NewCanaanite.com recently received the following letters. (We will publish letters of endorsement for the 2021 municipal election through Sept. 30.)
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I have been a member of the New Canaan Board of Education for the past 6 years, including most recently as Vice Chair and before that, Chair. I have also worked in the finance industry for over 20 years. Recent commentary I’ve heard from candidates for the BOE is misguided, including that there must be ways to “consolidate” or “share services” to avoid “continued growth” in the budget.
Rather than using buzzwords, candidates should look at the past 5-10 years of budgets, ask questions of existing and former board members, and work to understand NCPS operations. In so doing, they would appreciate where cost savings have been (and could be) achieved. Implying that consolidation would save money means that there must be duplication of efforts or excess capacity. There is none. NCPS have reduced costs in recent years in diverse areas, including health insurance, insourcing printing and maintenance, joint purchasing and energy, among others.
If you hear someone say that the BOE budget has grown a lot you should tell them it has grown, but not a lot! In fact, the BOE budget over the past 10 years (including last year’s BOE “ask” for the current year) has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 1.9%. This approximates the rate of inflation, meaning that there has been no “real” growth in the BOE budget in a decade. Should you as a resident be worried about this lack of growth? No, you shouldn’t, because the BOE has been doing its job and doing it really well. Our school system is top in the state and yet pays less than 7 other comparable school districts per pupil, including our nextdoor neighbor.
You should be wary of those who suggest we should spend less on our town’s primary asset. At best, it’s counterproductive. At worst, it will cause a decline in our schools’ performance and home values, and an increase in our mill rates. Let’s keep up the good work of our administration and BOE by voting for those who have vowed to do so. Vote row A for the BOE – the experienced and supportive candidates who will continue the great work of our schools – Penny Rashin, Karen Willett, Erica Schwedel, Fatou Niang, Jennifer Hladick and Janet Fonss.
Brendan Hayes
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I am writing this letter in support of my good friend Dan Bennett for a seat on the Board of Education. I have known Dan and his family for over 30 years, and his wife Julie since middle school. Dan’s father was my coach in little league baseball, and both of his younger brothers were teammates of mine for many years. If anyone can attest to the character of this family, it’s me. Dan is someone who shows tremendous passion and dedication in everything he does. Dan has an excellent track record of academic and career success, highlighting a strong work ethic and ability to work well in large diverse institutions. Most importantly, he’s a wonderful father to his three boys and is constantly volunteering his time to help coach and mentor his sons and their teammates. He is committed to New Canaan and this community. One of the pillars of Dan’s campaign has been to instill better oversight of the administration, while improving transparency to parents and taxpayers of the community. I have the utmost confidence that Dan will work tirelessly and live up to this promise. I encourage you to reach out to Dan and I am confident you will come away convinced that he would be a great addition to the New Canaan Board of Education.
Jeffrey Dinatali
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In Chris DeMuth Jr.’ s letter of September 27th in the New Canaanite, he inaccurately cites checks and balances as the “critical question” in the upcoming Board of Education race and the reason we should elect Republicans over Democrats.
Checks and balances were introduced into the US Constitution during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, predating the existence of political parties as such. Instead, checks and balances were actually intended to check and balance the power of the different branches of government. For example, if the executive branch were to attempt to steal an election, then the legislative branch would act as a check on its power; if the legislative branch were to fail to act as a check against the executive branch, then the judicial branch would be brought to bear as an additional check against the executive branch.
It is the six Democrats standing for the Board of Education who bring balance to our local government, through their level headedness, diversity of experience, and integrity. To maintain our exceptional schools, vote Janet Fonss, Jenn Hladick, Fatou Niang, Penny Rashin, Erica Schwedel, and Karen Willet on Nov. 2.
Victor Alvarez
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As a West School parent during the past seven years, I’ve seen the impact first hand of the volunteer efforts of many of the nominees for the Board of Education on the Democratic Party line, both as leaders of the West School PTC and, in one case, as an effective member of the BoE. The full slate are Janet Fonss, Jenn Hladick, Fatu Niang, Penny Rashin, Erica Schwedel, and Karen Willett. I support their election to the Board of Education with enthusiasm.
A recent letter suggested the need for “checks and balances” against a “leftist” Board of Education. I’m not aware of any “leftists” running for the BoE in New Canaan this year. I am, however, disheartened by that kind of rhetoric, which only highlights the stakes in this election.
In contrast with some of their opponents, the candidates on the Democratic Party line did not make partisan speeches to win their nominations only to then portray themselves as non-partisan to the general electorate. None have spoken about this town being “blue” or “red.” None have claimed they are tired of being “on defense” politically.
These are serious times, and we need serious people on our Board of Education who are committed to the non-partisan education of our kids. That’s why I will be voting for incumbent Penny Rashin and newcomers Janet Fonss, Jenn Hladick, Fatou Niang, Erica Schwedel, and Karen Willett for the Board of Education.
John Clarke
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Thanks to the New Canaanite for running the interviews with BOE candidates, and thanks to everybody running for these roles. This is an important public body for our town, and I hope people are paying attention to the race and asking questions of the candidates.
Here is what I liked hearing from the candidates:
- Local Decision Making: After the performance of the Town of New Canaan overall (not just the schools) during Covid, you could ask for no better example of the value of local control, and the direct benefits this provided to New Canaan students and residents.
- Continuous Improvements Sought: Always building on past successes, and understanding why things may have come up short, is critical for any high performing organization – you can never rest on your laurels or ignore transparent data.
- Improved Meaningful Communication: It is good this is recognized as an issue to be worked on.
- Apolitical nature of the BOE: This is an elected role so by definition it is political, but keeping unhelpful politics at bay and focusing on the students, community, and performance is paramount.
Where I hope more attention is paid by the candidates:
- Covid Learning Loss: I didn’t hear any discussion on lost learning due to our kids being out of in person school for at least 4 months over the last 18 months. There is good national and state data on this – we need to understand the degree of the issue here in New Canaan, and map out a plan to fill the gaps for each child in our school system.
- School Budget: More work can be done on transparency (compare our budget details with Darien f.ex.). More importantly do we have the right incentives for the Administration and BOE members, many with kids in the schools, to control costs especially when enrollment is stable to down? The Town Council is unlikely to get involved for a variety of reasons, i.e. what comes out of the BOE will likely be approved.
- PreK Education: Numerous studies have shown the importance of high quality PreK. A hidden gem is the NCPS half day program (full disclosure my youngest attends), which parents pay for, and kids enter by lottery due to demand. I personally believe the NCPS should work together with existing providers in town to see if expanding this program would allow for increased offerings for younger children in town, where there is a real shortage.
- School Start Time Change: I understand nobody wants to touch this politically – but the BOE appears to still be planning an April 2022 implementation – what can we learn from Norwalk that implemented such a change this Fall, and then had to roll it back within a few weeks? Does this change still make sense to do for 2 months at the end of this academic year, and when will parents be notified of the date for which this change will start?
Giacomo Landi
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This spring will mark our 34th year in New Canaan. We moved to town from New York when our oldest was an infant: for the access to Manhattan, the quaint village, the open space, the relatively low mill rate, but, most importantly, for the schools.
Like our first fixer upper so many years ago, our town has only flourished with time — and through the lens of our five children spanning 16 years and with our youngest just 17, we have watched our community grow literally and figuratively, and in the best ways possible. We have witnessed the very grit, creativity, community-mindedness and, perhaps most crucially, collaboration that has helped New Canaan weather many storms, through upheavals and tragedies financial and otherwise.
As reflected by voter turnout, there is a false notion that federal elections, state elections, and municipal elections are of import in that order. But just as the personal is political, local elections impact our families first and most. Participation in municipal elections is a critical responsibility bestowed upon us as such fortunate residents of this town. We must take this responsibility as seriously as it requires.
We have researched all of the candidates on the ballot, both Republican and Democratic, as we do each year and have come to a clear consensus centering the preservation of what we love; what draws new neighbors to town; and known, necessary needs and improvements accessed via the very innovation that’s become synonymous with “New Canaan”.
The Democratic slate has vowed to continue our community’s legacy while working toward an even brighter future for all of our community’s members, and to do so in a rational, reasonable, thoughtful, and collaborative manner in line with our family’s values and the constraints of our capital budget. They have earned our trust as decent, dedicated New Canaanites spanning diverse families, life experiences, careers, and ages. We are bolstered by the possibility of our Town government being infused with and steered by such vital voices.
This will be the first year in our memories that both of us are voting across Row A, and we wholeheartedly encourage you to do the same: for both innovation and decency, for our vibrant town center, for conservation of our cherished “third places”, for continued reasonable property taxes, and, most importantly, for our schools.
Elaine and Chris MacKenzie
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My family and I moved to New Canaan three years ago, and my son has attended Saxe since the 5th grade. We’ve had a very positive experience — from the Superintendent to the Principal, teachers and support staff.
I am an Unaffiliated voter and have voted for both Republicans and Democrats. I have not generally followed Board of Education elections that closely, but due to the pandemic, the healthy start time initiative, and other issues, I have become more interested. The Superintendent and BOE have done a tremendous job during difficult, unprecedented times. They kept us informed and kept our kids engaged and in school. I have never felt in the dark — whether it was about Covid, start times, or curriculum.
I found it troubling when the local Republican party turned their backs on their own BOE incumbents who did a great job, and instead voted in a new slate of candidates who have little education experience and have only recently been engaged with our school system. These candidates aligned themselves with the anti-mask movement, instigated unfounded fears regarding curriculum oversight, and at their caucus led with the same sort of divisive, insulting political rhetoric we’ve seen at the national level — focused on denigrating the other party and firing up their political base.
In contrast, I see the opposing candidates, including an incumbent, proposing to work constructively and proactively with a highly regarded administration that got us to a #1 school district rating. They have education experience, and have been actively engaged with the New Canaan school system across all grade levels. Politics should never play a role in local school policy, and I feel that the 6 Democrat BOE candidates are not only better qualified, they are more focused on our kids. I plan to vote Row A.
Regards,
Mike Stein
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