Don’t Rush Into The Wrong

HS Expansion

To the Editor:

Thank you to Paul Mangiafico, Herb Rosenthal, William Rodgers, and John Kortze, and to The Newtown Bee editor, for standing up for the interests of all Newtown residents by insisting that the high school expansion be the right expansion, not just any expansion. It’s clear that you recognize the need for an expansion to the high school, but that for the many reasons reported in the March 21 Newtown Bee, the expansion as presented by the Board of Education has been neither properly planned nor presented. The board needs to go back and do its homework and get it right before it’s presented to the voters.

 Thank you also for standing up to organized, vocal special interest groups attempting to advance their agenda with false information, emotional arguments, and scare tactics. Ironically, some of the groups that supposedly represent the interests of education are trying to miseducate the public, not a good lesson in civics or critical thinking for student readers. Your heavy-handed tactics have the potential to hurt our town, are likely hurting your goal, and clearly are damaging your reputation. You might want to reconsider your approach, share the facts openly, and trust to the intelligence of your town’s voters to do the right thing.

 Voters, please pay careful attention to what is going on. Do not let special interest groups hijack rational thinking in order to rush the town into the wrong high school expansion. Please support our elected leaders, who represent the interests of all Newtowners.

Jim Greenwood

10 Elm Drive, Newtown                                                 March 22, 2008