Money For Some Things

And Not For Others

To the Editor:

Six months ago, in April 2012, our Board of Ed voted unanimously to accept a study which laid out a plan for closing an elementary school. In conclusion, the study found that, should our elementary school population fall below 1,500, the BOE should look towards closing an elementary school. We are currently at approximately 1,650 elementary school students.

The cost of a new study to research student enrollment trends and the feasibility of closing an elementary school will be $28,000. This is to replace the study unanimously approved back in April. When asked why we need this new study, Ms. Leidlein stated that “we owe it to the town.”

Remember last year’s budget? There was a strong push for full-day kindergarten. Full-day K was estimated to add about 50 to 80 kids to the elementary school population. I can assume this year’s budget will include a desire by parents to put in place full-day K. Obviously, full-day K would further push off the possibility of closing an elementary school. How can you close a school and still have the classroom space available for full-day K? Ms Leidlein’s counting of classrooms did not include implementing full-day K.

So what is going on here? Is this simply the politics of “I didn’t get the results I wanted from the last study so let’s pay $28,000 to try to get a result that fits my conclusion”? Are we now going to spend an additional $28,000 for a second study in one year with an already extremely tight school budget?

At the September 18 BOE meeting, it was stated we are over budget on special ed costs due to five students coming into the district. At this same meeting, money was needed for English language learning classes due to foreign students entering the district. These are both state-mandated, appropriate, and unbudgeted spending. At this meeting Ms Leidlein asked, “Where does this money come from”? So if it’s hard to find $12,000 for English language learning and we are over budget in special ed, where are we going to find $28,000 for this second study?

But I find this last item particularly galling. One of our second grade students is doing eighth grade math. It was stated by a member of the BOE that the last time we had a student with this kind of advanced ability was in 1968. Unfortunately, there are no state mandates for advanced students. Funding for advanced students only comes from a well-funded school district. Newtown is in the unique situation of having a teacher certified in second grade and eight grade math. This teacher is not full time but almost full time. For $12,000, we could make this teacher full time and teach this second grade child prodigy eighth grade math. But Leidlein, Roche, McCubbin, and Vouros voted against providing $12,000 for this child prodigy.

Charles Hepp

4 Winter Ridge Road, Sandy Hook                           October 10, 2012