Lisa Schwartz has been the Poet Laureate of Newtown since 2015. The first one appointed by Newtown Cultural Arts Commission (NCAC) after the Board of Selectmen ...
This is the continuation of a series of articles highlighting 50 years of the Newtown Youth Basketball Association. Please check in upcoming editions of The...
There were “good dogs” and “great listeners” in Sandy Hook Village on February 22, when families, therapy dogs, and handlers converged for a “StoryWalk” hosted ...
Appearance Charge
Police said at about 9:15 am on February 25, they charged Mark Pasqualone, 40, of Bethel, on a warrant, lodging one count of second-degre...
Following technical review at a February 26 session, Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) members approved a wetlands/watercourses protection permit for a construct...
The dispatchers at the Newtown Emergency Communications Center at Town Hall South, 3 Main Street, report the following fire calls and the responders:
Thursd...
After 19 years of presenting The Great Pootatuck Duck Race on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, Newtown Lions Club has announced a change.
This year’s event...
After 20 years of service to the community, Canine Advocates of Newtown, Inc, (CAN) ended on November 21, 2019. First Selectman Dan Rosenthal made the news publ...
BETHEL — Paul Patterson has always had the heart and soul of a farmer, and now he is ready to share all the success he has enjoyed and friendships he has made a...
The dispatchers at the Newtown Emergency Communications Center at Town Hall South, 3 Main Street, report the following calls for Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Cor...
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!