To the Editor:
[Editor's Note: attached YouTube video here.]
A little over a year ago, as I began to get more involved in local issues, I started hearing about a new magnet school coming to Trumbull.
Occasionally I would see an article in the CT Post or the Trumbull Times about negotiations with Bridgeport or the state. Last spring, I ran across a mean-spirited letter to the editor of Trumbull Patch by Town Councilman Chad Ciocci declaring “Proposed Magnet School ‘Bad’ for Trumbull.”
As I tried to find out more about this project, I discovered that Trumbull citizens were not being kept up to date by our officials.
I wanted to know why the school is being built, why in Trumbull? How was the seat allocation determined? What other districts were participating, and how were they chosen? What will the cost of construction be, how much will the state fund and what will it cost Trumbull? What will the annual tuition costs be, what will Trumbull taxpayers pay and what will the state pay?
How would Trumbull benefit from having this school built in our town? What educational and financial benefits would we have gained from the 150 seats we were to have had? How did we lose 100 seats?
And why did the town walk away from the nearly $20 million we were to have received?
While these questions went unanswered the local press seemed to focus on the tug-of-war between Trumbull and Bridgeport over what have to be secondary issues: emergency services, road upgrades and concerns over how this project would affect the area's residents.
Almost nowhere did I see any detailed information about what this school would look like, what the curriculum would be and what the possible benefits might be for Bridgeport, Trumbull and the surrounding communities.
With some research I discovered what a gem the Multi-Magnet school would be:
- $126 million, state-funded, state of the art Multi-Magnet high school to fulfill requirements of the Sheff v. O'Neill decision
- The largest school infrastructure project in Connecticut state history
- 21st century curriculum focusing on three areas:
- Information technology – in conjunction with Sacred heart University
- Zoological studies – with the Beardsley Zoo
- Physical science, math and aerospace – learning and internship programs with GE, Sikorsky and other similar companies
- 1500 Students Grades 9-12
- 70 percent from Bridgeport
- 30 percent split between Trumbull, Easton, Fairfield, Shelton, Stratford, Monroe and Milford
- LEED certified Green Building
- Powered by wind turbines and solar panels
- Green roof and green building materials
- Energy-efficient mechanical systems
- Completely landscaped using vegetation found on site
Though I do not live near the school, curiosity drove me to attend a recent citizen’s forum hosted by Republican Town Councilmen Chad Ciocci and Tony Scinto (see ). It was a poorly attended, but well run meeting that allowed the school's neighbors to air concerns about its construction and the impact it may have on their homes and on the community.
But I was stunned to realize that while there had been neighborhood opposition for years, none of those who attended the meeting had ever seen so much as a picture of the school. Nor did they have any idea of its characteristics or the unique curriculum it will offer.
After viewing architects' renderings and understanding the benefits it will provide Trumbull students, Trumbull schools and Trumbull taxpayers, most were very impressed – one mother of a 15-month old even looked forward to when her child could attend.
It became obvious that town officials and the traditional media had failed our citizens. The real story of the Fairchild-Wheeler Multi-Magnet High School remains to be told.
Likewise not told and not well understood by most of our residents is the story of how this $126 million gift from the state of Connecticut has been bungled by our town officials. I decided to employ a different medium to try to convey what I feel is the real story of the magnet school that could have been a crown jewel for Trumbull.
Doug Sutherland
That said once i realized that it was going to be built there I wanted Trumbull to get the best deal possible for our students , taxpayers and to have some control over the remaining woodlands. How ever this was not to be Tim Herbst's method of conflict governing proved a losing hand.
If tim gets in for two more years, then the town will see the enormity of the ineptitude that is running this town; I include GOP Town council reps. in this statement - they shamelessly rubber stamped him, clearly not bothering to feret out the details before they voted. They are not worthy or re-election. The BOF handling of the budget was a disaster. The BOE was forced to hire an atty. - imagine, because the GOP was shamelessly, and illegally, overstepping its mandate. The eroding of rights by intimidation and re-writing the Charter is extremely scary. The GOP mentality is 'we're right, so we can do whatever we want.' It is extreme tunnel vision and it is very dangerous. This is NOT leadership. Trumbull, WAKE UP.
His tenure has not been without its shortcomings. His handling of the proposed magnet high school on the Trumbull-Bridgeport line has been flawed, even up to his most recent request to the city of Bridgeport to cease and desist on construction. As originally planned, the state-of-the-art science magnet school would have been in Trumbull and presented an excellent opportunity for regional cooperation. Trumbull's reluctance to let the school move forward resulted in the state stepping in and redrawing the boundary so as to put the school site inside the limits -- and control -- of the city of Bridgeport. Also somewhat troubling are the persistent accusations of intimidation against the first selectman. While sharp elbows and capability in close combat are skills that every successful politician carries in his or her pack, using them unnecessarily only dulls their effectiveness. Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Herbst-earns-nod-for-a-second-term-2252615.php#ixzz1cqBZ5C5W
You need to recognize that Trumbull is a suburb of Bridgeport, and our fortunes are inextricably tied in important ways. Most critically the impending sewage treatment issues, but also regional education, and property values. How would our home values over the last decade have been effected without the Arena and Harbor Yard stadium? Taking an isolationist approach by shifting the town border won't make Fairchild-Wheeler a better or worse school, but Trumbull's not taking a leadership role in an important regional project certainly didn't help the school's chances. And more selfishly, it seems to have drastically hurt the chances for some of our town's students.
However, I hope that the state will also turn its attention to the existing tech schools, such as Bullard Havens, in Bridgeport. These schools which seem to be struggling for proper funding, provide a key career alternative for Bridgeport students, focusing on sought after technical skills such as carpentry, and electrical. These skills are just as important to a successfully functioning society as doctors, lawyers, and accountants.
This letter by me and it's timing is for political purposes. We have an important election coming up Tuesday and I want the town to understand what we lost and what else we might lose if we continue with the current leadership in Trumbull. Bad decisions have been made these last two years and for all the wrong reasons. We can't afford two more years of politically motivated governance. The magnet school is still going to be located in exactly the same place and it will still be run by Bridgeport. All the problems we were worrying about (traffic, emergency response, safety, environmental damage, etc.) are still there - except we now have no control and no money (millions of dollars) coming to us to mitigate these problem. All we can do now is take our neighbor Bridgeport to court - running up more legal bills and further antagonizing a neighbor that we will need when we begin to tackle our next big issue - sewer regionalization. We also have fewer seats at this state-of-the-art school for our students. How is that good for the Town of Trumbull? How is any of this good for the taxpayers of Trumbull?
There's no Thornton slam campaign being run. Just a campaign to point out the facts. If that feels like a slam, I'm sorry.
I also agree with the brownfields comment above. There was no reason to rip up those woods.
The brownfield comment misunderstands the point of a magnet school. By placing the new school on a brownfield site, would we likely get the diversity we seek to improve educational equality. How many Trumbull parents would want to send their kids to a Bridgeport brownfield site? Just like some people's suggestions that Trumbull should not be taking any seats from the kids in Bridgeport. That would again not result in the diversity magnet schools are based on. Without diversity, without everyone invested in this project and without all our communities working to make it success, it well could become just another failed Bridgeport school, Unfortunately, Trumbull has not distinguished itself thus far with our lack of support for what could be a huge asset for everyone in the community.
Tell me one thing that Hartford has done for Trumbull for free. They take huge taxes and return virtually nothing. We will be paying not only our share for this school but Bridgeports share too. Nothing from Hartford is Free, however our Democrats feel it is. Yet we are the most taxed state in the country with the latest Tax Independence day in the Country. ( http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxfreedomday ) to pay for Hartford and the Democrats. We might have 10 years of free students but after that we will be paying over $20,000 per child which comes to $2,000,000 in 2011 dollars, it will be much more in 2021. Nothing is for Free, let alone from Hartford.
That should be the focus - not creating, managing and paying for another magnet school. Let Bridgeport handle it's own problems - they certainly tax their people enough.
The like-new renovation at THS has nothing to do with updating curriculum, as far as I know. This was a huge fumble by Mr. Herbst, that will cost us dearly in terms of our education budget and the opportunity for a cutting-edge science education for 150 of our students per year.
Vote Row A on Tuesday. We can't afford two more years of leadership like this!
On the contrary, this school will be state-of-the-art offering a curriculum not available at Trumbull High School. Not only will Trumbull parents want to send their kids there, there is currently a waiting list to get Trumbull kids into the other Bridgeport magnet schools. Unfortunately, before our FS bungled the deal, we could have sent 150 students to the school each year. Now it will only be 50. And if you are worried about Bridgeport students affecting the town ranking, I'm sure there will be testing requirements for Bridgeport students to get into this magnet school. Yes, the school construction is moving right along, but what could have been the pride of Trumbull is now in Bridgeport and Trumbull lost 49 acres of land and millions of dollars for upgrades to town services. The entire sad story is detailed at this link provided in the Editor's Note in the original article: http://youtu.be/2PU3lMArj4I.