Pinterest Finds Interest By Local Users
By Nancy K. Crevier
Every now and then something in the world of technology goes “Ping!” in my h...
Patsy & Anna Figliola Celebrate
60th Wedding Anniversary
Patsy and Anna Figliola of Newtown celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on February 25 with their...
Scholarships Available
The Newtown High School Career Center publicizes all scholarships of which it is notified. A few of the scholarships, typically national ...
Customer Service At The Post Office
(The following letter to Newtown’s Postmaster has been received for publication.)
Dear Postmaster:
I am awa...
Bette Lynn Paez Presents
At Working Women’s Forum
The Working Women’s Forum, an association of local professionals and entrepreneurs wi...
Hebrew Reading Crash Course
SOUTHBURY — For those looking to improve their Hebrew reading skills, a free Hebrew reading crash course of the National...
Torpedoes Continue Postseason In League Championships
The Newtown Torpedoes swim team continued action in the Yankee League Championships this past weekend (th...
Life In The Schoolhouse In The Glen
By Nancy K. Crevier
Art Bauer has spent more than a quarter of a century renovating his home on Glen Road. Snuggled into a h...
Antiques Appraisals
& Silent Auction
WOODBURY — Pomperaug Valley Garden Club will sponsor an antiques appraisals and silent auction fundraising eve...
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!