To the Editor:

Most disclaimers come at the end of statements. In the interest of full transparency, I will begin with one. I am a member of both the Board of Education and the Democratic Town Committee. However, the views in this letter do not necessarily represent either group – they represent my own. I write not because I have any issues with my fellow Board of Education members – in fact, I have a great amount of respect for every one of them and enjoy serving with them. However, this issue is larger than individual people and more lasting than an elected official’s term.

As a concerned Newtown resident, I hope to raise awareness about a change that the Charter Revision Commission will be considering in the next weeks. The change would permanently allow a 5-2 political balance on the Board of Education. I have asked the commission to specify that majority representation of any one party on the Board of Education not exceed four members out of the seven member board. The reasons are three-fold.

First, making decisions about schools should involve thorough discussion about finances, education, equal opportunity, and the civic good, among many other ideals. Traditionally, the political parties have differing views on these matters. As such, including a political balance on the board ensures that thorough discussion takes place before important decisions are made. Substantive discussion is more likely to occur when there is a perceived swing vote than when there is a clear majority. 

Second, education should not be unduly influenced by politics. Those who volunteer to serve and guide the district’s public education must be uniquely dedicated to the betterment of the local schools. As it should be, this dedication often prevails over the influence of party affiliation. Specifying a bare majority, though, will further remove politics from the important charge of educating our children.

And lastly, I believe that when the Charter Revision Commission added one member to the six-member Board of Education, the intent was to concomitantly increase the bare majority by one – not two. The Newtown voters passed the proposed changes to the Charter in 2008, having a Newtown Bee article, which indicated a four member majority, as their primary reference for the meaning of the changes (https://newtownbee.com/news/96580).  But in 2013, the confusion over the elections led Town Attorney Grogins to allow a 5-2 balance, while explaining it was an “anomaly that would resolve in 2015” (https://newtownbee.com/news/news/2013/10/25/town-attorney-says-bare-majority-stipulation-boe-r/171216). Making this a permanent part of our charter is essentially codifying the result of a gaffe.

I hope that the Charter Revision Commission corrects the “anomaly” and specifies a bare majority of four on the Board of Education. If you feel the same, I suggest that you write to the commissioners.

Thank you,

Michelle Embree Ku

28 Platts Hill Road, Newtown                      April 13, 2015