“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~Maryanne Williamson

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Whaling City Man's Top 10 Reasons To Vote

Top 10 Reasons To Vote "YES" to The Magnet School Plan
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
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3.
2. Because we said so.
1. Because we told you too.
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Top 10 Reasons To Vote "NO" to The Magnet School Plan
10. You will pay dearly in the long run.
9. Your kids may not be able to go to the school they want, even though they are New London residents, because a kid from out of town won that lottery spot.
8. Chris Clouet just made up the $61 million figure in his 21st Century Facility "Dream".
7. The Cambridge report says the schools are well maintained.
6. The City Council and the Board of Education say the schools are not well maintained. (see #7)
5. The Cambridge report says the buildings are in good shape.
4. The City Council, the Board of Education and Mr. McSparren and his editorial say the buildings are in deplorable condition. (see # 5)
3. Too many unanswered questions about percentages of out of district students vs in district students.
2. Review what happened with the new Jennings castle. What was the beginning budget???
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON TO VOTE "NO"
1. Elaine "no brainer" Maynard Adams prophetic statement to Stephen Chupaska "Why is this all about education?".

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Questions to consider in voting:
Have you toured the facilities in question before the decision?

Will it cost less to pay for renovations at New London's percent of reimbursement, by the time the project gets organized?

Do students have school choice now?

How does New London pupils' home preparation (in areas of social adjustment, ability to focus and vocabulary development) compare to those entering schools that are doing well in state assessment?

The huge disparity in these students’ readiness to learn when coming to school for their first educational experience is most of what affects them, as they move through their grades.
The low level of a family’s preparing these little ones to behave like students and understand regular vocabulary used in lessons is a burden from which very few recover.
Most appear for school 2 to 3 years behind their age, while other schools admit most students highly skilled in listening and thinking about information.
That's where averages comefrom.

Whaling City Man said...

So, anonymous, where do you stand on the issue, it seems like you gave even more reasons to vote no, because these are even more reasons why fancy new buildings will not change these facts.

Anonymous said...

If you have to have buildings and have to spend money on education-
If it's cheaper to have the state pay for renovation or new wings- let them. Renovate as new is much more expensive than new areas.

Any influx of more students with middle class values will help float the problems and help students know how to conform to society better.
I would vote yes- as you have to fix the buildings anyway, they are some of the city's greatest assets. I believe they should be used for more than one shift a day- they are community buildings. Yes, they need to be used for daily education first- but after that- let's get more use from them. The longer you wait the less the state will pay for school improvements. Do not rely too heavily on Cambridge- although it looks like the state is! They are coming from another culture visiting for parts of 4 or 5 days- those staff members living in those buildings for 25 to 35 years- know the problems better than a flash visitor.

And if 15 percent of students do not come from the burbs- what will happen? you'll pay for the renovation you had to do anyway and save int increase of construction costs at a high % each year of delay.