After nearly 20 years working in education, I have found that there are administrators and there are leaders. There are administrators who are not leaders and there are leaders in schools who are not administrators.
This is also the case within politics.
There are officials and there are leaders.
I am a true believer in the simple fact that actions speak louder than words. It’s easy to say the right thing. It is much more difficult to follow through and do what you say.
In Ansonia, we now have an official running for the 104th district of the House in CT. As an alderman, Mr. Jaumann is responsible for listening to his constituents and then voting on issues in their best interests. As alderman, one should have some basic understanding of the statutes you must adhere to.
One of the most basic functions of alderman is to vote on the education budget.
There are clear statutes to guide the process.
1. The money taken from education was budgeted.
2. There is no such thing as a loan in education.
3. Grants come with specific guidelines that are supervised by the state of Connecticut.
4. In the last 2 years, 29 teaching positions have been eliminated.
5. In the last 2 years, education has had ZERO increase. Education is not the reason that caused the decline in surplus funds.
6. Money was instead spent on road paving projects.
Leadership is also found in how they deal with problems.
Do they admit the truth or when they were wrong? Or do they continuously make excuses and spin through truth? The alderman running for office continues to blame others, lies about education cuts, and makes excuses. He knowingly dividing the community to fit his own agenda and that of Mayor Cassetti.
Parents and taxpayers are not 2 distinct groups. No one is demanding taxes be raised to fund education.
Fortunately, we do have a true leader running for the house 104th. Her name is Kara Rochelle. She has worked hard to seek the truth and listen to the residents of Ansonia. She understands that decisions have consequences. She understands that decisions should represent the residents of Ansonia, not the Mayor’s office or her own personal gain.
Kara Rochelle takes the time to listen to people. She takes the time to find solutions that work for those people. She takes the time to analyze the consequences of her actions, BEFORE the decision is made. In other words, she actually cares.
In education, Kara has taken the time to seek the truth. She has already begun working to help solve our educational shortfalls. She is already talking to local businesses to make connections that help students.
She is already finding local residents to volunteer and help in our schools. She is making sure to accurately tell the truth as she goes door to door in Ansonia.
Her actions are speaking loudly BEFORE she is an official. This is why I support Kara Rochelle and this is why she was endorsed by AFT CT.
There is only one candidate running for the 104th district that supports education. There is only person running for the 104th that has demonstrated proven leadership. Vote for Kara Rochelle on November 6th.
The writer is a teacher in Ansonia and is president of the teachers’ union.
Views expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the views of ValleyIndy.org. There is a 550-word maximum. Graphs and charts will not be published. Please keep external hyperlinks to a minimum.
