Last night(May 11), I attended my children’s play in Ansonia High School at 6 p.m. to watch them perform Beauty and the Beast. It was an absolutely amazing production. Those children, teachers, parents and volunteers worked so hard for five months for this event. It was a full house and they are also performing again tonight at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.
Once the play finished, I attended the Board of Aldermen meeting on the budget that the Board of Education presented. I can say it was a very informative and civil meeting with plenty of questions and answers.
I truly believe that the Board of Education of the City of Ansonia is the foundation of our town.
We have witnessed our children receive scholarships to Harvard, Yale, UConn and other prestigious schools.
We will always have the Charger pride. Our football team won another state title, our beloved baseball coach, Mike Vacca, won his 500th victory this past week and our soccer program is on the rise.
Most importantly, the high school went from being an unranked school to being ranked 34th in the state. This achievement took seven to eight years of planning and an investment in our school system from full day kindergarten to intervention, qualified staff, AP classes and spending tax payers’ money wisely.
We cannot lose anymore positions or afford to lose any more of our teachers. Over the past four years, we lost six intervention teachers, and music and life skills has been reduced to half a year in each elementary school. We lost two administrators, four instructional coaches and one part-time nurse. We cannot afford any more cuts.
I believe the Board of Education has done a commendable job with the limited resources it has been provided. It is time to invest in our students, our teachers and our school system.
The writer is an Ansonia resident.
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