by Susan Cocco
I think I am experiencing déjà vu of the most unpleasant kind. Education in Ridgefield-the administration, the teachers, the curriculum and the budget are the targets of attack which looks to be conceived of by parties from a certain pachyderm party. I've seen it in Ridgefield before; I am horrified to see it again.
In the past some on the BOE and BOF members denied the student numbers and forced additional consulting analyses, which demonstrated-the same numbers! Similarly, stonewalling in the 90s of new school buildings filled every closet and portable until we built at costs far beyond what we would have incurred if we had addressed issues before they became critical. Some BOF members have wondered if a "stampede" of families with children of special needs is driving our legally-mandated responsibilities. And in the past "generational wars" pitting parents of school children against empty nesters were openly encouraged via cynically disingenuous discussions about course offerings and class size.
But I have never seen anything like the current unfettered, unrepentant politicizing of education in Ridgefield. We have a BOE chairman clearly over his head and taking the lead from his political party, so much so that he drove the BOE to vote for a different presenter for the school budget. I wonder how he got appointed in the first place. We have Republican members of the BOE who abandon their responsibility to vote in favor of mass abstentions or mass absenteeism to disenfranchise or avoid votes which do not reflect their "party" agenda. There are rumors and some eyewitness accounts aplenty of the RTC, a body which is not elected by the general voters of Ridgefield, acting like Karl Rove by calling same-party BOE members in advance of BOE meetings to influence/discuss their votes. And of course, our teachers and their curriculum choice came under attack by Mr. Karsanidi (RTC official) and cohorts when they showed an educational film, based upon globally-accepted science (An Inconvenient Truth), because, well, Al Gore hosts the film. They were disingenuous enough to suggest that the "science" was faulty. Really! ?
I believe in political parties and philosophies. I support the right of
Party members to attend public meetings and share views with elected
officials-just like other citizens. There is a role for parties in
discourse. We can provide information. We can "politick" by paying for
mailings or contacting voters-sponsorship disclosed of course. We should
question numbers and assumptions and look for meaning, balance, and
importantly, educational leadership from the BOE. But public policy and
government are not to be directed by die-hard Party operatives,
"loyalists" or officials who fear losing Party endorsement. Elected
officials are accountable to the people. We have a right to expect that
officials will listen, instead of making decisions in advance. They need
to show up for votes. Our schools are too important to our children's and
our town's future to allow these trends to go unchecked. It is time to
hold these officials accountable. It is time for parents and all
interested citizens to get involved in the issues and insure that this
behavior is not allowed to continue. And by doing so, avoid déjà vu.
The writer is a 20 year resident and the Chair of the Ridgefield Democratic Party.