What’s Best For Our Children

To the Editor:

MTM owner/operators — All-Star.

Which is best for our children, our town?

Parents of our precious cargo: The superintendent, director of finance, and three members of the Board of Education are not looking out for their welfare. They are not listening to the parents who have attended these meetings.

They are only telling the public what they want them to hear for now.

I don’t know what is going on. But after attending several of these meetings, I have many questions.

Is this political? Is it a power trip? Or is it worse?

Is there any incentive, a kickback, or personal gain for anyone of the abovementioned?

These people are being deceitful. They are telling the public the contract bid concerning MTM will not affect the owner/operators. I don’t believe this is all the facts, or the truth. It is easy to deceive the parents at this time, when they are on a mission with MTM.

What happens in three years? When the owner/operator contracts go out to bid, and this will happen.

By attending these meetings my eyes have really been opened. I don’t feel these few people can be trusted. Especially for making a decision for the welfare of our children.

MTM is fighting for the survival of their company and the 50-some employees that work for them. They are at every meeting, offering to provide anything and more that is being asked.

DuFour/All-Star attended one meeting only to say they were nearly begged to make a bid. Begged by whom? What do these people have to gain? Questions that need to be answered. My feelings are DuFour/All-Star does not have to attend because they know, or already knew before the bids were made public, they were going to get the contract.

The parents whose children ride the owner/operator buses need to be heard. You really need to attend the meeting on May 19, because whether you want to believe this or not, this fiasco will affect all in the end. And I believe if more parents had attended these meetings, you would understand more of what is going on.

MTM needs support from all. Research All-Star Transportation. It was originally DuFour Transportation. Why did they dissolve their company? Do you want this insecurity in your town?

One more very important fact: money is not the issue with MTM. They have offered to match All-Star’s bid, above and beyond. One more questions which I feel should be a concern: If the committee consists of seven members to form a quorum, how is it even legal to vote with six?

Viola Fortin

301 South Main, Newtown                                               May 12, 2009

Editor’s note: A quorum of the Board of Education consists of four members.