Most Pay-To-Participate FeesÂ Collected At The High School

By LARISSA LYTWYN

Published: Mar 26, 2004 12:00 am

Most Pay-To-Participate FeesÂ

Collected At The High School

By Larissa Lytwyn

As of Thursday, March 11, Newtown High School collected $8,488 in pay-to-participate fees.

Approximately $1,300 was to have been collected from the schoolâs chapter of Junior Statesmen of America, a national organization for students interested in politics, but this amount will be lower, according to social studies teacher and club advisor Randi Kiely, who said a few of the clubâs original 40 members dropped out.

âWe lost a few students halfway through the year because they didnât want to pay,â she said. âRight now we have 35 students.â

A $40 fee per extracurricular activity was approved last spring by the school board following a $1.4 million cut to the Board of Educationâs original 2003-04 budget proposal.

The Board originally was expected to save about $35,000 through pay-to-participate. But last November, the school board modified the $40 fee to cover multiple activities, including intramural sports, after some Newtown High School students vehemently opposed the activity fees.

The Board expected to collect about $11,000; now they expect to collect a total of $9,400.

The total amounts collected were $2,996 for the band, $680 for the color guard, $1,814 from the Drama Club, $733 from the Madrigal Singers, $300 from the string ensemble, $160 from the Debate Team, $525 from the jazz band, $80 from Quiz Bowl participants, $360 from the Art Club and $480 from the Markettes.

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To add a bit more context: the adopted Borough budget was for just under $300,000 [https://boroughofnewtownct.gov/borough-of-newtown-budget-approved/]. $58,000 in legal fees (to date) means a significant cost must be shouldered by Borough residents and businesses, increasing taxes noticeably. Many of those pushing the lawsuits were not subject to the added costs because they do not reside nor do business in the Borough.

What’s Going On In The Borough?

Well said. Unfortunately, we are back to more of the same and we know how this will end. However, it gives us an opportunity to question many ways in which the DTC failed residents, voters, candidates, everyone. Brandon Moore was the first candidate to voice interest in running. A strong and well prepared candidate that the town republicans did not want to run against. They made it clear they wanted Ku to be the candidate. We all know you endorse the candidate you have no concerns about. Once Ku decided to try to unseat Bolinsky again, the DTC should have done what it can do and that was choose a candidate or put a good process in place to set up forums and get the caucus over and done smoothly, fairly, and ethically. It did neither. and this is what resulted: The Young Dem Debate became a Ku strategy to claim Ku being victimized, and it backfired; Ku's previous campaign committee went with Brandon Moore in hopes of finally flipping the seat; the DTC delay in organizing any candidate forums led to an inability to get the information out to all (as we see in complaints from new residents regarding lack of information); the DTC was severely split by the caucus chaos and some did not fully participate as a result; and we are back to square one with the candidate Alex Villamil preferred, and the same old guard and the same chance of flipping the seat.

Brandon Moore vs. More of the Same

Wholeheartedly agree with your concerns. There were many troubling issues raised about access to the democratic caucus process.

Democratic Caucus — Tremendous Turnout Meets Poor Planning

Welcome and thank you for your insightfulness. I agree wholeheartedly, however, you will soon learn that the intention is to contain participation. I believe the new residents and the new families are invaluable and hope that you will attend a DTC meeting. You will learn a great deal. Second Thursday of the Month and tonight, June 11th, 7 pm, it is at the Edmond Town Hall. : )

Connecting The Vote In Today’s Age

Mr. Ackert’s letter leaves out an important point: many of the legal expenses he references exist because of the legal challenges and complaints he and his facebook group has chosen to pursue. It is not fair to blame the Borough Zoning Commission Chair for costs that were driven, in large part, by Mr. Ackert’s own actions. Taxpayers should understand that litigation and FOIA complaints do not appear out of nowhere. They are initiated by individuals who decide to take those matters forward. Public officials should absolutely be held accountable, and the Borough should follow proper procedures at all times. But accountability should run both ways. If someone repeatedly challenges the Borough through legal channels, then points to the resulting legal bills as proof of poor leadership, the public deserves that context. Reasonable people can disagree about zoning decisions, development, and procedure. However, turning every disagreement into a legal fight has consequences, and those consequences are paid for by Borough taxpayers. Before assigning blame for legal expenses, Mr. Ackert should acknowledge his own role in creating them.

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Most Pay-To-Participate FeesÂ Collected At The High School

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