To the Editor:

We would like to take this opportunity to respond to Mr Rosenthal’s letter to the editor, dated May 4th [“Charter Panel Needs To reconsider School Bd Majority Issue”]. We believe following the minority representation laws prescribed in Connecticut General Statute 9-167A best balances the need for a diversity of opinion on governmental bodies with our belief that the voters should be allowed to decide who sits on the Board of Education.

We do not want to predetermine the number of members of any one party, nor do we want the board to be comprised of just one set of ideals.  Eliminating paragraph 2-30(c) from the charter removes the ambiguity created by the previous Charter Revision Commission and also allows the voters to more quickly correct a mistake they may make by seating a 5-2, 4-3 or any other combination on the Board of Ed. There is no hidden agenda, just a desire for the voters rather than party affiliation deciding membership on the BOE.

Mr Rosenthal states that in his 14 years of service there was only one instance in which a vote went along party lines. Our current board is comprised of 5 Republicans and 2 Democrats. During the recent budget deliberations, a budget that was overwhelmingly approved by the voters was passed by the BOE by 6 to 1. As a matter of fact, since Republicans were given a 5-2 majority on the BOE, there have been 283 votes cast.  Of those 283 votes, 247 have been unanimous and only one has gone along party lines. This history suggests that the Newtowners who run for public office do so because they believe they can make positive changes in our town not for partisan ideology.

The voters elect the people they feel best represent the values they want reflected on the board, not necessarily the party they want to hold a majority. In the last election, unfortunately the Democrat party did not field enough candidates to make all BOE seats competitive. There were four 4-year term seats and one 2-year seat up for election.  Republicans ran three candidates for the four year seats and one candidate for the two year seat. Democrats left Republicans unopposed in one of the 4- year seats and the 2- year seat. The voters, where they had a choice, chose two Republicans and one Democrat. Where there was no opposition, Republicans picked up the two additional seats.  Had the 4-3 minority representation split been in place the votes for an elected Republican would not have counted and a Democrat receiving 248 fewer votes would have been seated.

Our goal in making this clarification to the charter is not to make the Board of Education more political but to keep it apolitical.  To allow you, the electorate, the opportunity to seat those Newtowners you believe will give our children the education you believe is best.

We are Republican members of the Charter Revision Commission. We write this letter as Newtown residents and not in our capacity as commission members.

Sincerely,

Jeff Capeci

52 Bear Hills Road, Newtown

Tom Long

3 Birch Rise Drive, Newtown

Dan Wiedemann

13 Clearview Drive, Newtown                     May 13, 2015