Letters to the Editor

Spot redistricting

will not succeed

To the Editor:

At the Board of Education meeting on Jan. 26, Superintendant [Donald] Fiftal provided updated information regarding the number of classes at grades one through five at both Holmes and Tokeneke schools for the next five years. Included in these projections were the average class sizes at the Holmes and Tokeneke schools if the Avalon spot redistricting were to take place.

A poll has been conducted with the parents of the 30 affected children. Parents of 10 of the children have indicated they will definitely leave Avalon and either rent or buy a home in the Holmes School district if this proposal is passed. An additional half a dozen parents have indicated they will probably do the same.

Based upon my analysis of the break points of the new larger class sizes at Holmes School after this redistricting (break point is school terminology in which an additional class has to be added), only four children in fourth grade or six children in fifth grade need to enroll to scuttle this proposal. If the 10 to 16 Avalon children re-enroll in Holmes School (or other children enter the Holmes School district), there is a very strong chance that one, if not both, grades will need to add another class. The spot redistricting will not result in a $350K savings.

Only a few of the 30 children are affordable housing families. The remaining families pay market rents. Avalon Darien rents range from $38,000 to $48,000 per year for two to three bedroom units. Avalon parents can afford to either rent or buy homes in the Holmes School district. In addition, Avalon parents currently have a scheduled meeting with Avalon to explain our situation and determine if Avalon can provide flexibility with our leases.

Spot redistricting is a temporary solution that will not succeed.

Steven Chin

Darien

Thank you for supporting Liberation Programs

To the Editor:

I want to extend a heart-felt thank you to members of the Darien community who attended the Liberation Programs' breakfast forum on Friday, Jan. 29. It was a wonderful turnout and I was thrilled to see so many of our town thought-leaders represented.

Liberation Programs' Family & Youth Options is a stable and dedicated resource in Darien. The program has long-served families in this area and the organization is deeply committed to building family resilience in this town and beyond.

We all know that substance abuse is an equal-opportunity disease. As board chairwoman of Liberation Programs, I am inspired by the organization's dedication to providing quality care and to building hopes and dreams for those who seem in greatest need.

I believe that if we want to live in a strong and healthy community, we have to be an active participant in it. I rest assured knowing that Liberation Programs is working every day to help Darien families and that so many town officials and organizations share this commitment.

Sincerely,

Debra Hertz

Board Chairwoman, Liberation Programs

Budget woes lead to

parental concerns

To the Editor:

The financial pressure of containing costs in an environment of increasing enrollment at Darien High School this budget cycle has left me very concerned about the quality of the education my daughter, a sophomore, will be receiving in her final years as a student in Darien.

Specifically, the current budget proposal includes the addition of 1.25 teachers to address a two-year increase in enrollment of nearly 100 students. Principal Dan Haron had originally requested 4.05 teachers to adequately staff the additional core curriculum classes needed to accommodate the higher enrollment. The addition of only 1.25 teachers will likely result in larger class sizes which, in turn, could lead to less attention paid to individual students and their course work as well as reduced student participation in class.

I am also concerned about how teachers in writing intensive subjects like English and social studies will manage the additional time required to grade many more papers, what increasing class sizes will do to teacher morale and how our district's ability to attract and retain highly qualified teachers could be impacted.

Many of my daughter's classes, already several students larger than last year on average, are currently larger than the Board of Education's class size guideline of 18 to 22 students per class. The addition of only 1.25 teachers to support an additional 100 students will only put more pressure on class sizes.

I recognize the difficult economic environment our town currently faces. The challenge is to prioritize limited resources in a way that minimizes the impact on student instruction. Hiring enough teachers to maintain reasonable class sizes is critical to maintaining the high quality of education we have all come to expect at Darien High School.

Lisa Miller

Darien