Submitted by Dr. Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony, Republican Member of the Greenwich Board of Education
Four years ago, I ran for a seat on the Greenwich Board of Education because I thought I could help. With 27 years of experience in education, I bring a unique skill set to the Board. Despite the challenges of the last four years, our schools are moving in the right direction. I would like to continue to help and am honored to accept the RTC’s nomination for an additional two-year term.
This year’s BOE election is particularly complicated. I am running unopposed for the two-year term left from Karen Kowalski’s resignation on the Republican side.
Board members should listen more than talk. We need to be as much facilitators of community conversation as decision-makers. I start with that because what follows is a summary of my current thinking on pertinent issues. While I take my role as a listener seriously, this would be a very boring op-ed if I didn’t share my current views. Please take my opinions with the qualifier that I am committed to building consensus. I have been wrong before and reserve the right to change my mind.
We have a lot to celebrate. Last spring’s test results show that students in elementary and middle school are performing at or above pre-COVID levels. When measured by how much students grow academically in a year’s time, we were the fifth-highest performing district in the state last year. No other district in the top-five has anything close to our level of socio-economic diversity.
This speaks to the continued success of our strategic plan the Board established three years ago. We have made significant progress in developing a system of interventions that meets students where they are and addresses their specific needs. Greenwich was significantly behind other districts in several practices, particularly in special education. We are no longer.
There is much more we need to do, and the Board must continue to hold the district accountable for areas of weakness. The academic performance gap between the east and west sides of town is narrowing, but remains too stark. At the high school level, we must continue to evaluate academic and behavior interventions to ensure all students are supported where they are. I also support the replacement of any remaining curriculum associated with Lucy Calkins, whose literacy units continue to fail when subjected to rigorous scrutiny.
The school budget remains a challenge. Last spring’s budget debates made clear the real consequences of austerity. I support considering a return to later high school start times in next year’s budget. Beyond that, there are likely efficiencies to be found – conversations we are currently having with the Superintendent. Claims that the budget is all skin and bone are just as dubious as claims that it is full of waste and abuse. Several good ideas were raised last year that were worth exploring. As a Board, we need to continue identifying effective reforms now so that they are part of the proposed budget and have the Superintendent’s full support, rather than half-thought-out concepts introduced late in the game.
I reject the notion that the district is under-funding its infrastructure. No question, the previous decade saw significant inaction as superintendents came and went. Yet the steady leadership and Board action of recent years make this an outdated talking point. The past four years have seen the completion of Cardinal Stadium and a new GHS entrance, while major projects are underway at Julian Curtiss, Old Greenwich, Riverside, and Central Middle School.
After more than a decade, the Western Middle School field is now refurbished, safe, and open again. We have restructured the capital budget to systemically address maintenance issues while funding an ongoing ADA plan across the district. The next big decision will be the remodeling and likely replacement of the GHS Pool.
Besides the pool, the most significant capital concern facing the district in the future is pre-school. Pre-school is a special education program; its numbers continue to grow as more students are identified through early intervention. Last year, the Board wisely rejected building new pre-school classrooms at Riverside, which is already our largest elementary school. However, there will be a need for more space if trends continue. It is worth exploring the viability of a central hub for most of the pre-school program, as it would allow greater economies of scale for service providers and be efficient.
The current lawsuit between the Board and the town stems from a dispute around how the vacant Republican seat on the board was filled after Ms. Kowalski’s resignation. It is past time for compromise. The real cause of the dispute was the Democrat caucus’s fostering of an unacceptable candidate on the Republican caucus. Any compromise must reaffirm that deference should be given to the party with the vacancy in choosing a replacement. It is only a matter of time until the other party has a vacancy and it is reasonable that both sides should agree that it is unfair to impose an unwanted Board member on the other party.
It is also time for the Board to demand frequent night games at Greenwich High School for all sports. Our students deserve the same “Friday Night Lights” experience as other communities. Currently, the lights are only available for ten evenings throughout the entire year. There is reason to believe that the legal agreement stipulating this is outdated, as it relates to the former Cardinal Stadium and its older model lights. I support an immediate Board vote directing the Superintendent to schedule night games without limitation. Incidentally, the end of this exclusion is likely the first step in resurrecting the Greenwich High School Marching Band, something else our community is an outlier in lacking.
The Board must also talk about middle school catchments. When Central Middle School comes online next year, it will have significant space for additional students. Meanwhile, Eastern Middle School is overcrowded. There is a compelling argument that the district should reexamine catchment lines and relocate some students to Central, which will have a brand-new, undercrowded school. These are the kind of tough conversations the Board cannot shy away from. This needs to happen now, as the last thing we want to do is surprise kids and families.
Speaking of tough conversations, the Havemeyer Building is in bad shape. While I appreciate the sentiment of preserving our central office for the community, the cost of deferred maintenance to do so is a non-starter. The community conversation about the fate of Havemeyer needs to start with the fact that keeping it as a district building is too expensive. At the same time, our administration wants and deserves a safe and modern work environment. We need to be realistic about the possibilities for this important site, while identifying a permanent and contemporary home for central administration.
Our District has not gone far enough in banning cell phones in schools. Eighteen states have issued bans, pointing to the overwhelming evidence that the mere presence of them in schools inhibits learning. We took a half-measure last year, telling high school students to keep them in their backpacks. I support a full ban.
For whatever reason, the use of Hamilton Avenue Field for the annual St. Roch’s Feast is a yearly controversy. It should not be, as this is an important event for our community that must have the Board’s full support.
To reiterate, this is my current perspective on Board issues, which is only fair to share with the community as I stand for re-election. I am sure I have something wrong. I look forward to two more years of frank, honest conversations that support the continued improvement of our system and very much appreciate the honor to serve our town and its children.
A life-long Educator, Mike Mercanti-Anthony is a current Republican member of the Greenwich BOE. His writings on education have appeared in EL Magazine, Edutopia, and the Hechinger Report.