Penny Wise And Pound Foolish

To the Editor:

The current debate regarding the operation and management of Newtown’s school buses has certainly become a hot issue in town. The two options receiving support are as follows:

1. Both our district superintendent of schools and director of business appear to view All-Star Transportation, headquartered in Torrington with its fleet of buses, as their avenue of choice.

2. The town currently employs widely supported, resident owner-operators, a policy that has been functioning successfully since the introduction of school buses into the town. As owner-operators, they provide the buses and drive them every day during the school year. Our owner-operators continue to sustain a proven track record and take pride in offering a reliable and safe transportation service for our children.

The position favoring the selection of All-Star has a significant flaw that has gone virtually unmentioned in the press and at board meetings, i.e., the potential of a driver strike. All-Star transportation already (2007) has battled a strike in New Milford, primarily over wages and benefits. Strikes not involving All-Star have also occurred in Greenwich and Shelton within the past eight years. Those also dealt with wages and benefits. We are all aware of the disruption strikes have on the educational process, and I am certain the vast majority of Newtowners would shiver at the thought of a strike shutting down our schools, which most definitely could occur if the selection of All-Star were accepted by our board.

Hitching our wagon to All-Star may appear to save us a bit of money, but are we willing to assume the risks that come with these anticipated financial savings? Are we being “Penny Wise and Pound Foolish”? We can swallow hard, cross our fingers, and say we will take that risk, or we can weigh the pros and cons, evaluate the problems such a pact could spawn, and consider another road to take: the tried and true approach with the owner-operators, who would continue to bring stability and peace of mind to parents, students, and educators, alike. Owner-operators will never go on strike. Never! They own the buses and are the drivers of those buses.

Look beyond the here and now, and consider what may occur down the road. Ask yourself if you are willing to terminate permanently, yes, permanently, a relationship that has been working successfully since buses first took to our roads and then bear the risks of a strike or other unknowns that materialize when a deal is based primarily on projected financial savings. I am uncomfortable discarding a system that works for one fraught with potentially costly and educationally disruptive upheavals our children would suffer. This is a risky water that I am unwilling to support.

Dan Shea, Sr, Democratic candidate

Newtown Board of Education

44 Queen Street Newtown                                           August 22, 2011