Moving Forward On The 5/6 School   

To the Editor:

I want to commend the members of the Legislative Council, particularly John Kortze and William Rodgers, who voted to support Newtown’s schools and our children’s future by approving the architect’s fees for the development of the proposed 5/6 school. Mr Kortze’s eloquent support of our children and their education made me proud to be a citizen of Newtown. We are fortunate to have such a progressive thinker as an elected official in our town. He represents a new generation of leadership that is right for Newtown in the 21st Century.

Finally, we are moving forward on the 5/6 school. Over the last 9 – 12 months, the Legislative Council delayed on the 5/6 school as it grappled with the issue of Fairfield Hills development. Some on the council would have us wait even longer so that a so called “comprehensive plan” can be developed for the council’s approval. There is no reason to link the two projects. The education of our children should not get caught up in the political maelstrom of Fairfield Hills. If these two projects aren’t de-linked, we’ll simply face more delays and find ourselves no further ahead next year than we are today. Just look at the past 12 months. The politicians debated and procrastinated. The taxpayers will end up paying the bill.

I know that I speak for many parents when I say that I want the best education for our children and am willing to pay higher taxes for a 5/6 school and an overall enhanced educational program. To me, higher taxes for education are not an additional expense – they are an investment in the future of our children, our town and our society. What annoys me, though, is that the political delays of the past year will cost us taxpayers a lot of unnecessary additional expenses, as much as $7 – 10 million. First, we’ll have to install temporary classrooms in various locations in the district to deal with current overcrowding. That is likely to cost $500,000 each year for the next several years. The delay in starting the 5/6 project will result in higher total project costs – some estimate as much as 10 to 12 percent on a $35 million project. That additional $3.5 million is real money. But it doesn’t stop there. Interest rates have increased significantly over the past 12 months. A municipality borrowing today will pay at least ¾ of a percentage point in higher interest costs and expectations are that interest rates will rise during the first quarter of this year. It doesn’t seem like much, but on a $35 million project financed over 20 years, ¾ percent amounts to at least $3 million in higher interest costs alone (depending on how the debt is structured). Add it up. We can’t afford any more delays.

And we certainly can’t afford the solution offered by Council Member Melissa Pilchard, who suggested that one way to deal with the overcrowding problem would be for the school system to adopt double sessions. That way no one would want to move to Newtown and our educational budget wouldn’t have to increase as much. Voters should be sure to reward that type of progressive thinking at the ballot box the next time Mrs Pilchard runs for office. To the loquacious Mrs Pilchard I respectfully offer the following advice: the silent majority may just surprise you. That’s one of the great things about a democracy: there’s always another election right around the corner.

Sincerely,

Ted Ruddock

Member, Support Our Schools

29 Ashford Lane, Newtown                 January 25, 2000