N. Stonington needs the facts on its schools

At a recent meeting, the North Stonington Board of Education voted not to approve a letter proposed by Chairman Darren Robert that would end any further work on a feasibility study about the future of the school system and its high school. In creating the letter, the chairman had no input from other board members and it was not provided to the board prior to its public reading.

I fear my position voting against adoption of the letter, and my push to pursue a more accurate study, have raised concerns and led to confusion. I take this opportunity to address those concerns and clarify my position.

I am not advocating for the closure of our schools. I have always fought to provide the best education possible for our children, while fulfilling my obligation to taxpayers. I believe efforts should be focused on preserving our current school system by making informed decisions. Only in that way can the town meet the needs of its children now and into the future.

This does not mean ignoring the challenges facing our schools. The school board has received zero budget increases for the past two years and will probably be faced with a third straight zero increase. Our enrollment has seen significant declines and North Stonington is unable to provide the variety of academic, extra curricular and athletic programs offered by larger schools. The board is continually faced with the challenges of meeting changes in educational mandates and there is a clamor for a major building project. In light of these facts the board has an obligation to explore all options.

The intent of the feasibility study was to present an independent evaluation and inform the residents of the current status of the school system, provide a comparison to other schools, and help guide the board in deciding how to best meet the educational needs of its high school students - by investing in its existing high school or sending students to other high schools in the region. This information is one piece of data and was never meant to be the determining factor or looked at in isolation.

Unfortunately, the school district provided erroneous financial numbers and information for the study. I understand that there is an emotional connection to Wheeler High School and I also understand that there are those who are concerned about future employment. These are not reasons to make a study, which we paid for, rendered invalid by providing erroneous data.

Those hired to complete the study were informed that the cost of operating the high school was $2,724,138. Recent information provided by the superintendent's office shows that the actual cost for operating the high school is more than $4.8 million per year. The study reported yearly savings of $20,368 to $436,530, however, by using the true operational costs, the savings could actually be $2 million to $2.4 million annually and these figures do not include the cost of any building project.

I must stress that any decision should be based on a multitude of factors, not just financial. However, we must acknowledge that finances are always a concern when utilizing taxpayer dollars. There is no need to manipulate the data if there is such confidence that we offer the best educational option. The board and administration must be prepared to withstand any scrutiny and justify the added costs to the taxpayers.

North Stonington can only have stability within its school system and community if elected officials are honest and transparent about the situation the town faces. Myself and other board members have been criticized for insisting that the study information be truthful and accurate. The motives of those individuals who seem to be afraid of the truth should be questioned, not those of us who are trying to properly represent this community.

North Stonington residents need all the facts before deciding such an important issue. If that happens, I will support whatever decision is made.

Bob Testa is a member of the North Stonington Board of Education and a recent candidate for first selectman.