To the Editor,
I was once again disappointed in the tone and negativity coming from Rich Dziekan and his administration when he presented his budget to the Derby Tax Board last week. As most people involved in Derby government recognize, Rich Dziekan is no longer the humble and positive person that he once was, but rather his administration has become mean spirited and increasingly negative. I believe that his recent budget presentation is just one more example of this change in behavior.
In looking at Rich Dziekan’s poor track record when it comes to education funding over the first 5 years of his administration, his recent budget included an increase to the Board of Education which while uncommon, was still an increase. Instead of using this platform to be positive and conciliatory and show appreciation to all the employees who make up the Derby school system and point out the increase he is recommending, Rich Dziekan used this platform to attack every single person and staff member who makes up the Derby school system. This tactic was completely unnecessary.
This is not about whether the increase was enough. This is about the way in which Rich Dziekan communicated his budget recommendation. For a school system that struggles to get by with funding that ranks at the bottom of the state, for a school system that comes to work each day trying their best, for a school system that has seen increasing test scores and good work, for a school system school system whose families see the sacrifices that they make daily, these combative and mean-spirited words were simply not warranted. Each one of our employees and their families deserve better.
This school system is comprised of approximately 100 Derby residents, and when you extend that out to their families, Rich Dziekan has offended countless people and voters within the city of Derby who go to work each day only trying to make a difference. They have now seen exactly what Rich Dziekan thinks of them. Rich Dziekan’s budget presentation could have been different, it could have been positive, it could have acknowledged the good work that is being done. Unfortunately, that was not the case and Rich Dziekan turned what could have been a positive, into a negative.
This is a Rich Dziekan that people no longer recognize and why many core supporters are abandoning him. It is sad and it is unfortunate.
Jim Gildea
Chair, Derby Board of Education
