The Board of Education unanimously approved its 2019-20 budget for $78,104,410, a roughly 2.7 percent increase from the current year’s budget, at its February 5 meeting.
Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary (CVHAS) educator and professional naturalist Henryk Teraszkiewicz will has been working with kindergarteners throughout the district, helping them learn about animals and the tracks they leave in winter landscapes.
The Newtown Varsity Winter Guard, under the direction of Varsity Director Alyson Kulbek, competed in the Musical Arts Conference (MAC) event at Masuk High School on Saturday, January 26.
No members of the public spoke about the proposed 2019-20 school district spending plan during the public hearing portion of the Board of Education’s January 30 meeting.
Head O’ Meadow Elementary School second graders gathered around Eli Whitney Museum and Workshop of Hamden educator and curriculum developer Andrew Sargent in the school’s cafetorium on January 25 to learn about birds.
Newtown Public Schools has announced all after school and evening events are being canceled for Tuesday, January 29, due to winter weather expected to move into the area.
I’m honestly confused by the objection to “cut-throughs.” Newtown is full of them, and they’re used every day without issue. Some of the more well-known examples are Elm Drive, Oakview, School House Hill, Pearl Street, Head of Meadow, Country Club Road, Point of Rocks, Hall Lane, Tinkerfield - Old Taunton Press, and Samp Road. I’m sure I’m even missing a few.
Given that, it’s hard to understand why this particular development is being singled out. Cut-throughs are a normal and longstanding part of how traffic moves in town. If they’re acceptable everywhere else — including roads that are narrower, steeper, or more heavily used — it seems inconsistent to suddenly treat this one as a crisis.
I want to clarify that the attorney at last week’s Planning & Zoning meeting was not threatening the commission, but explaining how the law works. The reality is that if we do not reach a compromise, 100% there will be lawsuits — it’s not a matter of intimidation, it’s a matter of legal process.
We all want smart growth and a Newtown that welcomes families, but it’s important to approach these conversations with a clear understanding of the legal framework. Recognizing the inevitability of legal challenges when consensus isn’t reached doesn’t undermine local control — it helps ensure that planning decisions are made thoughtfully and proactively.
The recent infighting within the Democratic Party says it all — they can’t even hold their own coalition together. Their failure to get the ACA supplements passed and the embarrassing way they handled the shutdown prove that their so-called “unity” is just for show.
Republicans don’t need to reinvent the wheel here — we just have to stand firm and stay together. When we do, Democrats eventually cave, every time. They talk about democracy, but their party is eating itself from the inside out.
Last week’s elections (blue ripple) might have given them a short-term headline, but that doesn’t change the bigger picture: Americans are tired of chaos, hypocrisy, and performative outrage. Strength and stability win in the long run — and that’s exactly what we bring when we stand united.
