A Million Here, A Million There

To the Editor:

The Legislative Council, the first selectman and the Board of Ed still do not get it. Providing a good education has little to do with the amount of money spent per student. I suggest they read a column by Cal Thomas that was in the Danbury News-Times last week. He states the fact that the schools in the District of Columbia spend more money per student than any other place and they have a “pathetic” school system. The article then describes how vouchers giving parents a choice of which schools to send their children to may be a way to get improvement in public schools. The competition would result in the schools improving or closing. The Newtown public schools are obviously doing a good job even though Newtown is low on the list of expenditures per student in the state. This statistic is reported each year at budget time. I have heard it for 40 years and I am tired of hearing it. Incidentally I am one of those people whose property value increased over the years. Unfortunately my new wealth is insufficient. I still can’t afford the Ferrari I need to get to the Big Y for my food.

The news on TV is reporting how all the states and major cities in the USA are in dire financial condition. Our city must be an exception. We continue to propose increased spending at levels above the cost of living. We also want to buy land in a futile attempt to reduce development. I would like to know how much undeveloped land there is in Newtown. Is it remotely possible for the town to afford to buy it? The local leaders want to build a new town hall and tear down some of the buildings at Fairfield Hills. I am happy to read that there are some discussions of leasing some of the buildings and that other people are also against eliminating the old one-way entrance road. Can anybody explain why this keeps being proposed? I think the statement that is being made that a new town hall is more cost-effective than refurbishing one of the existing buildings has to be backed up by proof. I suggest the town get an independent quote for refurbishing Sheldon Hall and a quote for the total cost of a new building including the cost of removing Sheldon Hall.

I am repeating my suggestion that the town and school system freeze hiring and defer any town projects not absolutely necessary. The school superintendent can increase the minimum number of students needed to offer elective courses or eliminate them and the class size of required subjects should be allowed to increase for a few years until the financial climate recovers.

I am anxious to see how the town meeting will be conducted. I urge everybody eligible to vote to attend this meeting and to very carefully consider facts that should be printed in this Bee. Do not be misled by the statement that your tax increase will only be a few dollars. An old US senator once said in talking about the federal budget, “a million here and a million there it all adds up.”

Richard G. DiPaola

5 Reservoir Road, Newtown                                         May 12, 2003