Petitions efforts are under way in opposition to the New London 9.4 percent tax increase due to the fact that it will raise our mill rate from 40 to 44. With this in mind, citizens should consider the report issued last Tuesday by the State Department of Education containing the current grades for every school in the state.

Sadly, this report identifies New London Publich Schools as among the worst performing districts, having the largest drop in ranking of the “worst schools” in the state. As the trailblazing first All Magnet School District, and with glowing reviews from the superintendent, we would expect our schools to jump out ahead of their past track record and away from the pack of failing schools.

We are ardent supporters of the children and teachers in our district. As such, we need to understand why this report tells a completely different story than the one promised by the New London Board of Education and the superintendent. With an overinflated central office, and rhetoric that calls for multiple directors of a single middle school at impressive salaries, we want to ensure that the Central Office is not promoting a scenario that benefits the administration rather than students and educators.

The data seems to confirm the former.

The administration’s vision for the magnet school district promised that this plan would improve the education of New London children while relieving some of the tax burden on residents. Costs to support the four pathways of the Magnet District Pathway Plan include bonding for new school construction, reopening of previously unfit schools, hiring of additional central office support staff, additional school staff and other associated costs of bringing 25 percent out-of-district students into our school buildings. Reports from the state of a poor performing school system that remains in decline require that we reassess plans and ensure the taxpayers of New London are supporting their teachers and our New London kids.

Some quick glance findings:

Below are the overall 2015-16 scores given to each Connecticut school and whether the score went up or down from 2014-15, as reported by the Connecticut Mirror. 1-100 scale.

• District wide – 58 points (down from last year 62.4)

• Jennings School– 55.8 (down from last year 56.4)

• Harbor School – 6 (down from last year 14)

• Winthrop STEM Elementary– 67 (down from last year)

• Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School– 57.6 (down from last year 64.6)

• Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School– 53.6 (down from last year 59.9)

• New London High School– 57.7 (down from last year 62.4)

The release of this information requires the following changes to be made:

• BOE and the superintendent must use this information to set revised pathway goals that prove more successful for our students and more fiscally conservative for our city. Need does not blindly convert to additional tax dollars.

• BOE and the superintendent must publicly ensure that tax dollars reach children and teachers as the first priority.

• In a time of uncertainty with the state budget, the city must create additional sources of revenue that can sustain a school program of success. Relying on 70 percent non-taxpayer funding is a recipe for disaster for the very subsidized city. We need a self-sustaining plan.

• Ensure that the pathway does not disenfranchise New London students by offering unfair access to our schools to out-of-town families in a failed quest for dollars and data. Does the blind lottery still exist with the creation of a magnet pathway? Are all New London students ensured equal opportunity to the pathway of their choice?

A complete explanation of the state’s new accountability system can be found at http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/evalresearch/nextgenfaq.pdf.

The full report is also available at http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/site/default.asp.

As chair for the New London Republican Town Committee, I encourage the community to ask questions and get involved. We support the amazing job our teachers do in our classrooms. To affect positive change in student performance the student teacher ratio must change. Smaller class sizes and a smaller central office staff is the answer. The city must support these goals with economic development.

Shannon Brenek is the New London Republican Town Committee chairperson. You can contact her at Shannon@newlondonrepublicans.com.