Paul "Pumpkin" Hewitt, 58, of Sandy Hook, died January 31, with his family by his side. Born April 5, 1957, he was the son of the late John Hewitt and Laura Hew...
To the Editor:
I am writing this message out of concern for the complete lack of decency and lack of any standards by the person or persons who decide which mov...
Police are investigating an auto theft and several larcenies from unlocked vehicles that occurred overnight Sunday into Monday in Botsford.
At 8 am on Monday, p...
HARTFORD- State Department of Education Commissioner Dianna R. Wentzell announced Friday, January 29, the State Bond Commission has approved $10.9 million in te...
To the Editor:
Newtown has within its grasp, the potential to provide a unique and priceless legacy to future generation: a pristine and untouched High Meadow.
...
Anna P. Korchman, 78, of Fairfield, beloved wife of Harry Korchman, died January 30, at Bridgeport Hospital. Born in Bridgeport, she was a daughter to the late ...
Newtown Youth Basketball Association and the Newtown High School Athletic Department invite all Newtown residents 65 and older to a free dinner provided by Newt...
Having already acknowledged that there are few areas in the proposed 2016-17 municipal budget with much room for reductions, let alone additions, the Board of S...
Following a presentation to the State Board of Education early last month, Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, said on Wednesday, January 27, that p...
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!