The New Britain Herald has asked the candidates in the municipal elections questions on the issues facing our communities.

Today we present a question and answer session with candidates for Plainville Board of Education.

Joseph Passaretti, Republican

366 Camp Street

Employer: Stay at home father

Education: Enrico Fermi High, Enfield, CT; CCSU

Civic and professional associations: Plainville RCT, Plainville little league coach, Plainville Colts flag football coach

Budgets were lean this year. How do you think the schools have been affected?

Unfortunately, the lean budget has caused the elimination of some sports programs and extra curricular activities. In addition, less money means the under funding or even the cutting of other school services that may not receive as much attention as the aforementioned programs do. For example, this year the late bus service for the middle school was eliminated thus putting more strain on parents trying to get their children home, meanwhile the maintenance funding needed for building upkeep received less money, just to name a few. In short, the lean budget has most certainly affected our schools. As a taxpayer, I can appreciate the small budget increase but as a parent I want my children to receive a quality, well rounded education. In order to prevent further cuts in the future, the Board of Education must manage the fixed budget costs and take a sensible, streamlined approach when it comes to those expenditures which can be controlled.

Do you think the recent school renovations have improved education?

Yes I do, but perhaps not for the same reasons that other people may think. Sure, it’s great that we have Macs and Smart boards in every classroom, but as an educator, I can tell you that unless a hierarchy of basic needs are met first, most students are incapable of learning. First, children must feel safe at school. Prior to the renovations, some school buildings were dilapidated and at least in appearance, may have seemed unsafe. Also, children (and most adults) will tell you that they cannot learn if their classroom is too hot or too cold. That issue too has been remedied. Other needs such as general cleanliness and personal space in classrooms have also been addressed. Learning is a two way street, teachers must want to teach and children need to have a desire to learn. However, unless certain basic human needs are met first, the street can be blocked and the education process fails.

What other steps would you recommend to improve the schools?

To be honest, I think that overall, the schools in town are now in very good shape. Ideally, what I would like to see is a yearly budget that allows us to better take care of them. Now that we have these beautiful, state-of-the-art learning facilities, I would like to see us keep them that way. A lot of money was spent on improving our schools and we have a choice to make; we can become complacent or proactive with regard to their future. When it comes to future improvements, we need to be responsible and selective. We should not do something just because it’s the latest fad. If it can be shown to improve education for our children or the facility, than it may have merit; however, if it’s just a case of having something because the next town over has it, than further scrutiny is needed.

Cheryl Provost, Democrat

6 Overlook Drive

Employer: CeramOptec Industries, Inc

Education: Plainville High School, Central Connecticut State College

Civic and Professional associations: Board of Education, Optical Society of America.

Budgets were lean this year. How do you think the schools have been affected?

Budget constraints have caused staff reductions that have increased class sizes and eliminated some tutors and mentors. These cuts have led to the elimination or reduction of course offerings, some sports, extracurricular activities, and several outstanding arts and science programs.

Do you think the recent school renovations have improved education?

The renovations have improved education for the children. They are learning in a healthy environment with state of the art technology. The world today is a very different place than it was even a few years ago. Information travels at the speed of light and our children must be comfortable with advancing technology in order to succeed. A teacher in one of our classrooms today can pull information from the worldwide web to illustrate a lesson or idea in seconds. The daily use of technology makes it a comfortable concept for the students and prepares them for the global, digital society in which we now live.

What other steps would you take to improve the schools?

The maintenance of class size is important in order for our children to attain high levels of achievement in English, math, and science. I would like to see world language classes with enough hours for students to achieve proficiency levels (we are well below the required hours), increased opportunities for arts education, and extracurricular activities that allow our students to grow and learn outside the classroom.

Andrea Saunders (Republican)

55 Fawn Drive

Employer: ICONN Computer Services, Inc.

Education: B.S. in Accounting from the University of Florida

Civic Org: Active member of the RTC in Plainville

www.plainvillerepublicans.org

Budgets were lean this year. How do you think the schools have been affected?

In Plainville our school budget was kept to a minimum increase thereby causing the administrators to layoff teachers and the school to cut some student programs. Fall cheerleading was cut from the High School, school lunch fees were raised and the Bushnell program was eliminated from all schools. These were hard decisions that had to be made during hard times. With my background in accounting I hope to help the school administration reinstate some of these lost programs.

Do you think the recent school renovations have improved education?

Renovating a building or laying a new driveway does not mean that education will improve. It’s the addition of new books and qualified teachers, willing to inspire their students, which will improve education.

What other steps would you recommend to improve the schools?

On the fiscal side we should combine town and school services, so we can be as efficient as possible. On the academic side we should work to improve students test scores so they will be better equipped to compete in the world, whether at a university or in the workplace.

Becky Tyrrell, Democrat

174 West Main St.

Employer: Middlesex Healthcare Center, Middletown

Education: AS in Applied Science from Briarwood College

Civic and Professional associations: Past President Toffolon PTO, Past Vice President, Middle School of Plainville, Plainville Community School Volunteer of the Year 1999 - 2000, Past Co-Chair of the Relay for Life of Plainville, 15+ Gallon Blood Donor

Budgets were lean this year. How do you think the schools have been affected?

Budget reductions have impacted every aspect of the school system. Staff reductions have increased class sizes, especially at the High School. Programs have been scaled back that reduce options for gifted students and opportunities for all students.

Do you think the recent school renovations have improved education?

The environment in which we go to school and work matters. The newly renovated buildings provide access to technology that would not have been possible previously. Our school buildings are something to be proud of and Plainville students can see that our community values education.

What other steps would you take to improve the schools?

As a member of the Plainville Board of Education for the past eight years, I am proud of what we have accomplished. We still have work to do to continue preparing students for the work force of the future. The years ahead will continue to be very difficult due to continued state budget problems. However we can’t afford to delay progress, this will require that we continue to be proactive and creative to meet the needs of students with programs such as Project Opening Doors.

Failed to respond

Stanley Graff, Republican

Myles Bickl;ey, Republican

Kirby Dugan, Democrat