Enfield Patch Questions the Candidates: Board of Education

Earlier this month, Enfield Patch sent a series of questions to all 25 candidates on the ballot for the Enfield Town Council and Board of Education. Beginning today and continuing next Monday through Friday, the responses from the candidates will be published.

Today will feature comments from candidates for the Board of Education.

Key: D - Democrat; R - Republican; I - Incumbent

Question 1: How do you plan to handle the considerable challenges that will be put forth upon consolidation of the high schools next fall?

Walter Kruzel (R): The consolidation of the two high schools after 45 years is very important to me. As I am currently serving on the building committee, I take that appointment very seriously and have learned quite a bit while serving on this project. I plan on putting that knowledge to good use on the board to see that the transition and challenges are dealt with head on and that we succeed in the process to make the new Enfield High School one of the best in the region.

Vinny Grady (D-I): What we need to do is prioritize the challenges first and then give each one careful though on how to resolve them.

Michael Ludwick (R): My intention is to take a bi-partisan team approach where our decisions consider the student experience as our top priority as we finish the consolidation of the high schools. We need to make sure to the best of our ability, that our student’s high school years even through the finalization of the consolidation remain the best years of a young person’s life! This will be our top priority before the consolidation in the fall of next year.

Tina LeBlanc (D-I): First and foremost, communication will be the key. Communication from the Building Committee, Central Office, both High Schools and the BOE to the parents. Communication is critical so there are no “surprises” to what to expect next September. In addition the transition must be thoughtful and precise. Academics are of extreme importance but we must also realize the emotion piece of it as well for the student from both high schools. Again, communication will be the key component.

Ray Peabody (R-I): While the building construction activities are tracking to the published schedule the board and the central office are aware that student, parents and teachers could be impacted with any delay, I will support a smooth as possible transition and this will be done by working with my colleagues on the board, superintendent and building committee. We will continue communicating to all Enfield stakeholders regarding all aspects of the progress being made especially those deliverables affecting our students. I believe the people involved in making this major accomplishment happen are doing what needs to be done and we will be there with the students to navigate any challenges.

Tim Neville (D-I): Any time we have significant change, such as the merging of two high schools, there is naturally going to be some anxiety and uncertainty. The best way to deal with this to establish frequent and ongoing communication with all the constituent groups affected where we can answer questions and separate fact from rumor. This needs to take place until the transition is successfully completed. Some aspects of this approach have already been initiated and are delineated below.

Enfield High School Building Committee: Meets every other Thursday at 6:30 P.M in the BOE Room at Barnard. This is a public meeting with agendas and minutes published on the EPS web site.

Reports to TC/BOE: Building Committee members (including Chairman, Project Manager and Architect) come to their meetings every few months to present progress reports to the BOE/TC and the public to answer any questions they may have.

Administrative Transition Team: Established several months ago to identify any issues (curricular, transportation, co-curricular, scheduling, sports, music groups, activities, etc.) that may affect the successful transition to the consolidated HS. Composed of key school officials, architect, project manager and appropriate town officials, this committee meets regularly and the Superintendent reports its progress to the BOE of Ed at every regular meeting. An updated written report is given to the BOE and posted on the EPS website after each BOE meeting. The most recent one identified the current list of issues that need to be addressed along with the individuals/committees responsible to address them and a timeline for completion.

Additional Meetings: BOE /TC / Building Committee members recently met with the Music parents from EFHS/EHS to discuss their concerns, clarify rumors and answer any questions they had. We also encouraged folks to call if they have further questions and/or concerns and made it clear we were willing to meet again in the future if it would be helpful. If the need arises we will have additional meetings as necessary with other groups.

Meetings/Activities with Students/parents/staff/administrations: Explore with all EFHS/EHS constituencies ways to bring two school communities and cultures together as part of the transition process.

In summary, transition is a process, uncomfortable at times, but a process that can be made smoother with clear/frequent communication and opportunities for questions to be answered. Doing this while keeping the needs of our students and families in mind, I believe the new consolidated Enfield High School will be a great addition to the Enfield Community and something we all will be proud of.

Tom Sirard (R-I): Having been one of the architects of the whole District wide Reorg and High School Consolidation and now seeking my fourth term, I hope to be able to provide continuity and continued leadership in working with everyone to ensure as smooth a transition as possible.

Stacy Thurston (D-I): By working alongside of the administration, staff, and students to answer any questions or concerns that may arise. To be proactive in finding any potential mishaps that may occur.

Lori Unghire (R-1): We look forward to an exciting year and a smooth transition. Any challenges that come forth we will deal with them as they arise in a timely fashion.

Elizabeth Windsor-Post (D): Mrs. Windsor-Post did not respond to the questionnaire.

Question 2: Tell us your opinion, pro or con, of Common Core, and why?

Windsor-Post: Mrs. Windsor-Post did not respond to the questionnaire.

Unghire: Common Core is a state mandate that we have to follow, with no choice. My understanding is that many struggle with all avenues of Common Core.

Thurston: With Common Core I can honestly say I can see both sides pro and con. Raising the standards for students is always a goal but it needs to be implemented in the correct way.

Sirard: I have never been a fan of “one-size-fits-all “approaches to anything important. Education is no exception and I strongly believe in local control. Enfield knows best what Enfield needs. That being said, Common Core is the Law and elected officials take an oath to follow the law.

Neville: Common Core came about because the States saw the need to come up with common core standards for students across the country. This was really a States initiative to bring order to what we were teaching our students across the country. I’m in favor of the concept. As an educator, you cannot measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning if we have 50 different definitions of what we think is important for all students to learn. Everybody wants accountability. We want our children to learn and become skilled and competent adults and citizens. However, we can’t have accountability for learning if we don’t have a common understanding of what we want our nation’s children to learn and research-based ways to measure their success. The arguments against it don’t make sense to me. Medicine, law, physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, etc. all have common research based and measureable standards. It makes to me sense as a long time educator, that we have core standards for what we want our children to learn.

Peabody: In the mid-1990s, education advocates began making a simple argument: National education standards will level the playing field, assuring that all high school graduates are prepared for first-year college classes or rigorous career training. The driving force behind this effort has been Microsoft and Pearson (a business that provided the electronic testing).

The movement took off in 2008, when the nation’s governors and education commissioners drove a huge effort to devise “world-class standards,” now known as the Common Core.

Performance gaps industry was experience were American students were falling significantly behind other countries such as India and China in technology related fields; engineering, computer science, bio-technologies and so forth.

To solve this problem educators and teachers developed a curriculum solution for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Enfield Public Schools added Art to the curriculum and tagged the new curriculum “STEAM”. The STEAM Curriculum more than adequately addresses industry concerns

I do not support Common Core and here is why

· The techniques for teaching math are convoluted and confusing causing students and parents significant angst

· There is an increased emphasis on non-fiction reading. This interferes with the opportunity for students to developing critical thinking skills by reading authors such as Hemingway – who wrote about the horrors for war, Mark Twain – who wrote about the injustice of racism, Faulkner, Chaucer, Miller and others are being de-emphasized by Common Core

· The Common Core program encourages states to adopt not only the Common, but also frequent, high-stakes testing. Putting undo stress on our students, teachers and parents

· A number of states that adopted the Common Core have opted out

· Governors who initially backed the standards condemn them as “shameless government overreach”

· After the rollout, between 55,000 and 65,000 New York State students opted out of taking tests linked to the Common Core. Criticizing these tests as “unproven,”

· The Chicago schools chief declared that she didn’t want Chicago students to take them

· Last year 57 percent of public school parents opposed “having teachers in your community use the Common Core State Standards to guide what they teach,” nearly double the proportion of those who supported the goals

· With the standards, the sheer volume of high-stakes standardized testing has ballooned

· Students are terrified by these tests because the results can jeopardize their prospects for advancement and graduation

· In New York, the number of students who scored “proficient” plummeted by about 30 percentage points in 2013, the first year of testing. Some 70 percent scored below the cutoff level in math and English; the 2014 results in math were modestly better, but the English language scores didn’t budge

· Within weeks after joining the Board, I testified in Hartford regarding the impact of Common Core on our schools.

LeBlanc: The fact that Common Core is still new to us I would say there are both pros and cons. A pro to Common Core that I like is that students will use several skills to answer questions rather than use one skill at a time. Another pro would be the Common Core assessments in which teachers will be able to see how an individual student is progress rather than comparing one student to another. However, a con that I see is that it requires younger students to learn much quicker and more than previously. Another con is that the adjustment to Common Core can be taxing for both the teachers and the students.

Ludwick: I do not believe standardize testing is the optimal approach to improving education. As a former football coach at Fermi High School & a current Girls basketball coach at St. Bernard School I have happily witnessed firsthand, how time, effort, motivation, accountability, and passion can help student-athletes improve their performance to levels they may not have even expected. Time, effort, passion, doesn’t cost the tax-payers a dime! We need to focus more on teaching students to think, to question, to listen, to communicate. Our local community knows what is best for our students and for the town of Enfield.

Grady: Common core is a change from No Child Left Behind which was an unrealistic goal set up by the federal government. I have seen complaints by students, parents and staff that Common Core isn’t any better than No Child Left Behind program. I think both the federal government and state need to set up guide lines to let teachers teach, and let students learn instead of teaching for tests.

Kruzel: I am not a supporter of Common Core. It does not benefit the pupils in our schools but definitely benefits the test companies. It also demonizes teachers and constrains their ability to teach the students and it is not a fiscally responsible program. The whole Common Core model should be re-evaluated before it gets fully implemented.

Question 3: What do you feel is the most important issue facing the Enfield Public Schools at this time, and if you are elected, what would be your plan to deal with it?

Unghire: At this time the most important issue will be the blending of our two high schools next fall. We are planning for a smooth transition with an element of excitement.

Grady: I feel as though the issue of budgets is most important. We need to express to the taxpayers the needs of the school system, but also understand the fiscal troubles that some families have in this town. We also need to have programs for students who don’t want to attend college.

Kruzel: The most important issue after the high school consolidation is controlling unfunded state mandates. The state passes unfunded mandates and expects the town to implement these new requirements without funding them, thus the burden is put on Enfield to pay for them, as well as implement Hartford’s ideas. With our school budget getting squeezed every year I don’t want to spend what little money we have left to fund unnecessary state mandates. I will work with our state representatives to make Hartford share in the costs of these mandates or have them rescinded.

Windsor-Post: Mrs. Windsor-Post did not respond to the questionnaire.

Sirard: The reunification of the High Schools is the most pressing issue facing the next BOE. Ensuring that the transition is as smooth as possible is the priority. To this point all the players have done a truly remarkable job and I will continue to facilitate them in their task.

LeBlanc: The budget is one of the most important issues facing Enfield Public Schools. Last year the school budget took a $2.6M shortfall with little additional funding from the town. Many teaching positions were not filled through attrition which causes bigger class sizes, issues with high school scheduling and causing teachers to move from schools. I will continue to fight for money for the school budget and continue to be vocal regarding the shortfall. I will also continue to vocalize my concern with the unfunded mandates from the state.

Ludwick: Consolidation of the high schools is the most important issue facing the Enfield Public Schools at this time. Per my answer in question 1, this would be my top priority if elected. The Board will need to stay actively engaged working directly with our school administration to make sure the consolidation is complete and successful. The high school consolidation will have to be an open agenda item over the next couple of years ensuring the Board of Education can act swiftly and timely to any potential issues that may arise.

Thurston: I feel funding, whether from the town or state level, is one of the most important issues facing the schools. By promoting awareness of the impact the budget cuts have on the schools, I hope to lobby for the funding needed to provide the children of Enfield with the quality education they deserve.

Peabody: Responsible adequate funding. The unfunded mandates that come from Hartford are the biggest stumbling block for education budgets. The residents of Enfield want to know how their tax dollars are being spent for education and is the money being applied effectively. Where are the results? I look at the school budget being foundational in our ability to deliver quality education to our children. I will continue to work on our budget process, continue clear concise communications with our students, their parents, and our community and demonstrate our successes, what we do well and where we can improve. I recognize we have a solid school system that it is on the rise. Graduates of the Enfield Public Schools typically: are accepted into the college, are entrepreneurs creating new business, go into the career of their choice, with some serving in our military. I intend to continue to recognize our successes and listen to the parents, students and community regarding Enfield schools.

Neville: The most immediate issue for the next BOE is to make sure we have a smooth and successful transition to the New Enfield High School. This will need all our support in the near future. The most important issue for the BOE is to work with all stakeholders to develop and articulate a vision of what Enfield Education should look like in the next 5-10 years. A clear vision and goals tells the community where we are headed, gives them a road map to get us there and makes them partners in meeting the educational needs of Enfield’s children. Once that is done we need to practice collaboration with the Town Council and not confrontation. We are one town, Enfield, not the Board of Education and the Town Council. This means developing a clear, common vision and then developing a long-term budget plan that makes that vision a reality for the whole town of Enfield. We need to work together. This will not be easy, but by doing this we can make both the School District and the entire Town a better place.

Question 4: Tell us as briefly as possible why Enfield residents should vote for you (NOT why they shouldn’t vote for your opponent(s).

Neville: For my whole working life, I’ve been committed to seeking the best education for Enfield’s children and parents. With 4 decades as an Enfield parent, teacher, dept. chair, administrator and 2 terms on the Board of Education, I think I have a good understanding of what it takes to improve Enfield Education. All Day K, the New Enfield High School and the Stowe Early Childhood Center are just a few of the accomplishments of the Boards I’ve been a member of the last 4 years. I feel I have a unique set of experiences and skills that make me a good fit for this position.

Peabody: In returning to Enfield 15 years ago, I have re-joined a community of great people. My two sons graduated from Enfield public schools, obtained their college are successfully pursuing their dreams. I have learned during my walking door-to-door why people love Enfield. Why they raise their children here and why they are involved in the fabric of Enfield’s greatness but I have also heard what they worry about and their concerns are for the long term.

Having the opportunity to be a listener to my neighbors and bring their thoughts to the board of education process is why I believe I am the right person for the position. During my tenure on the BOE I have learned about the budget, school issues and grand accomplishments…and I have learned that continuous changes and upgrades are necessary to keep our schools moving forward, long after many of us have moved on to other stages of our lives.

I ask for the support and vote of Enfield residents on November 3rd, because they will have a person, in me, who will work with all stakeholders in our school system and the town, listen to the thoughts and comments of all and be their voice at the BOE table. Lastly, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Enfield for all the right reasons and ask to continue as your board of education member.

Thurston: Being born and raised in Enfield this is where my heart is. I will work hard to make Enfield a town people can be proud of. A town with a great school system to support the future generations.

Ludwick: I want the voters to know that I will try to be as transparent as possible in my positions. I want the voters to know that when they use the black marker to scribble in the oval shape voting for “Michael Ludwick” on Tuesday November 3rd, that most importantly they will get a leader who is passionate about the students of Enfield. I want the voters to know that even if we disagree on a given position, that I am approachable, that I will listen & will be adaptable to others ideas, and that I look forward to working with them on the next issue….My goals are the same as theirs; to work to the very best of my ability for the students of the Town of Enfield. Great schools raise the property values of our homes! Great effort and passion improve the self - esteem & increase our student’s ability to learn and to achieve. I look forward to being a part of it!

LeBlanc: I believe that having 3 children in the school system allows me to be on the front line. I have 2 in the high school level and one in the middle school level. I feel that I can be a powerful voice for the families in Enfield being able to see what is going on in the schools.

Sirard: We have come a long way over the past six years. We have dealt with a lot of change and have done so relatively smoothly. As a member of the BOE and a member of Leadership, we have done some really remarkable thing to provide the best education we can afford. I have helped to mitigate the impact of costly new mandates, facilitated advances in communication and transparency, and helped foster inclusiveness to all our stakeholders in this community. It is my sincere wish that Enfield will allow me to continue to serve.

Windsor-Post: Mrs. Windsor-Post did not respond to the questionnaire.

Kruzel: Enfield residents should vote for me because I will work to do what I can to continue to create a great school system in town. I have run a successful business in Enfield for 27 years and have served on a catholic school board. I know how to control spending and work within budgets to make every dollar count. I believe I have a unique way of looking at problems and solve them differently. As a new face to the board, I come with new ideas to tackle challenges head on and work as a team player.

Grady: I have been on the board for four terms now, I think the residents of this town understand my passion for the public school system. The students and staff and have an understanding of what we need to give the tools for both students and know what the staff needs for educating our students. But also that I have an understanding that there is a fiscal side to when I do this.

Unghire: Enfield residents should vote for me because I am a team player whose attention is on others, especially our children. Communication between the Board, Town Council, the administration, parents and students are a key focus for me. A good listener and communicator are prized attributes that I strive for. I can work well with people of all ages and know how to glean from other people’s experiences. I have grown up in Enfield and raised my own family here as well. Let’s work together to keep Enfield a great town to live and raise our families.

Click here to see the official 2015 Enfield election ballot.