Making Wise Decisions

To the Editor:

I attended the July 17 meeting of the Fairfield Hills Authority. From their discussion about budget expenditures, one situation became very clear. This group of eight persons is not making the decisions concerning the future of Fairfield Hills. The Board of Selectmen makes all the decisions concerning money matters, and the first selectman signs off on all payments. The Board of Selectmen controls the money; thus, they control the campus.

The decision to allocate the choice core campus, one-fourth of Fairfield Hills, to development by out-of-town speculators is the decision of the selectmen. (News-Times July 13, 2006) The authority implements those decision although most members probably agree with the selectmen.

Mr Motyka, a member of the Fairfield Hills Authority, wrote, in his Letter to The Bee Editor July 14, 2006, suggesting that Newtown return to the three-year junior high-three year high school structure in order to avoid new construction to accommodate a bulging high school enrollment. He proposed to address the traffic problem by securing the Eton Square property (former Grand Union on Queen Street) and constructing a road from the middle school to Church Hill Road. Apparently, the owners of Eton Square might be willing to trade that property for property at Fairfield Hills. If not, how would the town afford to buy Eton Square or even a right-of-way through the parking lot? Remember, however, that the authority or its members do nothing without the selectmen’s approval. What use would the town make of the old Grand Union-Brooks Drug building?

Returning to the junior high structure would be progressing backward. When the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the United States was forced to examine its education program. Congress passed the National Defense Education Act, providing funds to expand the scope of knowledge of science, math, foreign language, and English teachers to the world of quantum mechanics, calculus in high school, DNA in biology classes, basic linguistics for the English and foreign language classes, and accelerating all the curriculum with advance placement classes. All of which requires a four-year program for the high school and teachers certified in those areas.

Should we return to the three-year high school? Such a move would not be in the best interest of Newtown or the United States as it races to catch up with the Chinese in science and engineering. Let’s not go backward; let’s look ahead. We need expanded high school facilities and Fairfield Hills offers the best choice. Too bad, the selectman have not provided the leadership to set aside land there for education.

Ruby Johnson

16 Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook                              July 19, 2006