted program would be cut, and many parents are banging the door down trying to get their kids in.
Harry,
…a management decision to evaluate the best Gifted and Talented programs available rather than just “filling the position” and continuing with the status quo was the basis of the decision.
I hope that the evaluation of various programs has started already. Is there a committee evaluating different programs? Are any of the parents aware of the options being discussed for their children? Are the teachers involved in this process? The budget season is about to begin again, right? Perhaps you should talk to Joe Renzulli and Sally Reis up at UConn to see what they think of the WH program compared to other CT towns. And for those who don’t know who I am speaking about, you should find out before you make any comments about the Quest program and talent & gifted education in general. They are local, but internationally known for their work in gifted education.
I also think that you will find that the Quest program does have clearly defined objectives, as do all academic programs in WH, if you spend some time on the whps.org website.
October 3, 2007 at 1:20 pm
“…I also think that you will find that the Quest program does have clearly defined objectives, as do all academic programs in WH, if you spend some time on the whps.org website…”
Hey, WH alum, how ’bout saving us all some time and providing the link(s) to what you’re talking about on whps.org? Or are you afraid that whdad’s over-active spam catcher is going to prevent you from sharing these links?
October 3, 2007 at 7:12 pm
There is wide-spread agreement, WH Alum. I’ve heard the same description of the program from numerous parents, grads and kids. “Wide-Spread” goes far beyond this blog.
If people leave over this, where will they go? WH Schools are fairly well respected. Something tells me there is more at play here - for someone to move out of town just because that program is going to be dropped - well that’s just silly. Seems like a petty reason to go through the hell of buying, selling, and moving. But it takes all kinds.
I’m sure someone has decided to move because of the new automated trash pick up. To each, their own.
October 3, 2007 at 8:32 pm
TWC - sorry I was too tired/lazy last night to go searching for the links. The overall curriculum links can be found here for elementary and middle school programs:
http://www.whps.org/whps/primary-offices/subpage-2/curriculum-overview
And the Quest website is here:
http://www.whps.org/curriculum/Quest/
There is lots of info on their philosophy, identification, and curriculum for Quest, as well as specific “scope and sequence” documents - which is why I’ll just give the main link and then you can poke around from there.
King, in that case, I think a formal survey needs to be done. Because the people you talk to don’t sound like the students/parents I talk to who have participated in Quest. And if, like Harry says, they are investigating more effective ways to deliver talented & gifted education, then fabulous. But to say, “then it shouldn’t be funded,” is like saying we should not fund English as a second language or support for kids with learning disabilities.
This recent article in Time was very interesting… “Are We Failing Our Geniuses?”
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1653653,00.html
Now I don’t mean to say that every Quest kid has an IQ of 145, but still there is some good food for thought in that article. For instance, “…gifted students drop out at the same rates as nongifted kids–about 5% of both populations leave school early. Later in life, according to the scholarly Handbook of Gifted Education, up to one-fifth of dropouts test in the gifted range.” We can’t afford to fail these kids by not giving them educational opportunities that challenge them on their intellectual level, instead of “teaching to the middle” all the time and expecitng them to sit there and be polite while bored out of their minds.
As for people leaving town over it - if they feel their kids will get a better education somewhere else, and can’t afford a private school, then that’s what it is. For those of us who bought our homes in WH because of the educational opportunities provided, it’s not a big stretch to think some would leave as those opportunities get pared down. I do know of at least one family who pulled their younger child and sent him to a private school because WH does not offer primary gifted programming. But not everyone can afford to do that.
October 3, 2007 at 8:33 pm
I guess you’re right, TWC - my comments and links are “awaiting moderation…”
October 3, 2007 at 8:36 pm
And one more - for those who have not seen it, whps.org got a really nice face-lift. Kudos to whoever was responsible for it.
October 4, 2007 at 9:41 am
I think Bruce Putterman was behind the whps.org redesign.
October 4, 2007 at 10:01 am
In a series of prior comments (here, here and here), I have lamented the fact that the policy-makers in this Town appear to be stuck in a bygone era and seem more interested in spending millions of dollars on “feel good” projects that do little to address the vitally important goal of improving the academic achievement of struggling children in this Town than investing in the long-term solution to de facto segregation.
Based upon the contents of an article in today’s Courant (Comment Raises Eyebrows), it appears I am not alone with these concerns. Here is what the new Hartford Superintendent of Schools—a man who probably knows far more about this subject than anyone in this Town—is reported to have said about this subject:
“…there is no research to suggest that minority students will do better by sitting next to a white student…”
Although this comment now has the Sheff “give us the money, or we’ll bus our kids into your suburban schools” crowd in a tizzy, if you would just stop a moment to think about what he is saying, to suggest otherwise is actually a form of racism—perhaps a well-intentioned form of racism, but racist nonetheless.
In addition to challenging the obsolete mindset that still grips this region that children of color will only succeed academically if they are sitting next to white kids, the Superintendent raises the other cost of this benevolent form of racism:
“…Adamowski [Hartford’ Superintendent] doesn’t like the city’s two-tiered system of magnet schools with ample resources and struggling neighborhood schools that make do with less money…”
Amen, Mr. Adamwski. Tell it like it is, because the same thing is happening here in West Hartford.
So once again, are there any BOE candidates out there willing to examine the facts and re-explore the best way to address de facto segregation without creating a two-tiered system of elementary schools in this Town? Or is it just going to be more of the same “destined for failure” status quo?
October 4, 2007 at 10:16 am
In a series of prior comments (see above), I have lamented the fact that the policy-makers in this Town appear to be stuck in a bygone era and seem more interested in spending millions of dollars on “feel good” projects that do little to address the vitally important goal of improving the academic achievement of struggling children in this Town than investing in the long-term solution to de facto segregation.
Based upon the contents of an article in today’s Courant (Comment Raises Eyebrows), it appears I am not alone with these concerns. Here is what the new Hartford Superintendent of Schools—a man who probably knows far more about this subject than anyone in this Town—is reported to have said about this subject:
“…there is no research to suggest that minority students will do better by sitting next to a white student…”
Although this comment now has the Sheff “give us the money, or we’ll bus our kids into your suburban schools” crowd in a tizzy, if you would just stop for a moment to think about what he is saying, to suggest otherwise is actually a form of racism—perhaps a well-intentioned form of racism, but racist nonetheless.
In addition to challenging the obsolete mindset that still grips this region that children of color will only succeed academically if they are sitting next to white kids, the Superintendent raises the other cost of this benevolent form of racism:
“…Adamowski [Hartford’ Superintendent] doesn’t like the city’s two-tiered system of magnet schools with ample resources and struggling neighborhood schools that make do with less money…”
Amen, Mr. Adamwski. Tell it like it is, because the same thing is happening here in West Hartford.
So once again, are there any BOE candidates out there willing to examine the facts and re-explore the best way to address de facto segregation without creating a two-tiered system of elementary schools in this Town? Or is it just going to be more of the same “destined for failure” status quo?
October 4, 2007 at 11:53 am
TWC, I am not going to presume to have answers to all problems, and will be the first to admit there is alot to learn.
I have friends who have been in the education field as teachers and administrators for many years. I have been tyring to listen to them very carefully, and have valued their input.
There are a number of questions I would like to see answered. I have not heard any discussion by the BOE as to how the recent Supreme Court on racial balance might effect the Town. For that matter I havn’t heard the State discuss it either.
When the BOE was getting the report from the Administration 2 weeks ago on the testing results I did not hear any discussion as to why the underprivileged and minorities in our town were doing 1o%points lower then the same groups in other towns. I also did not hear any discussion on what they were doing/going to do to address the problem.
You may recall a few months back the Courant had an article with map showing the demographics of the town and the spin was that the Town had a problem with its’ racial balance. I had a somewhat different take on it, and by chance the subject came up while I was visitin Charter Oak this week. The discussion at Charter Oak centered around the fact that if you looked carefully at that map you would see that minorities groups were expanding through the town as they became more successful. They were noticing this as well at Charter Oak.
I am trying to keep these as observations, and not get into electioneering. There are other items I could bring up but they might cross that line. I think these are points that need to be looked no matter who gets in
October 4, 2007 at 12:00 pm
I don’t have time to respond to every one of your assumptions just now, TWC, but for starters, could you identify the “struggling neighborhood schools” in West Hartford that you suggest are comparable to those in the depressed city of Hartford? Because you have got to be kidding.
“…there is no research to suggest that minority students will do better by sitting next to a white student…”
That is not the argument made by defenders of the magnet schools in West Hartford (the product of a state mandate), and your accusation that we are essentially racists out to soak the town is ironic, to say the least. I assure you that, in addition to the attraction of a specialized curriculum, many parents bus their kids to the magnets because of the blatant racism their children experience at neighborhood schools, with precious little sympathy from administrators. (I could tell you some hair-raising stories, but they are not mine to tell.) On the other hand, West Hartford is content to warehouse ESOL, poor, and minority students who struggle academically, not least because of the vast cultural gulf that has emerged as the country becomes ever more class stratified, and then you complain that schools elsewhere in town that we are to believe are “struggling” are getting shafted (name one). Wow!
By the way, I don’t know about Charter Oak, but Smith is both racially and socio-economically diverse, although more the former than the latter, and student achievement spans the range, a fact that is lost on people in town who know precious little about our schools. Many magnet parents believe, as Theresa Lerner explained above, that socializing their kids in a diverse environment is an incalculable benefit, and it has nothing to do with the notion that proximity to whites will spur minority children to higher academic achievement.
I would simply ask the candidates, given that Connecticut has the widest achievement gap in the country, “How do you propose to close the achievement gap?” instead of pretending that West Hartford is a level playing field where “neighborhood schools” are victimized because the magnets have a disproportionate number of students who require additional support.
October 4, 2007 at 12:00 pm
If Putterman is behind the new whps website design then he should be voted out of office - I understand they spent $10,000 for that (that was in the Courant article) and I wonder why on earth they didn’t get students to redesign the site for free as part of their technology education. What an incredible loss of an educational opportunity that would also have given something back to the town.
October 4, 2007 at 12:10 pm
I have no idea if Putterman was behind the decision to redesign the site, but at the last BoE meeting Darcey suggested that Putterman’s expertise had been invaluable to the project once it got underway.
Anyway, it was high time that website got redesigned and perfectly reasonable for the town to hire professionals.
October 4, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Turtle, a pretty long comment for someone who doesn’t “…have time to respond…”
But I will wait for what else concerns you before responding to your misinterpretation of what I’ve said (I’m starting to feel like The King) and add some additional information that will shed more light on this subject.
October 4, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Dastardly time-sink of a blog! If I’ve misinterpreted you, TWC, my apologies.
I think that will do for one morning’s rant, so go ahead.
October 4, 2007 at 5:41 pm
How long does it take for comments to be “moderated” or do I have to recreate my post from last night?
October 5, 2007 at 6:52 am
WH Alum:
You need to recreate it. Rarely, do they get moderated. It’s a pain since its hard to determine exactly why the spam catcher swallowed your message to begin with. It’s probably a random issue with WordPress.
But there is nothing more frusterating than seeing the screen that says “whoops you’ve already said that” and have nothing appear.
Whdad, are you out there?
October 6, 2007 at 9:40 am
Thanks, WHDad - my post is up there… with the links to curriculum for the schools and Quest:
October 3rd, 2007 at 8:32 pm
October 8, 2007 at 3:59 pm
When asked who I should vote for here is my impute: “A forward thinking, dynamic individual who is positive All the time and has the ability to take risks and question every tax dollar being spent”. When I graduated from Conard high school a decade ago I went worldly scholars. These students were the most intelligent in the country, walking into Ivy League schools on early admission, and with little effort. We should always try to use what we have created in this town. THINK outside the box, otherwise you may suffocate.
October 12, 2007 at 4:26 pm
Can anyone who may have attended the candidates’ forum last night at the Bishops Corner Senior Center report? I unfortunately couldn’t go. I’d be grateful to hear what was said and asked.
October 12, 2007 at 4:49 pm
This has got to be the quietest election in my memory. Not one candidate has knocked on my door, not one flyer has been dropped off. I have seen only one print ad.
At least, this week the LOWV fact sheet will be delivered and the debates will be on TV.
Has anyone had a different experience?
October 12, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Candidates outnumbered voters 2 to 1. It was a little sad. I don’t think that there was much press for the event.
The WH Listserve announced that the WH PTOs are sponsoring a candidate forum on the 15th at 7pm at Bristow Auditorium. From the Listserve:
Come Meet the West Hartford Candidates for Town Council & Board of Education
October 15, 7:00-9:00 PM
Bristow Middle School Auditorium
On Monday, October 15th from 7:00-9:00 p.m. the West Hartford PTOs will be sponsoring a Candidates Night. The public is invited to join the Town Council and Board of Education candidates in a discussion of topics and issues important to our community.
Each candidate present will give a brief opening statement. Then, the audience will break into small groups and periodically rotate to meet each of the candidates and ask questions.
The program will be held in the Bristow Middle School Auditorium, 34 Highland Street. Light refreshments will be provided by the PTOs. Please feel free to invite your friends and family.
If you have questions, please contact Laura Linabury, King Philip PTO at 233-4930 or Llinabury@yahoo.com.
Sounds like it will be a little better organized (and attended) than last night’s humdrum affair.
There is another forum scheduled 10/17 again at the Bishop’s Corner Senior Center with TC starting at 12:30, BOE starting at 2:15.
October 12, 2007 at 11:12 pm
It was sad last night to see the Democrats asking for transparency and open government as they tried to cherrypick our Republican Platform ( such political thieves).
One big moment came when Scott Slifka said ” I can’t believe I am going to say this but Joe Visconti is right” in reference to local traffic being created by us all who live in town.
I did a little political bashing of Joe Verrengia being a Democrat while voting as a Republican, something I was going to do during the Council meeting tuesday on television. Joe told me he does not like and is tired of the personal attacks. I told Joe Verrengia it was not personal but politica