Greenwich Free Press (https://greenwichfreepress.com/tag/board-of-education/)
“Even if the BOE budget is fully funded, the total number of K-12 General Education teachers will have been reduced by 30 (~4.3%) since the 2022-23 school year, a combination of proactive cuts by the BOE and a reduction in Title I and other grant funded positions. In the approved budget, our GenEd student / teacher ratios are expected to rise again next year, with K-5 classrooms having their largest average class size since 2019.” – Doug Fenton Continue Reading →
On Monday a complaint landed in superior court in Stamford with First Selectman Fred Camillo and the Town of Greenwich listed as plaintiffs and the Board of Education and its four Democratic members – Karen Hirsh, Laura Kostin, Sophie Koven and Kathleen Stowe – listed individually as defendants. Republican Jen Behette is described in the complaint as “purported BOE member (via an unlawful appointment),” and is also named as a defendant. Continue Reading →
During a Board of Selectmen special meeting, the 3-person board voted 2-1 in favor of seeking a temporary restraining order challenging the legality of the Board of Education’s meetings since Oct 21, 2024. In response the BOE chair pushed back, saying, “We are the Board of Ed, not the Board of Fred, and were elected to work for the children, parents, and residents of this school district, not the First Selectman.” Continue Reading →
During public comment GEA president Lil Perrone said she was very disappointed with recent events. “I’m personally tired of hearing about ‘the will of the people.’…At our town hall your actions, words and the decisions you are making are hurting our students and our staff. Staff morale is down. This is part of it. You need to get your house in order and start making decisions that are best. Let our Board of Education do their job. Let our teachers who are educators do their job. People who know nothing about education need to stay in their lane.” Continue Reading →
“I know you have the votes because there’s four of you and three of us, but in a small town, bi-partisan system like us, this is not how it’s supposed to work. This is a level of parliamentarian moves worthy of Mitch McConnell. Just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should.” – Dr. Michael-Joseph Mercanti-Anthony Continue Reading →
“It doesn’t feel right to go and scrap an expensive geothermal system…It feels morally wrong to throw away a geothermal system.” – Board of Education member Kathleen Stowe Continue Reading →
At Thursday’s meeting, the BOE voted 5-1 to approve a 2% raise for Schools Chief Jones. Acting chair Hirsh discussed next steps in filling the vacancy on the board. Dr. Jones said there were strong community concerns about traffic given the upcoming 18-month North St Bridge replacement project. Continue Reading →
“Has any work been done to see the true cost of repairs, bringing the building up to code and ADA compliant? It is a gem of a space. There’s so many ways we can use that space to share with members of the community.” – Karen Hirsh Continue Reading →
“At a time when our schools literally need to be rebuilt, Ms. Kowalski tore down the reputation of our schools. ” – Jim Finn is a resident of Cos Cob and is an RTM District 8 member. His opinions are obviously his own. Continue Reading →
“…the Schools administration is arguing that the only way to meet the BET guidance is to cut services. As usual, they pick services that have a vocal advocacy group to raise a fuss in the hope that they will keep the proposed increase. They seem to do this every year.” – Brian Raney Continue Reading →