Places To Cut

To the Editor:

The Board of Education yells reduce staff and programs and the parents go into panic mode. There is considerable waste that should be addressed way before programs even need to be threatened. The elimination of the fourth grade strings program was a travesty! Ditto, the gifted program.

1) $250,000+ for conferences, travel, and lodging? Time to conference online!

2) What a farce and a waste of thousands upon thousands of precious dollars was that Sabrina Post fiasco. Paid leave for a year, lawyers, on and on and then the bailout for  $11,194 in restitution, and a resignation This could have been done from the outset.

3) Evan Pitkoff brought a former colleague on board as pupil personnel services director. Michael Regan was going to save beaucoup dollars on out-of-district tuition and transport of special needs students...the dollar amount is up...so is his salary.

4) Maybe check the oil tank on a regular basis; before 20,000 gallons leak and pollute.

5) Near empty buses on some runs. Watch them as they depart the high school each afternoon...combine runs...one bus is 100 K right there.

Sam Mihailoff

54 Lakeview Terrace, Sandy Hook                             May 10, 2006