Parent Has Concerns about Capital Budget

This is a letter by Lisa Thomson, parent activist concerning the capital budget request.

To: Messrs. Chiarmonte, Colarossi, Hempstead and Wilms
cc: Dr. Marks

I’m writing to you over concerns I still have regarding the 2011-2012 Preliminary Capital Budget request from the NPS Facilities and Maintenance Department. The state of our economy and education at both a national and state level cannot be ignored as we consider our own circumstances here in the City of Norwalk. Please consider the larger educational REFORM picture when casting your vote on how best to incur city capital expenses in education:

Does it decrease the achievement gap in Norwalk?

• Connecticut has the largest achievement gap in the country. Norwalk represents that gap given the diverse racial and socio-economics of our school district.

• The state recently received an application by Reverend Lindsay Curtis for a new Charter School at the elementary level. This is an effort to deal with Norwalk’s achievement gap with its students in South Norwalk, who lack their own local school and who, as a subgroup suffer the lowest performance scores on the CMTs.

• The school that seems to be the most in need of construction and renovation, with one of the largest student populations, and the only Norwalk school visible from an intra-state (Route 7), has been placed at the bottom of the construction list.

Does it improve adult accountability with respect to achievement?

• Due to historical contract negotiations, as parents and taxpayers, we suffer a union that dictates our school calendar, and class size, thus impacting the usage, the flexibility and the requirements for classroom space.

• We currently have an uneven distribution of students across this city due to both positive and negative circumstances that can be directly attributed to: a school’s reputation, principal leadership, as well as the successful or failed deployment of academic programs.

Have other options/considerations been fully explored before incurring this sort of debt?

• Historically speaking, magnet programs have proven very successful in Norwalk and other cities in terms of raising academic achievement and influencing school choice within the district at both and elementary, middle and high school level (Columbus, Jefferson, and CGS), but some have not (Silvermine).

• Some elementary schools have added Pre-K programs without taking into consideration future K-5 enrollment plans and this is now adversely impacting regular classrooms.

• Has the district tracked the number of children from the elementary schools to determine how many move through the NPS system onto our middle and high schools?

During my own review and participation in this process at Board of Ed meetings, I have observed the following:

• A single pre-school complaint at Cranbury from one physical therapist and parent was enough for the Board of Education to shelve a plan for re-locating the preschool a few miles away to a neighboring elementary with empty classrooms. What cost does that portion impose on the facilities and maintenance project?

• In lieu of the construction of a computer lab at another elementary school, has the facilities department spoken with the technology department and considered the possibility of deploying wireless technology directly into classrooms, thus enabling teachers to offer differentiated instruction, in real time, in the classroom? What would be that cost versus construction of a new computer lab?

• Arts and Music are critical to learning, but as a district in need of improvement, is building a music room and art room our highest priority at the moment? As many children in Norwalk participate in After School Programs, has the district considered offering arts outside of traditional school hours, thus increasing academic time during the regular school day and making better use of space?

I am a big proponent of INVESTMENT in education that promotes and supports REFORM initiatives like for example, air conditioning for year round school access or bringing technology into the classroom, so that teachers can tailor their instructional time. I am sure that there are many capital investment opportunities. However, bricks and mortar for building classrooms in one part of town, while classrooms remain empty in another part of town, will not solve Norwalk’s achievement gap or academic rigor issues. One need only look around, to the abandoned school sites, dotted around town that have been converted (or not) into other uses over the years.

I have no doubt that you each share a commitment to education, but your councils also have a fiduciary responsibility to the City of Norwalk. My hope is that you are CONFIDENT that all potential options have been vetted before committing the city to additional debt. To do so, without making sure that the investment was tied to REFORM would be a disservice to Norwalk’s children and its taxpayers. This is the direction the country is moving in and it should also be ours.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Lisa Brinton Thomson

The opinions in this letter express the views of the author and not NorwalkNet.com.