To the Editor:
While America burns, the Republican Party in Washington stands idly by!
Paul Adinolfi
189 Julia Court, Sandy Hook September 28, 2020
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To the Editor:
More than ever, it is important to strike a balance of power between political parties to achieve equity and fairness in Hartford. The only hope ...
To the Editor:
Our state has suffered under one-party rule for too long. Over the past 20 years, our bonded debt has tripled to $33.6 billion. Combined with unf...
To the Editor:
Joe Biden has adopted the position that the voters, through an election, should be heard on the nomination of the next Supreme Court justice. I c...
To the Editor:
Connecticut needs job growth and a recovery from the COVID pandemic. Connecticut and the entire nation need to support first responders and our p...
A smaller than usual group played a fundraising round of golf for Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue this week. The result was nevertheless “fantastic,” accordi...
To the Editor:
Why vote Republican? The reasons are clear.
*Republicans hear you when you say you are already overburdened and it is why we are against tax incr...
To the Editor:
I strongly believe that good people make good government. Michelle McCabe is good people and she is dedicated to investing in the good people of ...
Cheryl Tilson Moulthrop, lifetime resident of Sandy Hook and devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother, passed away on the evening of September 29 due...
In honor of World Teachers’ Day on October 5, we want to know what you think makes Newtown’s teachers awesome.
Share your response by commenting on this story a...
Newtown schools have degraded over the 3+ decades I've lived here as the concentrated social experiment curricula driven by the state and small but loud groups. Yet we continue to dig into our pockets while we witness the downward spiral.
Unfortunately as voter turnout continues to decline the chances of it increasing also decline. The LC and BOF already know that the budget will be approved by virtue of the low turnout so why try to make smart decisions? The so-called referendum is essentially just a rubber stamp. They will continue to increase the budget by 2-5% every year because it's low enough to not cause a pushback under the cover of "inflation" and "maintaining the schools." Sending the budget to vote with 9% turnout is meaningless and a waste of resources on April 23rd.
I have seen Mr. Pisani repeatedly assert in the pages of the Bee that Newtown schools are "testing at a failing 64.9%". I'd be curious if he could elaborate on this statistic, as I have been unable to verify it independently. Which test exactly is our school system failing? How do our schools compare to other towns? How does our score compare to historical measures? It's very hard to draw conclusions from a single data point, so here are a few more data points to think about for context: Newtown is consistently ranked among the top 20 school districts in CT by the US News and World Report and Niche, which consider a range of performance metrics in their rankings; on average, Newtown students perform similar to, if not better than, students in neighboring school districts on standardized math and reading tests; the only data point on the CT Department of Education District Report Card where Newtown "fails" -- that is, falls behind the state average -- is access to art instruction. I'm glad the council member has acknowledged in this letter what taxpayers in high-performing (and high-spending) school districts like Darien, New Canaan, and Westport already know: "School funding does impact student achievement." Please keep that in mind when you vote this week!