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Link Pay with Performance in Education
By David G. LaPointe, Winchester
We need to link pay with performance in education—unlike the failing system we see today that gives automatic pay increases with no link to performance in the education of our children.
Steve Sedlack, your ignorance (since you don't sit on the Board of Education) and arrogance are understandable, since your are and always have been an education administrator. A real Democratic Town Committee chairman should represent all Democrats, not just those associated with education (educrats). Your vested interest is evident. The members of the Winchester Board of Education have no vested interests like yours—except for Mr. Porit, who used to work in the education system, and whom you lauded for his efforts on behalf of the Alternate School.
Yes, the voters have spoken, and they have elected us as Board of Education members. In just a few short months, we have asked more questions regarding the school system than ever before. First we asked: Why is our school system one of the lowest ranked in the State of Connecticut? What can be done to solve this? The Superintendent told us in her 2001-02 Goals that all schools would address developmental remedial curriculum strategies, including the use of technology, to assist student learning related to CMT/ CAPT standards. What happened? The fact is that the majority of these test scores were again below the standards. Also, at the Pearson Middle School over 25 students failed in the eighth grade! Why? What are the Superintendent, administrators and teachers doing to stop this from happening again? How can we help them to help our students?
The Board was told that the problems are due to the changing demographics (population segments) of Winsted, as well as the prevalence of single-family households with children. The blame is being put on the parent and the community. I cannot accept this as an answer. I was raised in a single-parent family; my dad died when I was young. My wife was raised in a single-parent family, as well. We've done fine! Thank God! Simply put, if a parent or parents send their children to public school, they are entrusting the school system with educating them. The question is: Who is then responsible for their education? I believe the answer is the school system. Don't try to put the responsibility back on the single parent or blame the changing demographics. The highly paid administrators are making excuses for a system that needs to look at itself for the solution and answer, and take responsibility for the education of the children.
The Democratic Town Committee chairman and the other members of the Town Committee responsible for writing the letter recently received by Board of Education members should have instead addressed the letter to Superintendent Judith Palmer. As chief executive officer of the school system, she is the one who should be answering the freedom of information requests. I too have asked for information and not received it as of this date from Ms. Palmer. This refusal to comply is coming from the Superintendent’s office, not from the Board of Education.
Finally, your letter cites the belief that this country was founded upon the rights of the taxpayers to have a voice in government. "The people," not just taxpayers, have a voice on this Board of Education and we will continue to acknowledge and entertain public comment during regular meetings. This board has engaged in more productive civil discourse than ever before, working in the best interests of the students and the people who have elected us to oversee and try to solve the problems of our schools.
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