I can’t post the results so I hope somebody can jump in here and let us know the burning question…. Did Joe Visconti go down in flames?
In the end, I have to admit, I couldn’t fill his bubble. I hemmed. I hawed. And, finally, I passed him by. I wound up voting for a couple of Republicans, but mostly Democrats, including all three of the Board of Education candidates. They impressed me.
I miss the old voting machines. Filling in bubbles reminds me of high school.
Filed under Board of Education, election, Politics, town council, West Hartford
West Hartford SEPTA (Special Education PTA) is pleased
to invite everyone to one more opportunity to meet the
Board of Education Candidates, at Duffy School on
Tuesday October 30 from 7-9 pm.
This event is for everyone in the community, not just
for those interested in special education.
Please spread the word! Attached is a flyer you can
reproduce.
Don’t be complacent…
Show your interest in our schools
BOARD OF EDUCATION – MEET THE CANDIDATES NIGHT
Tuesday October 30, 7-9 PM
Duffy School Auditorium
95 Westminster Dr
Sponsored by West Hartford SEPTA
You are invited to submit questions for the candidates
to info@whsepta.org prior to the meeting or bring them
with you.
Filed under Board of Education, education, Schools, SEPTA
With the election fast approaching, there’s on issue I care about more than any other: education. I want to know what each of the candidates will do to ensure proper funding of our schools and how they’ll maintain the quality programs offered to our students.
I want to hear what they’d do differently than the current occupants of the Board of Education and Town Council, if anything, and where their priorities lie. That includes knowing whether they will give the education budget the money it needs not just to maintain what we have, but to make our schools better than ever.
Will they restore Middle School Quest? Keep foreign language for all elementary school children? Scale back or at least not raise the fees that students pay to participate in activities?
Tell all, candidates. And for everyone else, feel free to leap into the fray with your own questions and comments.
Filed under Board of Education, education, election, Schools, town council
As a story in the Courant made clear this week, the Board of Education managed to slice the $1.8 million from its proposed spending plan that town councilors demanded. But they could only do it by slicing away muscle and lean, not just fat.
According to the paper, “In a 4-3 vote, the board chose to eliminate one position in the middle school Quest program for gifted and talented students. Clare Kindall, Bruce Putterman and Terry Schmitt voted against the cut. The other 4-3 vote eliminated plans to rollout $19,500 worth of new software at Aiken, Bugbee and Norfeldt schools.”
So the budget is whacking just one existing employee, a middle school Quest teacher. I’m told the teacher who will probably lose her job is among the best we have, energetic, idealistic and talented. It breaks my heart that we’re rejecting her and the kids who love the program so much. I appreciate the three board members who refused to vote for the cut.
I wish those who are so hellbent on slashing school funding would try to explain to the kids who are losing a teacher they love why this is happening. It’s despicable.
Filed under Board of Education, budget, education, Quest, referendum, Schools, town council
At the hearing last night, the Board of Education heard lots of ideas for paring the proposed budget, according to today’s story in The Hartford Courant.
“Hall junior Alex Porter suggested reducing the school year by four days to trim costs,” reporter Fulvio Cativo wrote in his story. He added that school board members said that’s an idea that’s being explored.
Board members “said they would consider eliminating curriculum specialists, cutting the funds for conferences and meetings and discontinuing Norfeldt School’s magnet program,” the story reported.
Bruce Putterman, one of the school board members, said cutting all-day kindergarten is not on the table unless the referendum leads to a defeat for the budget.
Theresa McGrath, of the West Hartford Taxpayers Association, warned, “This is not the year to play politics or scare tactics,” according to the paper. That’s almost funny.
But I especially liked this: “People don’t move to West Hartford for the tax breaks, they move to West Hartford for the education,” said Kiernan Majerus-Collins, one of two Bristow Middle School sixth-grade students, who asked the board to save the Quest gifted and talented program.
That’s right on the money, kid.
If you care, show up!
Public Hearing on Budget Reductions, Tuesday, May 29, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall – Legislative Chamber, Room 314.
Filed under Board of Education, education, Schools
Let’s try this scenario on: What if the Board of Ed simply refused to make any more cuts in its budget (after removing any spending that’s not going to hurt in the classroom)? Couldn’t it just tell the council that it’s sliced away all that it can in good conscience and plead for more money? I assume that the budget is going to set what the schools get, come hell or high water, so what difference does it make if they make the cuts now or later? In the meantime, let’s make a show of it. Let’s not back down and shrug our shoulders and do what’s asked.
At the very least, it would have the effect of making sure this whole town recognizes that the budget is already too damn small, which is not a bad thing to have everyone thinking shortly before a referendum foisted on us by those who don’t care what happens to our schools.
The superintendent is offering the Board of Education lots of ways to slice Quest from the budget. It could whack a teacher or two, or it could ax Middle School Quest, or it could lop off Elementary School Quest. I guess we should be grateful he didn’t urge tossing the Quest kids out on the street to save a few more bucks.
Really, this is perhaps the most important test of all for our town leaders. If we don’t provide the gifted and talented students with the opportunity to shine that Quest provides, then what are we? As a town, we have a special responsibility to our best and brightest. What kind of message do we send to our rising stars — and to househunting families — if we pare or eliminate the showcase program for our highest achieving students?
Filed under Board of Education, education, Quest, referendum, Schools, town council, West Hartford
Parents at Aiken, Braeburn, Bugbee, Duffy, Morley, and Norfeldt schools better wake up fast.
On the list of potential cuts are two that would create havoc for countless families and drastically reduce the education at each of the schools.
One proposal is to eliminate full-day kindergarten at each of the six schools, to save $713,750. There would still be half-day kindergarten there, but that’s not nearly as effective educationally and is obviously a greater burden on many working families.
In addition, those same six schools face the possibility of seeing their average class sizes rise by four students in each grade, which means some upper grade teachers could have 29 kids in the room instead of a maximum of 25. In the lower grades, the increase is from 23 to 27.
Anybody who’s read anything about educational achievement knows that smaller class sizes are crucial. At 27, the classes are nearly twice as big as they should be. That would be a body blow to West Hartford’s students — and to our reputation.
Parents — and others, of course — should be screaming that such a thing is even on the agenda.
Filed under Aiken, Board of Education, Braeburn, budget, Bugbee, Duffy, education, Morley, Norfeldt, referendum, Schools, town council
To save $312K, the Board of Ed is eyeing a plan to “reduce staffing at KP and Sedgwick in grade 6 from 3 full teams per grade to 2 full teams and 1 half team. Based on current enrollment projections, the maximum class size would rise from 19 to 24 per class in grade 6.”
Read that again, parents. Fifth graders would be on BIGGER TEAMS in BIGGER CLASSES at middle schools that are already BIG. What they’re looking at is raising class sizes by 32 percent. That’s stunning at such a vulnerable age.
You folks who are aquiver at cutting taxes can try to explain why it’s more important that you save 1/10 of a mill than that our sixth graders who are just entering middle school should suddenly go to classes that are 32 percent larger than they are this year.
The West Hartford Blog 