Serge Harabosky, age 74, of Newtown, passed away comfortably and peacefully surrounded by loved ones on January 4 in his home. He had been living with multiple ...
Toby Kuhlmann Spector, 61 years of age, passed peacefully on Thursday, January 2, 2020, at his home in Bridgewater, surrounded by family. Toby was born on Octob...
Incontinence is an unwanted and often embarrassing physical condition, whether the result of a collateral health issue or the natural aging process.
But today, ...
Newtown’s State Rep Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) is reminding residents that a raft of new laws went into effect on January 1 — including a number of which he support...
Bruce C. Hoag, beloved husband of Barbara (Van Horne) Hoag of Sherman, passed peacefully in Norwalk Hospital after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke.
He was born A...
This is the second of a two-part retrospective covering a dozen top stories and events that engaged local elected leaders, boards, commissions, and town age...
To the Editor:
To my remarkable neighborhood community of Taunton Lake Drive, Orchard Lane, Knollwood Drive, and Mt Pleasant Terrace, to witness the outpouring ...
To the Editor:
I am once again writing concerning the request for a second gas station in Hawleyville near exit 9. Planning & Zoning has already approved a gas ...
Published: Jan 08, 2020 at 10:07 AM
The National Weather Service-New York office has issued a Snow Squall Warning that includes Newtown among the coverage area. The Warning is in effect until 10:4...
Ten Newtown High School students were celebrated last week when a closing reception was held for the annual NHS Art Portfolio Exhibition.
The show was presented...
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!