Solve Problems

One At A Time

To the Editor:

I attended the recent meeting at which the Board of Education presented to the Board of Finance its prioritization of capital projects for the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The Board of Ed presented a group of projects involving repairs to virtually every school in our school district totaling more than $100 million. How, as a community, have we allowed ourselves to get into this situation?

Most of the evening was spent discussing the largest capital project, the high school expansion. The Board of Finance rightfully requested much more detailed information than the Board of Ed has provided to date. It was clear from the discussion that the Board of Finance is interested in finding ways to reduce the costs of the proposed high school expansion. However, the apparent focus on reducing the size of this project to reduce costs is the kind of fiscal Band-aid approach that got us into this mess in the first place.

I appeal to our town’s elected officials: Let’s stop the practice of putting off the problems of today to be solved tomorrow that has led us to crumbling schools, outmoded recreational facilities, and too many needs to be discussed here. A start will be to approve the high school expansion as proposed, including the new gymnasium and laying turf at Blue and Gold Stadium.

The Board of Ed needs to provide the Board of Finance with as much financial detail about this proposal as possible — down to the penny — so board members can assess the costs.

The Board of Finance needs to put its financial acumen to work to ensure this project will be as cost-effective as possible and to arrange the best financing plan. However, the Board of Finance needs to avoid the temptation to second guess the Board of Ed, and to try to outguess experts in student and population projections in an effort to find a short-term way to avoid the inevitable. Newtown is going to grow and it will need to expand the high school to the student numbers now proposed. Make this the best project possible at the most efficient cost, but let’s find a way to get this done as proposed.

The Legislative Council needs to make sure we get a recommendation from our Board of Finance that ensures we have the longest term solution to our high school issues, unlike other past expansions that were pennywise and pound foolish. The council should accept no recommendation from our Board of Finance that falls short of this goal.

A way out of this mess is to start solving our problems one project at a time. The high school situation is our community’s most pressing need. The high school expansion provides a long-term solution to problems posed by a high school deemed inadequate to meet the education needs of our community, and helps alleviate the desperate need for more, modern recreational facilities in our community. It is a workable solution that falls within our town’s long-term strategic plan. Let’s solve it, cross it off the list, and move forward to our next challenge.

Gary Davis

We Care About Newtown (WeCAN)

23 Charter Ridge Drive, Sandy Hook                     October 11, 2006