Resolve The Education Mess

To the Editor:

I would like to say thank you to the town selectmen, town managers, and town employees for their efforts during this economic crisis. There are many questions floating around and they should be answered by the education leadership.

1. Why do you not understand the concept of no salary increases? The rest of the known world is taking pay cuts or job losses. Why?

2. Why does this school district management disregard the wishes of the people when we say “no more money … work with what you have” and they ask for ten percent increase then cut it to seven percent and claim they cut the budget? That is more like a seven percent increase. A similar game is played in corporations … you ask for ten percent or 15 percent more than you need, management cuts it usually leaving more than you need. Hence you have hidden money for the bonuses. A true budget cut has no increases and is actually less than last year. How many families have experienced that?

3. Why the only answer you can come up with is teacher layoffs? We want the teachers in the classroom, every one of them.

4. Why does this school district management always want to cut teachers, not administrators, or not put forward process improvement suggestions that can cut costs and keep teachers in the classroom with reasonable workloads?

5. Why do we need an assistant superintendent in a school district as small as Newtown?

6. St Rose is blue ribbon and Newtown struggles’ to stay accredited. Why?

7. Are the elected officials tasked with overseeing the school district, on behalf of the town and students, just marionettes of the school administration?

8. Where did the bonus money come from for the administration staff when special needs teacher aides were let go hurting special needs students?

9. Why do they want to push the bus drivers out and cause damage to the structure of many Newtown families? Why do they want such big concessions from the bus drivers?

10. Where does all the sports activity money go?

11. If teachers and administrators have enough discretionary income to go on a “working vacation” to China over spring break why do they need income increases in this economy? What was brought back that brings value to the classroom? It sounds more a tax-sheltered boondoggle.

I would like this message to the people of Newtown to be a call to action by each of us to get this education mess resolved. Newtown needs changes and I think it is in education leadership. We need education leadership that has a sense of social responsibility and business sense to handle day-to-day management. Leave the educator to educate with as many educators in the classroom as possible.

Robert J. Edwards

79 Mile Hill Road South, Newtown                                May 18, 2010