The town of East Haven needs people who are willing to attempt to make the town better. The board of education tries to make the school system better. That is why I am seeking the nomination to run for the board of education. If I can help to make the school system better, then the town will become better. Some of the goals I hope to acheive if elected to the board of education are:
To increase test scores- East Haven's test scores are some of the lowest in the state. There is no excuse for this. If elected, I would do anything and everything I could to help increase these scores. There is no reason with a 45+ million dollar budget that test scores are so low.
Help to spend only on what is needed- The money the board of education has should only be spent on what is needed. (I will explain this in further detail in a later blog post).
Attract more East Haven students to go to the high school rather than another district- Many students who live in East Haven decide to go out of district because East Haven does not offer the programs they like or wish to learn about. Although we cannot attract every student to come to our schools we can try to attract as many as possible. For each student who lives in East Haven but goes out of district for school, we must pay their tuition. If we were able to convince them to stay in East Haven, then everyone, most importanly the student, would be happy.
East Haven has some extremely intelligent educators and if they have the correct tools, there is no doubt in the mind they can help these students succeed. We have a high school which is only about 15 years old which means we have many more years in that building. We can succeed, but we need the right people to help succeed. That is why I am seeking the nomination for the East Haven Board of Education. Please, feel free to comment with positive or negative comments. Furtheremore, please ask me any questions you may have. I am more than willing to answer them. If anyone would like to meet in person, please say so and we will make it happen. Thank you for your time.
1) The $45 million budget provided to the BOE barely covers the contractual demands of the administrators, teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians, etc. Annually there is very little left to use in any effort to better the climate of learning. The contracts is one place you can start looking at. 2) Students who go to other districts because "East Haven doesn't offer what I want" are actually going there to get out of the EH school system. Back when my kids were in the EH schools, many of their friends went to Lyman Hall ostensibly for the Vo-Ag classes. How many of those graduates became farmers or are working in a related field? My bet is none. And where will the money come from to fund these new areas of study? See my first point as reference. Having said this, I do want to wish you the best of luck in this endeavor. Based on your past postings, you strike me as a person who can think for yourself. Be sure you don't get caught in the "you have to vote this way or else" mentality put out by both the DTC and RTC.
And Patrick, you should go for that seat. Hit the ground running in November. Quick note: avoid the "strings".