To our City Councilors:
We, as parents of students in Newport Public Schools, volunteers and community leaders, vehemently oppose the latest effort to re-insert a failed plan regarding administrative integration.
Resubmitting a failed motion from three years ago without any effort to engage the community nor find a better future for our kids is lazy and short-sighted.
It doesn’t go unnoticed that this was snuck into the consent agenda last-minute in August. Your intentions couldn’t be more clear.
Members of this city council have been stone-walling our community with a backdoor deal to resubmit the same dumb plan that was already rejected by their constituents. They are being obstructionist when it comes to the creation of an Academic Advisory Committee – a group of community stakeholders who would enable REAL conversation about what regionalization might actually look like.
Middletown’s own school bond barely passed. The Middletown community is sick of their own tired planning – but rather than acknowledge this and utilize it as a talking point for further conversation between the communities about fully regionalizing, you insist that merging administrations is the “only deal on the table.”
Personalities and infighting are costing our children an opportunity at a better education.
You know this is not regionalization.
This is setting up both communities in a resource battle for years to come. These battles will come and our community will have no recourse – even though we are bigger (and richer) – because you set up a half-measure rather than a long term solution.
Even worse, if this resolution gets passed tonight two things happen.
First, you not only close the door on creating an improved future for Newport kids but you set up the potential for an imbalanced and segregated school system.
Second, you force us and other Newport families – the real stakeholders in this botched plan – to waste time, energy and money opposing a special election.
The voters spoke up in 2022 and it wasn’t as close as some of you like to infer: the ballot measure was deceivingly written, voters thought they were voting for complete regionalization – not this watered down version.
On behalf of all of our kids in this community, we’re not done fighting.
We will make sure voters and parents know that this is a half-witted plan and an attempt to hide poor management and stewardship.
Our kids, your neighbors and your constituents deserve better.
We intend to fight for a better plan regardless of your actions. We’re sick of waiting.
Joe + Alana Hearn
