Paul Stansel for Board of Ed

It’s always good to be out campaigning and get asked what I really think we need to do.  Too often people just smile and nod and take the campaign lit and then probably forget about me :).  So if I’m knocking on your door and you are interested PLEASE ask me questions.  If I can’t answer them I’ll get you answers.

Now… what do I think we need?  We need to work on Pre-K and K education.  Too many of our children start off their school careers vastly unprepared with just the basic skills.  Ask any Kindergarten or 1st grade teacher and they can all give you horror stories about kids who don’t have any idea how to read, write, or even know their alphabet.  They start so far behind the curve and there is just no way in classroom sizes like we have now that they will ever catch up.  I want to see full day kindergarten offered again at all of the schools.  I think it was a serious blow when it was cut, and we should work hard to restore it.  And I think the existing Pre-K program needs to be expanded.  Right now it is bursting at the seams and cannot accept more students.

But let’s not put this burden solely on our teachers.  We NEED more parental involvement.  If you are involved with your PTO in any significant way, you know that by the time May roles around those 25 eager parents you started with are down to the same four or five who end up doing it all.  We need volunteers not just for the PTO, but to actually come in to the schools and do simple things like read to our children.  All of the elementary schools have guest reader programs, but so few people volunteer.  You don’t have to be a parent to be involved!  Get out to the PTO events, volunteer to help in a classroom, whatever you can.  A half hour every week can make a significant difference in the school system.

And on that note, I want to get our Middle and High School students more involved with community business.  We have a wealth of current and retired business people here in Vernon.  Let’s bring in guest speakers to the classrooms, run more internship programs with local businesses, and just generally make a commitments as a community to make our schools a priority. 

I want to stop the drain of students and resources to the magnet schools, not by forbidding it but by addressing the concerns of those parents who choose to take their kids out.  Why are the Vernon schools not meeting their needs?  It is far cheaper for us as a town to figure those problems out than to send our students to other school systems.  Let’s find the issues, fix them, and keep Vernon’s children here in our own schools.

Those are just some quick-hit thoughts on my top issues.  Please, if you have specific questions, ask me.  And I hope I can get your vote on November 3rd.

-Paul

Thanks for taking the time to visit my website.  In the run up to the election, I am going to be using this as a means to distribute my views.  But more than that I really want to hear from you.  What are your issues?  What concerns do you have?  Where do you disagree with me?  We all need to elevate the discussion in Vernon politics beyond simple rhetoric and to a place where we can have honest discussion.  Difference of opinion is fine, but argument just for the sake of arguing is a waste of our time.

In towns across Connecticut, voters are feeling the economic pinch.  I know this is an issue, and maybe your primary issue.  I understand that people worry about advocating for school reform because it inevitably leads to higher taxes.  I want to work with you and any interested person to change that.  I want to see much more community involvement in the school systems.  We need more volunteers to help out in the elementary schools.  More parents to be involved in the PTO.  More people to come to Board of Education meetings and make sure all opinions are heard.

We will not always agree on the issues.  But I promise that regardless of our disagreements I will be fighting hard for a quality, affordable education for all of our children.  Thank you for your time.

-Paul