To the Editor:
We, as a group from the Newtown Senior Center, had the privilege to be interviewed by the second and fourth graders at Head O' Meadow School.
Par...
To the Editor
On April 25 I hope that Newtown voters will give their approval for a new senior center.
Senior citizens are the fastest growing segment of Newtow...
The Genealogy Club of Newtown will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, April 12, at 7 pm, at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street.
This month's guest speakers wil...
In response to a state Freedom of Information (FOI) complaint filed by a local man against the Board of Fire Commissioners (BFC), the board has agreed to a medi...
Marion Anabeth (King) Ferguson, 99, formerly of Newtown, died peacefully March 30 at Glen Hill Nursing home in Danbury, where she had resided for the past three...
A key to success for the two-time South-West Conference champion Newtown High School softball team, in addition to the on-field skill among players, has been an...
Only two years removed from her successful run as head coach of Newtown High School's girls' lacrosse team, Maura Fletcher is back the helm, and the Nighthawks ...
Are you living in a Newtown ALICE household?
If so, Newtown Social Services may have some free money for you.
ALICE, as identified by United Way agencies, is As...
The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) is warning consumers about a scam targeting businesses and professionals. The e-mail says that you must respond to a...
To the Editor:
Newtown is facing a Malloy train wreck of $8.9 million for the 2017-2018 budget. A $5.0 million reduction in state aid and a $3.9 million increas...
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!