School Administration Has Misled

The School Board

To the Editor:

Six years ago the Board of Education was in the same predicament as now regarding the contract for special ed transportation. The district’s business manager, Ron Bienkowski, told the BOE that another big bus company was the least expensive and strongly recommended they get the contract over MLM (later changed to MTM). However, Ron was not “comparing apples to apples” (see bid summary July 2, 2003). The bid specs were not the same as what special ed transportation did on a day to day basis.

That September there was $9,000 in overtime charges (see BOE minutes September 2003). MTM met with BOE members and wrote a new contract to mirror Art Bennett’s contract (the previous special needs contractor). This saved the district hundreds of thousands of dollars over the five years (see BOE minutes October 2003).

It was that far back Ron Bienkowski wanted to replace the owner/operator busing system in Newtown, stating if he had a big company he would only have to talk to one person instead of all individual owner/operators.

Ron is again showing favoritism to a large bus company. John Dufour, owner of All-Star, stated at a Board of Ed meeting (www.youtube.Com/watch?v=vKdn0ewvyyI), that he did not intend to bid for this contract, but he was led believe that the (owner/operators and MTM) were going to be replaced anyway. Mr Dufour said the business manager called and pleaded, please come here and bid.

All-Star is the same company awarded the contract a few months ago for drivers education at the high school, even though All-Star was not the lowest bidder. I never saw this mentioned in The Bee or BOE minutes until last week’s article. Parents now have to pay more for driver’s education so the school can receive a $35 kickback per student from All-Star. Anyone vote for that extra “tax”?

Superintendent Janet Robinson has been incorrectly stating since last fall (shown on channel 17), and at BOE meetings, that the State Department of Education website shows the owner/operator system is $100 per student higher than in New Milford, where All-Star provides school transportation. The actual difference is $9.

The state website www.csde.state.ct.us/public/cedar/profiles/index.htm — click on year and district, go to page 5, to expenditures and under transportation in the district column, shows the per pupil expenditure the superintendent refers to. According the website, Newtown has been lower than New Milford in per pupil expenditures for transportation in eight of the last ten years reported. Next year’s budgets for Newtown and New Milford are the same for transportation, yet Newtown has 650 more students, two additional schools, and almost 100 more road miles.

I find it disturbing that this administration would go to the lengths that they have to mislead the BOE and taxpayers with false numbers and information. Just think of what could have been accomplished had they focused this energy to work with MTM and the owner/operators on cost saving measures that were offered to them.

Philip Carroll

1 Fieldstone Drive Newtown                                            May 11, 2009