NORTH STONINGTON SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH MEETING SET
North Stonington — A Thursday evening focus group has been scheduled to give parents and community members an opportunity to brainstorm and offer comments about the school district’s superintendent search.
This is the last year Natalie Pukas will serve as superintendent of schools; the district has hired the New England School Development Council (NESDEC) to aid in the search for Pukas’ replacement.
Two consultants from NESDEC — James Connelly and Carolyn Burke — will attend the 6:30 p.m. meeting to hear community input about the attributes, experiences and desired goals for a new superintendent, according to a release from the school district.
The event, at the Wheeler High/middle School media center, will take about 1 or 1 ½ hours. Feedback will be used by the Board of Education as it interviews semifinalists and finalists for the position.
All are welcome to attend. Those unable to attend should direct written comments to James Connelly, NESDEC, North Stonington Superintendent Search, 28 Lord Road, Marlborough, MA 01752, or via email to search@nesdec.org.
02/07/2012
Testa’s letter on Wheeler High School has facts wrong
The Sun...Letter to the Editor
In response to Bob Testa’s letter to the editor concerning Wheeler High School and the feasibility study, I believe he is wrong on several issues: 1) Testa’s claim that the Board of Education was surprised by Chairman Robert’s letter is wrong. According to the Nov. 9, 2011, minutes, “Dr. Robert made a motion that was seconded by Mr. Scarchilli to send a letter to the Selectman stating we will keep our students at Wheeler High School.” Unfortunately, when this letter was presented at the next meeting, it was voted down by Testa, Hundt, Mendolia and even Scarchilli (who was in favor of it at the last meeting).
2) Testa’s claim that we cannot offer academic and extra-curricular activities like other schools is wrong. Our teachers and administrators provide the highest quality, safest and most caring educational environment in the county, bar none.
3) Testa’s claim that the cost to run the high school is over $4.8 million per year is inaccurate. Because our middle school and high school share the same building and many of the same resources, teachers and administrators, you first need to subtract the entire cost of running a middle school, as well as maintaining and renovating its building.
4) Testa is correct when he says there is an emotional connection to Wheeler, but he is wrong again when he says the decision cannot be influenced by emotion. Without Wheeler High School, North Stonington forever loses its purpose, its center, and its ability to educate our children.
It’s time for our board to support our high school and stop the vicious rumors that are paralyzing our community......Stephen Reck North Stonington
02/09/2012
Town’s tax base shrinks by 16%
■ High-end homes lose value; North Stonington finance board calls for flat budget.
By LESLIE ROVETTI, Sun Staff Writer
N. STONINGTON — The recent property revaluation has dropped the town’s grand list by nearly $100 million, according to the chairman of the Board of Finance. Speaking at a joint meeting of the boards of selectmen, finance and education, Chairman Dan Spring explained that the grand list, a list of the town’s taxable property values, declined by about 16 percent.
The grand list last year, based on 2010 values, was $625,589,856. With the new values for 2011, the total for the 2012-13 budget is $526,325,716.
“It demonstrates the depth of this negative economic downtown,” Spring said. In order to collect the same amount of taxes, the tax rate would need to increase from the the current $20.29 per $1,000 of property value to $24.12, Spring noted.
First Selectman Nicholas Mullane said that the change isn’t necessarily a tax increase but a redistribution. He said much of the decline occurred in the market value of very expensive homes in town, while the value of commercial properties remained the same. The value of some smaller homes went up.
Most people won’t see major changes in their taxes as a result of the revaluation, Spring said. Speaking to the boards of s
lectmen and education, Spring said the finance board wants them both to present flat budgets this year, and requested that they look for efficiencies and ways to leverage opportunities to save money. Overall, the town is in good financial shape, he added, and its bond rating is now A1, up from A2. “We are still considered prime,” he said, with “superior repayment ability. For a town of our size, that’s commendable.” [In the Moody’s ratings service, which uses the A1 and A2 grades, the prime, or highest quality rating, is Aaa; the A1 and A2 grades would be of upper medium quality.] The selectmen don’t have their preliminary budget, Mullane said, because the board is still collecting requests from town departments. It appears, though, that the combined budget requests are up about 5 percent from last year’s nearly $6 million spending plan.
“We’re looking at additional cuts to save money,” he said, adding that the town has already cut services at the landfill.
Darren Robert, chairman of the Board of Education, said the board hasn’t begun discussing the budget yet, but the starting point is a 4.8 percent increase. The school budget last year was $12 million.
lrovetti@thewesterlysun.com
Occupant escapes camper fire at NS campground
By Sun Staff
NORTH STONINGTON — A fire that started in a camper at the Mystic Kampground of America at 118 Pendleton Hill Road resulted in injuries to an unidentified occupant.
The North Stonington Fire Department was called to the campground at about 7 p.m., Thursday, when the fire inside the camper was reported. The sole occupant was out of the camper when firefighters arrived on the scene The man, according to reports, was taken to The Westerly Hospital Thursday night by North Stonington Ambulance where he was treated for smoke inhalation. A second, also unidentified occupant of the trailer, was not on the scene when the fire started, according to officials. Officials said the inside of the camper is a loss. Firefighters took about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire. An investigation into the cause of the fire continues.
Planimetrics hired to consult town on affordable housing
By THE SUN STAFF
N. STONINGTON — The town’s affordable housing committee has hired Planimetrics, a planning and zoning consulting firm in Avon, Conn., to help create a comprehensive housing strategy to identify and address the town’s need for affordable housing.
Planimetrics will review current housing policies, perform a needs-assessment analysis, identify ways to fill housing gaps and eliminate obstacles to creating affordable housing. The group will also research funding for affordable- housing construction projects, and review existing zoning and subdivision regulations and the permitting process. Once completed, the plan will contain an implementation table that identifies each task, the person or group who will complete the task and a timeline for completion. Information from the plan will be used to update the housing section of the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development. The North Stonington Affordable- Housing Committee was formed in 2010 to investigate the development of affordable housing for town residents and employees. Its work includes education, community outreach, identifying sites for an incentive housing zone, recommending design standards, developing an inventory of existing housing to determine specific housing needs, conducting a market feasibility study, and investigating propertytax abatement in exchange for deed restrictions on houses or apartments. The committee meets the fourth Thursday of each month in Wheeler High School’s media center.
Anyone wishing to participate in this project can contact senior planning and zoning official Juliet Leeming at 860-353-2877 ext. 27. For more information, visit northstoningtonct.gov/Pages /NStoningtonCT_BC/AHC/i ndex.
Robert Testa Responds to Stephen Reck's Letter to the Editor
I would like to respond to the recent letter submitted by Stephen Reck. The following comments are to address inaccuracies in Mr. Reck’s letter and in no way advocate for closing Wheeler. Mr. Reck’s comments describing the circumstances surrounding the letter presented by Chairman Robert are wrong and he selectively cites a portion of the minutes from the meeting on November 9, 2011. Here is the exact wording from those minutes; “Dr. Robert made a motion that was seconded by Mr. Scarchilli to send a letter to the Selectmen stating we will keep our students at Wheeler High School. It was brought up to do this vote when the full Board is here. There was further discussion. Board members had comment. Dr. Robert tabled his motion. A letter will be drafted stating the Board’s position.” If Mr. Reck wants to quote minutes he should put the full statement. There was never a vote on the motion or approval of the letter by the board nor was there a draft letter provided by the chairman as agreed upon. Mr. Reck is wrong when he insinuates the board knew of the letter that was produced and had approved it.
Mr. Reck attempts to claim that North Stonington can offer the same academic, extra- curricular and athletic choices as other school districts. We offer suitable choices for a district our size and do the best we can with the resources we have. Mr. Reck appears to be in denial of the facts if he thinks we can offer just as many choices as larger districts. This is just common sense and is verified in the Feasibility Study comparisons. Once again he is wrong.
Mr. Reck has no documentation or knowledge base to challenge financial numbers with regard to operational costs for the high school as is evident by his comments. He makes his own assumptions without any knowledge of the operation and has no legitimate data to support his position. The numbers I referenced were the operational costs recently provided for just the high school. Again, he is wrong on the issue.
Mr. Reck does not seem to have an understanding of the challenges facing our school system, which probably explains why he has never offered any solutions or suggestions. His continued attempt to distract from the real issues with emotional pleas does not help preserve our current school system and only adds to the current hysteria. If Mr. Reck truly cares about this issue he should start attending meetings to become a productive part of the process and stop exploiting the emotional portion of this issue.
Respectfully,
Bob Testa
02/13/2012
The Republic
AP NORTH STONINGTON, Conn. — Members of the Eastern Pequot Tribe in southeastern Connecticut are seeking a recall vote for the entire tribal council after the council chairman disavowed a lawsuit seeking federal recognition of the tribe.
See all stories on this topic »
02/13/2012
STATE OFFICIALLY SIGNS OFF ON NEW WYASSUP LAKE DAM
John Wiellette, President of Wyassup Lake Association, advised that work will begin on a new dam on Wyassup Lake this week (February 14, 2012). "I want to offer a special thanks to First Selectman Nicholas Mullane, State Senator Andrew Maynard and his assistant Taylor Somerville for all their help in seeing this project to the starting gate.
02/14/2012
Elderly-homeowners program application period has begun
The Sun
N. STONINGTON — The application period for the elderly-homeowners program has started. Any person who is 65 years old as of Jan. 1, 2012, or who has a Social Security disability letter stating they were disabled before Jan. 1, 2012, can apply.
The program is based on income.
The maximum income that a single person could earn in 2011 including Social Security was $32,300. The maximum income that a married couple could earn in 2011 including Social Security for both persons was $39,500.
The program requires that reapplying every two years. Letters were sent out to everyone who currently on the program and who needs to reapply this year. If you are on the program and did not receive a letter asking you to reapply, it is not your year to do so.
02/14/2012
Building a better town meeting
Mystic River Press Editorial
THE TOWN MEETING IS A NEW ENGLAND tradition, one allowing people to truly participate in the democratic process in their communities
Of course, much has changed since the town meetings of the colonial era, and even small towns with traditional outlooks have adjusted. So it should be no surprise that a bipartisan group in North Stonington proposed eight changes to the way Town Hall and residents interact, especially when it comes to town meetings.
Instead of altering the nature of the town meeting, which certainly reflects North Stonington’s character, the group is seeking to enhance it. Longtime First Selectman Nicholas H. Mullane II, who knows as much as anyone about how the town works, agreed that most of the ideas are worth considering.
“This is well worth additional effort to keep people happy,” Mullane said.
Information about upcoming town meetings is only sometimes posted on the town’s website. It should consistently be shared with residents online and in other manners, as requested by the group.
Having a trained group of potential moderators would also be helpful at town meetings, although Mullane noted there is no guarantee any of them would be chosen by electors.
We feel the town should work toward greater transparency and take advantage of improving technology. It should be easy for residents and property owners to take part in or follow developments in town government.
The group of citizens who came together to make the proposals are acting in the spirit of democracy and open government. Hopefully, this is only the beginning of their efforts.
We’re sure there are many other bipartisan concerns in town that could be addressed and constructive suggestions that could emerge.
The first selectman did caution, however, that making the changes through ordinance could prove a problem. Codifying them could bog down meetings in procedure, he warned.
In addition, some of the changes could prove costly. Mullane has been very careful with the town’s money over the years, and rightfully so. Any costs that would be incurred by making the changes should be understood in advance.
We recommend that Mullane work with the citizens’ group to find ways to bridge the gap between the current system and the proposals, making the changes where possible and considering alternate policies as needed.
02/17/2012
Wheeler Oxfam Club hopes to fill up empty bowls
By LESLIE ROVETTI , Sun Staff Writer
N. STONINGTON — Life may be a bowl of cherries for some, but for others, the bowls are often empty at mealtime.
Wheeler High School’s Oxfam Club would like to fill those bowls for hungry people by hosting an Empty Bowls Project fundraiser on Thursday, Feb. 23 at North Stonington Congregational Church, 89 Main St., from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The Empty Bowls Project is a nationwide grassroots antihunger effort that integrates art, food and fundraising. For a donation of $5 and two items of non-perishable food, hygiene or cleaning products, attendees will receive a dinner of soup and bread, as well as a handcrafted clay bowl as a reminder of those whose bowls are chronically empty.
It was art teacher Sue Starr who came up with the idea, said Oxfam Club advisor and English teacher Jessica Sullivan. Starr’s students have been making the bowls, and students in Jill Skidgell’s cooking class will be making simple soups to serve that night.
With additional help from many faculty members, particularly English teacher Marybeth Tavares and media specialist Maureen Rust, much of the school community is involved in the project.
The dinner will also include speakers from the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center, Mystic Area Shelter & Hospitality and the Old Lyme Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry. The first three organizations serve local residents, and the fourth has had a relationship with the Oxfam Club for several years. Sullivan said she had trouble finding a soup kitchen that would allow a group of teenagers to regularly volunteer, but found that the soup kitchen in Old
Junior Chanda Sellon of Wheeler High School handcrafts a clay bowl for Thursday’s Empty
Lyme does. Club members have been working there since the club was formed more than three years ago. Donations collected at the Empty Bowls Project fundraiser will be divided among the organizations that have been invited to speak.
Tickets can be purchased at the door, or in advance from Sullivan at the high school. She can be reached at sullivanj@northstonington.k12.ct.us.Visit emptybowls. net to learn more about the empty bowls project.
lrovetti@thewesterlysun.com
02/18/2012
Wheeler principal using Facebook to keep parents
up to date, in the loop
By LESLIE ROVETTI / Sun Staff Writer | Posted: Monday, February 20, 2012 11:00 am
That letter to home from school, often found crumpled at the bottom of a backpack, is no
longer the only way Wheeler High School/Middle School communicates with parents.
Principal Christopher Sandford created a Facebook page this month, appropriately titled
"Principal Christopher Sandford," to make it easier for parents to know what's happening at school.
He started the page to bring instantaneous information to parents. Older methods can take
more to inform parents and are "so behind the times," he said. However, traditional means
or a day of communication, like letters home, will continue. The Facebook page is an adjunct and not a replacement, Sandford noted.
Using his smart phone, Sandford said he can take pictures of interesting happenings at
Wheeler and immediately post them to Facebook. "A lot of positive things happen in this building every day," he said.
His most recent posts include a picture of the junior class' carnation sale, a notice that a
dance will be canceled due to inclement weather, and a link to an article about Wheeler's athletic programs.
The 68 friends he had of this writing include parents, faculty and staff, and alumni. He has
denied students who want to friend his page, with the exception of two seniors, because
the district does not yet have a policy about electronic communications with students, he said.
Wheeler already communicates with parents electronically through an application called
PowerSchool, available on the school's website. After logging in to PowerSchool, parents
can access their children's grades, down to the marks they received on homework
assignments. The PowerSchool portal can also be used to communicate with teachers.
Although it has increased contact between parents and teachers, it's only about grades, Sandford said.
The school district needs to keep current with technology, Sandford said; otherwise, it's in danger of becoming a museum. "We have to remain relevant," he said.
He's found that other officials, such as Stonington First Selectman Edward Haberek Jr., also use Facebook for communication.
Now that he's begun using Facebook, will he also open a Twitter account for Wheeler?
"One step at a time," he said.
02/20/2012
