Difficult To Vote For BOE Budget Without Specifics
To the Editor:
It is very difficult to vote for the BOE budget without specifics. I would like to know what reading programs are used and if they are approved by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) of the US Department of Education. Is the Wilson Reading Program utilized?
At the Legislative Council it was noted that the school budget increased yet test scores declined. Current research at the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity proves that 20% or one out of five children are dyslexic. These are highly intelligent children who have difficulty reading. They do not score well on standardized tests and need an emphasis on phonics and decoding words. If these children do not receive appropriate reading instruction and lose the opportunity to thrive it is simply throwing good money after bad. What is being done for dyslexic students? What is being done to improve test taking skills?
I do not buy that there is no place to cut in the BOE budget. Why not transfer money from another department if BOE needs are so critical? In this economy every tax dollar counts!
Anne Micklus
Sandy Hook
The Board of Education budget is on line, its very detailed, almost mind boggling. I suggest the author of this letter does some research before jut calling a for a cut. Then tell us what she wants to cut, why and the impact.
The BOE presented their budget to the BOF and the Legislative council. Every line item had a predictable answers but no one ever bothered to check the other side of the equation. Our school system is failing our children and no amount of money will fix that. In his resignation letter (to the BOE), Todd Higgins sited the lack luster academic progress, declining post-secondary readiness, unaddressed performance gaps, inefficient allocation of existing budget resources, and systematic leadership failures. If this is what you envision for our students, then by all means, vote to have your taxes go up exponentially and expect nothing to change.
$2.65 million per every week? That is insane amount of money for population of less than 30k people! Newtown needs to stop this and cut the budget! Vote NO!
Honestly, I don’t know why anyone would ever vote to increase their taxes and give their money away.