NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters. We will not publish any more endorsement letters after Sept. 30.
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New Canaan’s public schools are beacons of excellence. There’s no debate. Wonderful staff. Great facilities. Successful children. But is that enough? Can we make our schools even better? Yes, we can, and yes, we should. It is this viewpoint – that New Canaan’s schools are capable of even deeper excellence – that drives the Republican Board of Education candidates.
Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan and Julie Toal are caring parents dedicated to helping New Canaan’s public schools achieve ever greater success for all our children, and to ensuring that students are safe, and are provided with the social and intellectual tools to shine in whatever paths they choose. They’re concerned with the whole child, and keeping the distractions at bay.
What particularly strikes me are their ideas, such as broadening the curriculum process to include not only staff, but also the Board and the wider community. We are blessed with talented residents who doubtless can make creative contributions to curriculum development. Why not use it? I am also impressed with their interest in making the student experience as Green as possible, through classes and deeper utilization of our wooded campus. Plus, making our school facilities more sustainable.
Hartford continues to chip away at local control of schools, zoning and other powers. I know I can trust Hugo, Dan, Phil and Julie to fight hard to keep our children’s futures in parents’ and town residents’ hands.
Vote “Row B” for your Board of Education on November 2nd.
John J Kriz
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Dear Editor:
We are alumni New Canaan Public Schools PTC/PFA Presidents who have a broad range of experience and have volunteered within our schools over the past decade and more. We have served under multiple superintendents and across all levels of NCPS.
Collectively, we have never seen politics enter any BOE elections, and we are greatly concerned that it is happening this election cycle. We have read the recent articles and listened to candidate interviews and podcasts, and there seem to be very strong opinions about how to “fix” NCPS. After years of observing Superintendent Dr. Bryan Luizzi and his administration work with complete transparency, indisputable integrity and unwavering dedication towards achieving excellence for all NCPS children, we are dismayed that this is being challenged and questioned. NCPS is not broken.
Dr. Luizzi and the NCPS faculty are considered–for good reason–the gold standard, not only within our DRG, but state-wide and nationally. This is not by accident. Dr. Luizzi has worked tirelessly to build relationships, and importantly, trust with town governing bodies, including the BOE, Town Council and the Board of Finance. NCPS’s policy and approach have always been transparent, thoughtful, and most critically, student-focused.
Our district has been a trailblazer throughout Covid and was nationally recognized as NCPS students attended school more than any other district in the state during the 2020-21 year. Furthermore, NCPS is consistently ranked among the top districts in the state, and we feel it is crucial to have a BOE slate that is aligned with a realistic vision to continue this success.
It is with our endless hours in BOE meetings, school board sessions and volunteer time within all levels of our schools from elementary through, importantly, Saxe and the high school, that we know how much BOE candidates’ experience and perspectives matter. We need a BOE with a deep knowledge base and experience with children of all ages. BOE members should be collaborative and not self-agenda focused. BOE members should believe in hiring the best people for the job–and supporting them to do that job for all NCPS students.
In closing, our children deserve a Board of Education that puts students first and above any political agenda, which is why we are voting Row A for BOE on November 2, 2021.
Sincerely,
New Canaan Public School PTC Presidents
Amy Cardillo
Susie Catlin
Lauren Corbett
Kelly DeFrancesco
Jennifer Essigs
Renee Fill
Susan Gelvin
Kristen Grzymski
Stacey Harmon
Suzanne Harrison
Jess Huetter
Caryn Kelly
Carrie Kurtz
Stephanie Kushner
Janet Mentore Lee
Jennifer Murphy
Kristen O’Connor
Suzanne O’Connor
Jody O’Donnell
Katherine Ong
Heather Rechtermann
Gretchen Russell
Michele Salmini
Meg Saunders
Jill Tobin
Kate Van Dussen
Anne Wagner
Sheri West
Patty Zoccolillo
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There has been a tremendous amount of debate regarding the appropriate role of the BOE in the development of curriculum for the New Canaan Public Schools. Having served on the BOE for a total of 16 years I have direct experience regarding the process as it is currently performed and I also have direct experience regarding how it has been performed in previous years. Currently the NCPS staff and administration spend a tremendous amount of effort to develop curriculum, and then to present their recommended findings to the BOE for approval. Of course the BOE may accept their recommendations (they generally do), or to suggest changes, etc. In some prior years the BOE has taken a more active role in curriculum development; there were regular meeting involving NCPS administrators, staff, and BOE members in the curriculum review and development process prior to the final development and recommendations of the curriculum. This process allowed the BOE an opportunity to be more knowledgeable regarding the curriculum then occurs by just reviewing final recommendations, and also provides an opportunity for the administration and staff to gain a more direct insight into what our community values in terms of what is important for our children to know to help them be successful in whatever future activities they are likely to be engaged in, be that artistic, scientific, business, community service, etc.
In recent years curriculum development has become a lot more demanding then in the “old days”; there are ever changing best practices and theories in the education community regarding curriculum, understandingly so, as in today’s ever more complicated and rapidly changing environment questions on how to best impart knowledge, the tools at our disposal for doing so, and even the educational needs for future success are often in question. Having been involved in the process from two perspectives, I firmly support the idea that our BOE does have a proper role to play in providing an appropriate degree of input during the curriculum research and development process to help insure that our curriculum does meet the needs that our community believes is best suited to New Canaan student needs. Finally I can attest to the fact that today’s curriculum development is a very challenging and time intensive task, and that it would be beyond the ability for BOE members to actually develop the curriculum. Their best role would be to be advisory to the administration and staff during the development process. I urge you to vote for Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan, and Julie Toal as the best candidates to help the NCPS administration and staff align the curriculum with our local requirements, and to fight to maintain as much independence from Hartford’s overreach as possible.
Gene Goodman
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Dear Editor,
I am writing to endorse Karen Willett for Board of Education on the “Row A” Democratic slate. I am incredibly enthusiastic about her candidacy. I met Karen in 2014 at a BOE meeting. We were both passionate about the topic being discussed and how it affected our children. As concerned parents, we knew the best way to educate ourselves on the decision-making process was by attending and observing BOE meetings. Since that night, we’ve attended dozens of meetings, and I’ve watched Karen give public testimony to all levels of local government on important educational issues. Karen has years of experience with the multi-faceted relationship between our community and our schools.
Karen’s accomplishments speak for themselves. She served as co-president of the West School PTC from 2018-2020 and managed the initiative to create an amazing new outdoor learning space at West School (in partnership with Erica Schweidel, also a Democratic candidate for the BOE). Karen has spent years proving that she is truly dedicated to making New Canaan Public Schools the best they can be. As a member of our BOE, she will focus on building upon our district’s accomplishments and maintaining New Canaan’s#1 School District in CT ranking.
I should note that I am a Republican who is currently supporting the Democrats running for the Board of Ed. I attended the Republican caucus in July and was incredibly concerned by their lack of experience in our schools combined with their conviction to change New Canaan’s highly successful program development process. In contrast, the Democrats have presented candidates with a plethora of experience, significant contributions to our schools, and a vested interest in maintaining our district’s commitment to excellence.
Please vote for Karen Willett and “Row A” for the Board of Education on November 2nd.
Heather Moore
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To the Editor:
Every election brings its own set of concerns which need to be addressed and an offering of candidates willing to step up to handle those challenges. This year’s BOE contest presents familiar refrains of how to retain our superior academic ratings, what is a sustainable level of funding to achieve these goals coupled with impact on our taxpayers, how do we maintain local control, etc.
Is it reasonable to question whether we have allowed ourselves to presumptively assume these questions will be sufficiently addressed given the extraordinary talents of our administration and teaching professionals and degree the BOE is involved? Things change over time and I posit it is becoming more and more apparent and troubling that changes in educational philosophy challenge accepted ideologies and values. Granted challenge is a healthy exercise, but requires extra focus on deep, open, and mindful critical thinking.
There was a clear message delivered at the Republican Caucus—an appreciation that NC school system is top notch BUT a lightning bolt that it needs to be augmented by an increased awareness and reaction to the changes taking place in the educational setting. Unquestioned status quo isn’t acceptable. Parents and community members here and all across the country are voicing concern about curricula which presents material with a partisan focus, with introduction of human development concepts which some regard as age-inappropriate, with a clear expectation to parrot back an instructor’s point of view.
Engaged parents want to more closely follow what their children are being taught, not by questioning professional expertise, but to head off movements which are altering standards held by an open, transparent, and values-driven society. It’s this clarion call to which candidates Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan, Hugo Alves, and Julie Toal are responding with their unique and valuable combination of proven business, financial, legal, special needs, and legislative advocacy talents. With confidence about their rational decision-making and focus on a healthy, reliably local educational future, I encourage you to please join me in supporting them on Row B.
Penny Young
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To the Editor,
Over the past 10 years, I had the privilege of working long hours with Kathleen Corbet on her campaigns. Throughout this time, I got to know Kathleen as a brilliant financial leader; quite analytical but, at the same time, a caring person who understands our town and has an enduring concern for all residents, regardless of political party.
A desire for transparency in our government, a sense for fairness, and exceptional people skills are qualities that quickly come to mind when thinking of Kathleen. No matter how small or large a job is, Kathleen is willing to listen and assist.
Residents may recall that Kathleen Corbet, a Democrat, was tapped by then First Selectman Rob Mallozzi, a Republican, to serve as interim CFO when Gary Conrad departed. Previously, she served on the Board of Finance and Town Council, gaining the respect and admiration from her colleagues.
Regardless of how contentious the issues are, Kathleen has consistently made herself available to hear both sides of the matter, thoroughly researching items before voting.
In a nutshell, Kathleen is the whole package. She has the keen ability to interact with others respectfully and productively, while minimizing conflict and maximizing rapport.
Please join me by casting your vote for Kathleen Corbet on November 2.
Sincerely,
Betty J. Lovastik
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Editor,
Years ago, after listening to his wife complain about a proposed change to their neighborhood bus stop, a young dad who worked in New York City with three small children at home decided to attend a meeting of the New Canaan Board of Education to listen to the reasoning of why that change was being made. This dad had never participated in school events, other than attending back-to-school nights and volunteering as a coach on the sidelines.
He was interested in what he learned at that meeting and at subsequent meetings. He enjoyed the people he met there, the thoughtful and polite give-and-take between Board members, administrators and parents, and the whole process instilled in him an underlying need to give back to his community. So, despite having no prior experience whatsoever with education (other than being a former student), the young dad picked up a petition to run as a candidate for his party’s nomination and ultimately won a seat on the Board. The following year he was elected Vice-Chairman, and subsequently served two terms as Chairman. And all because of a school bus stop did Nick Williams step into town government.
I see many similarities today in the four vibrant, highly educated, motivated young parents Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan, and Julie Toal. They have had the courage to toss their hats into today’s tempestuous political arena to try and make a difference in New Canaan. They want to bring their positive ideas to the Board of Education and to ensure that our school system remains one of the best – not only in Connecticut, but in all of America.
They have been criticized for being “new” to town, for lacking experience within the schools’ PTCs, and for having the audacity to suggest that it is not inappropriate for a publicly elected body to fully understand and weigh the implications of curriculum changes. Putting aside the meritless nature of those claims, I believe we should appreciate that Hugo, Dan, Phil, and Julie are bright and highly qualified candidates, and will bring specialized talents in law, finance, and communications to our BOE. (For the record I served my children’s PTC and PFA tirelessly. That experience did not necessarily make me a better candidate than my husband for the Board; it just made me a good volunteer.)
Hugo, Dan, Phil, and Julie all have young children in our public school system and presumably will for years ahead. That fact that they are willing to donate their personal time now is a telling sign and, indeed, their election would be a perpetuation of a great and longstanding tradition of those New Canaan Boards of Education that preceded them.
I have had the pleasure of getting to know all these young parents and I am excited by their energy, their passion, and their commitment to serve. They will strive for quality education and not political conformism. They fully recognize that things are changing quickly in education, and they will stay ahead of the curve. Most importantly, they fully understand the importance of maintaining our outstanding nationally recognized school system, and they are dedicated to ensuring that our students continue to come first.
I’m proud to support Hugo, Dan, Phil and Julie, and I know that they will do an exemplary job on the Board of Education. I encourage others to do the same.
Whitney LeGard Williams
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Dear Editor,
I grew up in New Canaan and graduated from the public school system. I am a registered Republican and come from a family of registered Republicans. I have at least two registered Democrats in my household and one undecided. At the local level, those affiliations have little to no effect on how we have chosen whom to support for the Board of Education. Local elections give us an opportunity to vote for the best person to represent our family and community, regardless of party.
Over the past decade or so – I am not sure exactly when it happened – candidates have chosen to run as a block with other candidates from their party, rather than on their own accomplishments and level of experience. Why would we choose our representatives in a block when each candidate offers a different skill set? Voting for a block is a lazy way to judge who will be the most competent or engaged person to serve on a Commission or Board. In fact, it diminishes the qualifications of some candidates who have more experience and a greater level of community service than those in their block.
While I understand that the RTC and DTC must put forth a slate and support their candidates, in the end we should vote for the individual who will best serve the community. This is about New Canaan and should not be about any national party platform. I cannot support any candidate, Democrat or Republican, who brings a national political agenda to a Board that should be focused on what is best for our students, parents, teachers, and administration. There are other ways to support those agendas, but it’s not at the local level.
All the candidates running for BOE have provided their resumes online and it is easy to review their credentials and level of engagement with the New Canaan Public School system. When voting for BOE, there is no substitute for experience. I believe it is important that a candidate have volunteer experience within the school system through the PTC or as a class parent, and have some understanding of the primary and secondary levels in our district. I also believe backgrounds in education, consulting, and finance offer our community a strong Board that can manage all situations affecting our children’s education. In the end, we need a non-partisan BOE that is well rounded, with skill sets that will continue to keep our school system at the top.
David J. Rucci
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I am writing to enthusiastically endorse the Republican BOE slate of Julie, Phil, Hugo and Dan. About a month ago I found myself at Julie Toal’s front door for a dinner with the candidates and I simply walked in without ringing. I was greeted with open arms and ears, the Republican BOE slate literally had an open door for me. Julie had invited a diverse group of parents, people of different faiths and races all gathered to talk about the future of our children. I’ve lived in towns significantly more diverse than New Canaan, but never have I felt a political group to be this inclusive, transparent and thoughtful. I want to say thank you to all the candidates, both Democrat and Republican. Thank you all for putting your names and ideas out there to better the lives of our children. The Democratic slate has fielded an incredibly impressive group of candidates, thank you all.
I believe the Republican slate is the best choice to work with our wonderful administration to lead our school system through 2025. They present a clear vision to continue to grow our excellent curriculum while anticipating and navigating a host of opinions and challenges brought forth from the state and national level. The slate believes in keeping the focus of our schools on excellence in fact-based mathematics, science and STEM subjects. Most importantly, the Republican slate believes in a colorblind society, and that schools should always strive to instill optimism in our children and help reinforce the notion that they can accomplish anything they set their mind to, regardless of race or gender. All of the Republican candidates have children in elementary schools in New Canaan and several will still have children in the school system well after 2030. The Republicans will live with the fruits of their own policies through almost the entirety of the formative years of their children’s lives. They are true stakeholders and ideal stewards of our school system. The BOE that will be elected this year will be faced with more state and federal opinion regarding significant changes in school curriculum than perhaps the last half century. As a person of color, I feel strongly that the Republican BOE slate is best suited to support our administration in navigating and evaluating the tidal wave of opinions regarding racial education that will be coming to all school districts in the coming years.
I don’t feel like I am getting the complete picture of the Democratic slate’s vision for our school system through 2025. Perhaps by design, the Democrats have focused more on reacting to comments made by Republicans at their caucus than offering their own opinions or ideas. After listening to their podcasts and reading their statements, one could come to the conclusion that the platform of the Democratic slate is “masks and status quo.” That platform seems well suited for this Monday, but it seems ill prepared for anticipating the challenges of the next half decade. Unlike the Republicans, the Democratic slate was not elected by their party, the slate was hand-picked and engineered by the Democratic Town Committee. The Democratic slate has 1 candidate with no children in the school system and 2 candidates whose children will have all graduated before the 4 year terms expire. At least two of the Democrats stated in New Canaanite podcasts that they essentially decided to run for the BOE in reaction to the Republican caucus, not because they necessarily had ideas of their own.
The scant nature of the Democratic candidates’ public opinions leaves me with many questions, first and foremost how do they think about racial education in our school system. In their podcasts, all but one Democrat has essentially answered “critical race theory (CRT) is not taught in New Canaan schools” and commented nothing more on their thoughts regarding race in education. CRT is not currently taught in New Canaan schools, but last year the administration proposed, and the current BOE voted 7-2, to ratify Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals for the curriculum, partly in response to a student petition which included a recommendation to introduce race based hiring for our children’s teachers. The DEI addition is potentially a massive change to our school’s curriculum. CRT is a narrow, controversial theory while DEI is a worthy but incredibly broad, open-ended goal. Many municipalities and corporations are ratifying DEI goals in a well-meaning effort. However, the broad nature of DEI allows it to be manipulated in many ways to fit any agenda. The umbrella of DEI can incorporate aspects of CRT and has been used as an argument to phase out standardized testing requirements in some schools. It was only this month that the current New Canaan BOE quietly removed “cultural humility” from the DEI curriculum goals and replaced it with “cultural understanding.” The term “cultural humility,” which involves self reflection of personal and cultural biases, sat on the stated goals of our town’s educational system for months. Would this goal have changed if not for the current topics under discussion for this election?
The Democrats are pitching status quo but have also hand picked one of the town’s most effective advocates for change for their BOE slate. I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting Fatou Niang but I’ve followed her work on Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R.), the charity she founded and runs, long before the BOE election began. S.T.A.R. puts out terrific material, and I truly appreciate Mrs. Niang’s work highlighting racism against the AAPI community. My wife and I are also from Kansas and we are huge fans of Lucas (go Chiefs!). Since I’ve followed S.T.A.R. I’ve been under the impression that Mrs. Niang is an advocate for significant structural change in education, and her excellent podcast on this website confirms to me as much. Mrs. Niang is not afraid to share her opinions because she is a big thinker and that is awesome.
My question is whether the rest of the Democratic slate follows Mrs. Niang’s line of thinking as it pertains to racial education and teacher hiring in our own school system. Do they want change, or do they want status quo? Some of the posts or reposts from S.T.A.R. have mentioned that schools need more “racial education,” stating “It is unacceptable to think…that a majority of students aren’t being taught the history of structural and institutional racism” and Connecticut should introduce “Black and LatinX History Curriculm in school” (which it has). S.T.A.R. hosted a seminar to introduce tools for building an anti-racist community and sessions 2 and 3 of the seminar were “white privilege” and “features of whiteness.” There are also some very strong opinions posted, such as “How can we celebrate the liberation of America if the land itself was stolen?” and “…Americans are too blinded by their own racist ideas…” Another repost from S.T.A.R. states “It’s very frustrating to see white autistic people taking up so much space today. Many white autistic people aren’t uplifting the Black folks in the community.” The last quote throws me for a big loop here, but outside of that, S.T.A.R. presents some very big ideas for change. While I disagree with some of these ideas, I adamantly defend the right of the authors to express them, and Mrs. Niang is doing a huge public service for giving them a platform. Our freedom of speech is a large part of what makes America great.
The bigger question I have is whether the Democratic candidates believe these opinions and topics on racial education should be taught in New Canaan K-12. I am not casting a view on anyone’s opinions. Like the Republican BOE slate, I simply believe in transparency and voters should know where all candidates stand on major issues. Instead of asking candidates about CRT, voters and interviewers should ask, does “status quo” include more racial education or other curriculum and teaching staff changes under the DEI umbrella? Education across all levels has historically gravitated towards consensus, schools look for a peer set and often change policy in lockstep. That’s largely because administrations are salaried employees and not stakeholders, the easiest way to not lose your job is to mimic your peer set. If Darien or Westport spends hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars on diversity consultants and experts, it will only be a matter of time before the BOE in New Canaan receives a similar proposal from the administration. Last year, several members of the existing BOE voiced support for hiring diversity consultants with Democrat Sheri West stating that “…we are going to need budget dollars to bring in an expert consultant…many districts have already or are hiring DEI leaders.” Where do the dollars come from? What are the goals for these experts, and if the goals are not met how easily are these experts removed? Apple, Google and Morgan Stanley have all fired at least one of their Diversity heads, what can be learned here? An even more complicated matter is the Democratic call for more diversity in our teachers. Our teachers are absolute heroes and saints, with some commuting hours a day and all putting their lives at risk to educate and nurture our children, and they do it incredibly well. Does it make sense to make hiring and firing decisions based on race? Will affluent towns needing to satisfy their DEI goals rush to poach the best teachers of color from less affluent towns that desperately need great teachers? Is that ethical? To achieve our goals we need a BOE with a measured and thoughtful process, not one that rushes decisions to satisfy appearances.
Our choices in this BOE election will light the way for our children’s future for a long time to come. I choose a BOE slate that can approach these topics in a tempered and results-oriented way, helping to set reasonable goals and budgets based on what is best for our children and not what looks best on the social network. I choose a slate that will make it easier for great teachers to be hired into our school system, not harder. I choose a slate that believes in the goodness and innocence of our children, that our schools should teach them how to think, not what to think, and that they can be whatever they put their minds to regardless of their race or gender. I choose Dan, Julie, Phil and Hugo. I’m voting Republican. I’m voting row B.
Jonathan Cheng
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Letter to the Editor:
Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan, and Julie Toal are running for the Board of Education (BOE) because they want to have a positive impact on the New Canaan Public School (NCPS) system. They view the BOE’s role as one that fosters collaboration between the school administration and the parents. Hugo, Dan, Phil and Julie want to engage all interested parties and are intent on representing all voices in the community, whether or not they align with their own personal views.
This foursome currently has 8 children enrolled in NCPS, almost more than the entire current BOE combined. These parents will bring a fresh, new perspective to the BOE, as parents of elementary and middle school students have been under-represented in the past several years. This foursome is perhaps the most vested in the NCPS system as they have the most years ahead in the NCPS community.
There are no prerequisites for serving on the Board of Education. In fact, the only requirement is the willingness to devote one’s time and energy to ensure that the best possible academic instruction is provided to every NCPS student. Hugo, Dan, Phil and Julie are each more than willing – and more than able.
Please join me on November 2nd and vote for Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan, and Julie Toal for the Board of Education.
Sincerely,
Lisa B. Platt
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Dear Editor,
My husband and I, along with our young son moved to New Canaan more than 25 years ago. Like so many other families that moved to New Canaan we chose this town for a myriad of reasons the most important of which was the quality of the schools in New Canaan.
We have gotten to know many of the residents who have served on the Board of Education and we have always been grateful for the tireless commitments they made to our children, our teachers and the school administration. The Board has always been nonpolitical and mission driven, with the sole focus of making sure our children get the best possible education. As a result of the efforts of the current Board members, working with the administration, New Canaan is rated in the top 1 % of Connecticut’s 198 school districts, and our students had more in-person learning than any other school district in Connecticut during the pandemic.
Even though the current Republican members worked with the school administration to achieve those results, an orchestrated effort at the Republican caucus this past summer resulted in their ouster in favor of an entirely new slate of candidates. The news coverage of that event suggests that the effort was politically motivated with the goal of giving the Board a greater role in determining the curriculum and other policies of the schools. We don’t understand why the new GOP candidates apparently want to make changes in a proven track record of success.
We believe the Democratic candidates for BOE are all strong dedicated individuals, with professional backgrounds and impressive credentials. (Go to newcanaanboecandidate.com!) Penny Rashin, is a third term incumbent and the only incumbent running. She is joined by Janet Leung Fonss, Jenn Hladick, Fatou Niang and Karen Willett, all whom are equally focused on keeping New Canaan schools as strong as they have always been.
Even though there is only one ballot item in the election on November 2, this election will affect the future of New Canaan schools. Please vote Row A to ensure that the Board of Education continues to be focused on the goals that have made the New Canaan public schools great!
Thank you,
JoAnne Kennedy
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Dear Editor,
As many of you know, Jess Huetter was a candidate on the Republican side for the Board of Education caucus in July. She got her signatures to run as a Republican, campaigned for weeks as a Republican, and was ultimately defeated at that caucus by fellow Republicans Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, Phil Hogan and Julie Toal. At the debate that preceded that caucus, all of the Republican candidates were asked (on the record) if they would support whichever Republican candidates won at the caucus, even if they were personally defeated. All candidates responded in the affirmative, including Jess. Her exact response, which you can watch for yourself here, was “Without a doubt, yes.” Importantly, this question was the very last question asked at the debate – after all candidates had answered several rounds of questions lasting close to two hours – and it was very clear what everyone’s positions were on all of the issues. So Jess certainly gave an informed answer to the question.
With that as background, we were disappointed (but not surprised) to see Jess’s letter to the editor, published September 19, in which she expresses her “full support” for the Democrat BOE slate and encourages voters to “[v]ote row A on November 2.” We find it ironic that Jess laments the fact that her political affiliation was questioned “specifically and continually.” In light of what has transpired since then—saying she would “without a doubt” support the other Republican candidates and then doing the exact opposite and supporting the Democrats—it seems to us that there was very good reason indeed to question her affiliations. But at the end of the day, Jess’s political affiliation is no longer relevant to the upcoming election.
What continues to be relevant is the platform of the candidates who are on the ballot. Their platform emphasizes transparency, communication and accountability—none of which are partisan issues, and all of which Hugo, Dan, Phil and Julie have demonstrated in spades. We know from our personal experience and interactions with these candidates that what you see is what you get and we encourage you to vote Row B on November 2.
Jan Schaefer
Mary Anne Mercogliano
Pavla Levin
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My Husband and I are active members of the New Canaan community and parents of three girls, two attending Saxe and NCHS respectively.
What concerns us the most about this election is the partisan nature which some candidates are taking. Our children’s schools are no place for politics and until now the BoE has remained entirely bi-partisan, allowing members of both parties to collaborate in order to provide the best and most balanced education for our children.
Let’s not forget that many people move to New Canaan because of our fabulous schools, which in turn has seen a tremendous surge in real estate prices and house sales and as the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it”.
What we need now is a steady, safe slate of candidates to represent the board and make sure we maintain the wonderful system that we are all familiar with and many of us moved to this town to experience.
With this in mind, and in the absence of any balanced and moderate Republicans on the slate, we will be putting our support behind the entire Democratic slate comprised of the incumbent Penny Rashin along with newcomers: Janet Fonss, Jenn Hladick, Fatou NIang, Erica Schwedel, and Karen Willet – this slate stands for togetherness not divisiveness!
I would also like to recognize the tireless work that our wonderful friend Fatou has undertaken; another important factor behind our commitment to support this slate. Her work and collaboration to lead things, such as the peaceful March last summer in support of black and brown communities, all with the full support of the New Canaan Police will stand the test of time and serves as a tribute to all that she is helping us to do. Fatou stands for everything we believe New Canaan stands for, and one of the big factors that attracts so many of us to move to the town. I work alongside Fatou in the wonderful organisation she founded – STAR has been about lifting people up not bringing them down. The ‘T’ in STAR stands for ‘together’ and we will stand together with this community and support the best people for the job, for the town and most importantly for the future of all of our children.
Shona and Elliott Goldenberg
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Should all aspects of our children’s educational lives be controlled by the “experts,” or should parents have some input and a direct view into what their children are learning? The two BOE slates disagree. Julie, Dan, Phil and Hugo have continually made it clear that they want parental engagement and transparency. On the other hand, the Democratic slate’s position on the topic can best be summed up as “I don’t understand how parents know more than the experts,” a statement made by Ms. Fonss in reference to masks. In their 0684-Radi0 interviews, Ms. Fonss and Ms. Niang continually reference “curriculum experts” and “professionals” while rejecting parental involvement in curriculum development, even as mere observers. A similar approach was used by Ms. Fonss and Ms. Willett on school start times presenting their side as undisputed scientific facts.
It would be far easier on us as parents if we could simply outsource educating our children to the “professionals,” like we drop off our cars at the mechanic. But we all know education begins in the home. We all know children do better when their schooling has parental involvement and family support. Parents and experts are not mutually exclusive. As a PhD mathematician and a former member of the Caltech faculty, I will be the first to tell everyone there is no “expert” and “right” way to teach your children math. Kumon, Russian School of Mathematics, Singapore Math are all different approaches constructed by experts; I personally am not a fan of the Kumon method and feel it would only benefit my children if I or the board had input in the case the “professionals” were thinking of using it.
In our community, we the parents coach our children’s sports, we volunteer at the schools, we help run cub scouts, we serve on the board of education. We are heavily involved in every other aspect. Should we keep parents away from the most important aspect of their children’s lives? To be fair, I do understand most of the Democratic candidates either no longer have children in NCPS or have children that are almost done with school. I applaud each of them for raising such successful independent children where they may not gain a high value from increased parental involvement. But mine will. And that is why my only option is to vote for Julie, Dan, Phil and Hugo.
Inessa Moroz
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How remarkable to read so many passionate letters speaking up for the future of education in our town! We would like to chime in by first giving a tremendous amount of thanks and gratitude to Katrina Parkhill, Jennifer Richardson, Julie Reeves and all those who serve presently and in the past for their incredible dedication to the Board of Education. We all know the past 18 months have been unprecedented and the members of the BoE spent countless hours working with our phenomenal Superintendent and Administrators to ensure our children’s education and well-being were not compromised. New Canaan led the State – even the country – in response to the pandemic. Given the success of these highly qualified volunteers, we were astounded to witness the Republican Party not back a single one of their proven incumbents and instead chose to support inexperienced candidates who introduced political rhetoric where non-partisan voices have always prevailed.
Serving on the Board is not about ‘fighting the good fight’. It is about coming together to discuss what is in the best interest of all our children. The Board is not about party affiliation. It is about doing your homework, about pushing your sleeves up and collaborating with everyone at the table. East School instilled the motto to “work hard & be kind” in our children. As they move forward in life we are also teaching them to acquire skill sets prior to applying or taking on a job. Elected board members will each need to have the knowledge that comes from experience and hard work to make informed decisions. They will each need to know the school system, how it runs, and where to look for information. This vote is about electing individuals – the most qualified individuals – to take on the responsibility of bridging our community to the school system.
We believe the best individual candidates, education advocates and proven leaders to continue the excellence of our schools are incumbent, Penny Rashin, Erica Schwedel and Karen Willett. Each candidate has proven themselves to be an independent thinker and has the experience needed to get the job done. Please join us in voting for them on November 2nd.
Sara & Spencer Schubert
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There has been a lot of discussion regarding the ‘new’ Board of Education candidates, Julie Toal, Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, and Phil Hogan. I didn’t know these candidates, so instead of listening to the third-party chatter, I reached out personally and met with each one individually to hear directly from them what they stand for and why they are running. As a thirty year resident of New Canaan and a volunteer on the Board of Finance, it is important to be and stay informed.
The candidates all are very passionate about keeping our excellent school system a top performer for your children. They want more transparency so that parents are better informed. They want better and more responsive communication from the Board of Education back to the parents, especially during these challenging times. They have children in our school system and are committed to continuous improvement. They moved to New Canaan to raise their families and want a strong and inclusive public school system for everyone. I appreciate anyone volunteering to continue to build on the strong school system that we have built together as a town over the past 25 years. Continuous improvement is a must. We can’t be complacent.
Some have asked why the Board of Education would be involved in the school curriculum. By state statute, school boards are responsible for and have the authority to develop policies, rules, and regulations to control the operation of the schools, school site locations, school finances, annual budgets, equipment purchases, staffing, attendance, curriculum, and extracurricular activities. As Connecticut general statute Sec. 10-220 states regarding the duties of boards of education, section (e) says that “each local and regional board of education shall establish a school district curriculum committee. The committee shall recommend, develop, review and approve all curriculum for the local or regional school district.” That process is intended to be open and transparent. It’s their job to be involved. They accept being accountable to you to maintain and always improve our curriculum and our schools.
Per State guidelines, “the primary role of the school board member is to ensure the wishes of communities are reflected in the management and operation of schools. That includes setting the school vision and goals, adopting policies to achieve those goals, hire and evaluate the superintendent and adopt and oversee the annual budget. Governing school boards enable local decision making in response to local needs. By having their finger on the pulse of their communities, elected school board members know what their students, schools, and communities need because they are members of the communities themselves.” These volunteer candidates believe in openness, transparency, better two-way communication, and a very positive environment for both parents and students.
Meet the candidates and hear from them what they stand for. We want to maintain and improve our top school district. I thank all the candidates who are willing to volunteer their time to help our town achieve this important goal for our children and our town. After meeting with the candidates myself, I am pleased to vote for Julie Toal, Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, and Phil Hogan.
Todd Lavieri
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The Democratic BOE ticket would like you to think there are no politics involved at the Board of Education level. We know that is easy to claim when the state Democratic machine has free reign to push initiatives in the form of “one-size-fits-all” mandates on towns, increasingly diluting local control.
New Canaan needs a board that will push for local control. School regionalization is one example. It did not succeed this past legislative cycle specifically because many town BOE’s pushed back and fought for “local control.” They did not hide behind a false narrative that they should remain “non-political” simply because they represent students and their families.
The Row B platform of transparency, communication, accountability, and engaged oversight are all qualities of an active and engaged board and that is what our town deserves. Transparency and collaboration should always be welcomed. An engaged board that works closely with the school administration will produce better outcomes. The “nothing is broken” and abdicate decisions and control to experts is a terrible approach, it’s the board’s responsibility to work with the experts.
New Canaan deserves a Board of Education that will support the principles already outlined in our own BOE policies and state laws. Both of these documents stipulate that the BOE has oversight responsibility in areas such as curriculum, textbooks, transportation, management of buildings, and many other areas. I encourage voters to read those documents.
I am endorsing the four BOE candidates, Julie Toal, Phil Hogan, Dan Bennett, and Hugo Alves. I am voting for Row B and I would encourage you to do the same. I look forward to working with these candidates on the Board of Education.
Bob Naughton
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Dear Editor,
My family and I have lived in New Canaan for over 20 years. I have been very involved in volunteering for the community and most recently in local politics.
In this November’s municipal election I urge all New Canaanites to vote for the A-Team.
Led by our candidate for Selectman, Kathleen Corbet brings to her job many years of corporate, non-profit, and local government experience. An outstanding listener, Kathleen asks thoughtful questions and takes courageous stands on issues when necessary. On the Selectmen level, Kathleen respects both sides of an issue and seeks to build consensus. We can rest assured that Kathleen will make sure the decision-making process takes citizens’ voices into account.
For Town Council our A-Team offers two active and savvy young Moms in Rita Bettino and Hilary Ormond. Rita Bettino brings over 25 years of marketing experience and is concerned with keeping both our education system and our town center thriving. An attorney by training Hilary Ormond works very well with others to reach consensus and to achieve noteworthy goals. Both Town Council candidates have proven track records of accomplishments in our community, whether it is having brand new sidewalks installed in her neighborhood or having much needed security cameras installed in Waveny Park to better protect our community. Hilary and Rita are proven problem solvers, and I strongly endorse them.
Last but not in any way least, we have an excellent slate of candidates for the Board of Education. Led by Penny Rashin, an experienced member of the Board of Education and our community, and who is running for re-election, our BOE slate consists of a highly qualified and diverse group of people who have proven track records of both community and school volunteer work and leadership.
Following the surprising result of this summer’s Republican caucus, these women stepped up to contest what many in our community view to be a very misguided outcome. In essence the Republicans voted to remove well-qualified and respected Board of Education incumbents and to replace them with inexperienced individuals who seem to care more about a national right-wing agenda than maintaining the top quality of our public school system. I am completely flabbergasted by New Canaan’s Republican leadership who apparently endorse such a Slate, especially after how well our school administration took care of our precious children during the worst of the pandemic.
I urge all New Canaan Registered voters, no matter what your party, to come out and vote for the A-Team: Kathleen Corbet, Rita Bettino, Hilary Ormond, Penny Rashin, Janet Fonss, Jenn Hladick, Fatou Niang, Erica Schwedel, and Karen Willett on Election Day, November 2nd.
Sincerely Yours,
Christina Fagerstal
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Our public schools are a cornerstone of what makes New Canaan such an extraordinary place to live. We have been in awe of the exceptional measures that have been put into place to keep our children safe and in school and are so thankful for our teachers, administrators and staff working under Bryan Luizzi’s incredible leadership.
We strongly believe that our Board of Education should not be about partisan politics and that members should be elected based on qualifications, experience, leadership and first hand knowledge of our school system. As parents of 5 children, all of whom have or will attend our public schools, we know how critical it is to have all levels of our schools represented. We believe the candidates best prepared to continue the excellence of New Canaan Public Schools, with awareness and safety, are Janet Fonss, Penny Rashin, Erica Schwedel, Fatou Niang, Jenn Hladick and Karen Willett.
Sarah and Mike Handler
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Bullying in our town whether it’s on social media or other mediums has increased significantly and some of the things I have seen are deeply shocking at best and flat out hateful at worst. Parents lead by example.
What I heard from some of the parents supporting, and even some candidates on the Dem slate during a BOE speech in the August 16th meeting is absolutely awful.
A woman concerned with mask mandates (19:44-22:09) expressed her concern, cites data from the American Academy of Pediatrics, goes a little bit over allotted time and receives a chorus of ‘stop’ from members supporting the Dem slate. It was shocking, completely unbecoming, and rude.
It is ultimately up to the Board to end the speeches. Yes, it was beyond the two minutes, but that kind of behavior from adults, is saddening and incomprehensible. It certainly did not give the impression of being inclusive nor did it give the impression they care about both sides of the argument and are quick to shut it down. Also featured in this link from the same BOE meeting is Rita Bettino (Dem Town Council candidate). If one watches from 2:49:39 to 2:51:17 she claims counterpoints, despite being supported with government data, is apparently gaslighting the community. In addition, she also thanks the board for their “intelligence” in dealing with this. One can watch the clip and make their own assumptions about how someone running for public office can be so condescending and dismissive of opposing ideas. Also in this same meeting, Fatou Niang, a candidate for the Democratic slate running for the BOE, referred to opposing views as “insanity”. This clip can be viewed from 2:53:49 to 2:54:42.
Many in this community are afraid to express their displeasure on myriad issues up for debate in this election because they are afraid of the retaliation.Direct harassment and disparagement towards others has caused immense levels of stress and anxiety for some leading to discomfort at, what should be fun, community and school events.
Some supporters of the Dem slate for BOE, such as Lisa Hannich, the DTC chair, have taken to social media with abhorrent statements/comments. They are also part of 203 Action which is a far left activist group.
The number one reason people move to New Canaan is the schools. I would argue that the second reason is the social fabric of our town. How family oriented it has always been and community inclusive as a whole whether it’s 4th of July fireworks, the holiday stroll, or countless other things that make New Canaan so special.
Nobody wants this vitriol and attacks at all yet some parents have embraced it as necessary to keep others silent and to shame. Quite sad to see. This is happening in real time in New Canaan.
In closing I think Julie, Dan, Phil, and Hugo’s platform of transparency, communication, and accountability is more than enough reason to Vote Row B! In addition, the disturbing behavior from the Dem slate and its supporters is also more than enough reason to not vote row A.
Joe Miller
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Government at all levels of our society is comprised of people. Federal, state and local officials, whether elected or appointed, wield enormous power over our lives. From implementing the mundane such as a local ordinance defining blight conditions on your neighbor’s property to the most consequential financial, social and educational issues, to name a few. The power to vote therefore must be exercised judiciously and with fidelity to the will of the people.
Perhaps the most potent prophylactic measure we have as citizens to minimize the human fallibility of the people governing society is to elect people who are committed to closely scrutinizing the bases for every policy proscription, law and/or regulation that is imposed upon us by our governmental bodies. Hugo Alves, Dan Bennett, Julie Toal and Phil Hogan are precisely the parents who New Canaan needs as Board of Education members to perform that role. Here’s why.
As a member of Town Council (I write this solely as my opinion and not that of Town Council) I can attest to how vital it is to closely examine all those that appear before TC seeking some action whether it relates to departmental budgets, passage of ordinances, approval of bonds, environmental concerns, open space, etc.: Do we have all the information needed to have an informed vote? Have we listened to the people? Have we vetted the request thoroughly? Have we done the 360 analysis? Or are we deferring a little too much to the those in charge because they know what they’re doing and great results are par for the course? It’s that last question that should always be answered in the negative.
In my experience on Town Council, I can assure all residents our department heads are first in class. I can also tell you that, in my opinion, they and their staff, welcome close scrutiny of their budgets and every issue presented that requires Town Council approval.
With respect to the New Canaan Public School system, we are blessed with the phenomenal talent of our current school district leaders and their staff. The statistics bear this out. Nevertheless, the public has the right to ensure that the education of our children is the product of a thoughtful, open and analytic process. Indeed, the Board of Education declares its role to be the formulation of policies underlying public education in New Canaan and the appraisal of the effectiveness with which the policies are executed; execution and administration are reserved for the superintendent and staff.
The Row B candidates have committed themselves to be members who will advocate for the most deliberative, inclusive and carefully considered policy making process that reflects the will of the people. They are also committed to ensuring rigorous assessment of that process’s educational impact. I have no doubt they will execute on that commitment.
Dan, Julie, Hugo and Phil are highly educated, thoughtful, level-headed, compassionate, community-dedicated parents. New Canaanites can be confident that they will have faithful guardians fulfilling BOE’s mandate to not only continue our school system’s extraordinary success but be instrumental in expanding it. As BOE states, it is the “bridge between our community and our school system.” The Row B candidates will greatly contribute to strengthening that bridge.
Michael J. Mauro
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Dear Editor,
I am writing to express my enthusiastic endorsement of both Hilary Ormond and Rita Bettino for New Canaan Town Council.
HIlary is a former trial lawyer with a MA in Forensic Psychology who clerked for a judge on the United States Court of Appeals. She led the campaign for security cameras in Waveny Park and spearheaded the inaugural New Canaan Pride celebration. HIlary is the Co-Chair of the New Canaan Museum and Historical Society Fundraiser and a volunteer with Staying Put.
Rita is a former corporate marketing director turned emerging business marketing consultant. A member of New Canaan’s Tourism & Economic Development Advisory Committee (TEDAC), board member of the New Canaan League of Women Voters who led a youth voter involvement campaign and a member of the New Canaan Ice Rink. Rita was also instrumental in helping the town get major sidewalk, drainage and road improvements done for the Field Crest/Village Drive neighborhood by walking door to door and reaching out to each resident.
HIlary and Rita will work to support our excellent schools and exercise fiscal prudence and transparency. They will bring intelligence, empathy and determination to their roles on Town Council.
Sincerely,
Robin Bates-Mason
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