What's Wrong With Our Schools

Another year of poor CMT and CAPT scores; another year of high expulsion rates at the high school; another year of students graduating with no intention of extending their education; another year of student either unable to read or reading at a level that is below that which is expected of a high school graduate and on, and on, and on. 

Our inability to fix these problems and an apparent unwillingness by the Board and Administration to take make serious changes guarantees that we will do the same thing next year and the year after.  I believe that this can be fixed. 

If you owned a baseball team and you had professional players that weren't getting the job done do you fire the team or the coaching staff?  If you were on the Board of Directors for a large corporation and the stock holders were complaining of the loss of market share, the board would fire the CEO. 

Well that's where the Windsor Schools system is.  I have been on the Board for 4 years and am no educator; however, what I do know is the definition of insanity.  We keep doing the same thing over and over for the past 4 years expecting different results and instead nothing changes. I believe we need to replace all parties involved in this travesty. 

It starts with the Curriculum Director for the Windsor schools and that person is the Assistant Superintendent of Schools.  I have asked for that person's resignation and instead I was not given a response until I promised to make my feelings public. 

It is time for some members on the Board to get serious about the responsibility's we have been entrusted with.  It is time that we stop looking at our failing students as failures.  It is time that our goal for our kids is not to meet the failing grades of the State average but to raise expectations to a level that will instill a pride and respect in education that is quickly fading in this country and I believe is fostered by the administrators of education. 

How long are we going to sit back and watch these kids fail.  The 20% that are not going to further their education are probably going to end up as some ward of the state either through unemployment, welfare or prison.  And the 80% are going to continue their education when many of them may be at the "proficiency" level as defined by the State. 

Is our educational system rigorous enough?  I believe that public education should try to provide the best education it can, given the limits of funding that is placed on it. The teachers are made to look inept at teaching our kids, when it is the guidance and direction that is the real problem.  The guidance and direction comes from the heads of departments who get their marching orders from the administration.

Knowing that should guide you in how you plan the use of your funds and assets.  This Board and this Administration I believe have not considered either of these items.  I share in the blame for this because I am a member.  Having said that, I have also made suggestions to the Administration on what might help. Instead, I was ignored by the majority party.  I can no longer be silent about the efforts of minority members on the Board to try to fix these problems. 

Believe it or not, we are different and have ideas that are not being considered. So here we are trying to operate within the guise of being civil and working together when we are completely ignored on most majors matters. 

So are you happy with what is going on?  Do you like sending your kids to a failing school system?  Why pay to send your kid to another school system while you are still paying for them to go to Windsor?  I understand you position because I did the same thing with my youngest 20 years ago.  After having lived in this town for more than 33 years, I am no longer willing to listen to people "say don't move to Windsor because the schools there are not very good." 

When you live here you accept everything this town has to offer, which includes the schools, whether you use them or not.  If you want the schools to get better then tell the majority party they need to listen to the ideas of the Republican members.  I have been warned not to air the dirty laundry of our schools because we don't want people who might consider living here to have an ill view of the schools. 

Sorry but that horse left the gate years ago.  We need to get our heads out of the sand.  The highly publicised CAPT and CMT scores tell anyone who is interested what type of school system we are.  Our unwillingness to make serious changes should tell you what type of Board you are dealing with.  Sorry, but I am not going to sit idly by and play nice while I watch us send human beings into the world with the lie that they are prepared to take on life.