Schools
Petition Against Closing School is Too Late
Opponents of school closure say they feel the school board did not give them enough time to make their case.
Two Naugatuck residents delivered a petition to the Board of Education Thursday with the signatures of 288 people who oppose closing Central Avenue School. But it was too late, Board of of Education members say.
School board Chairman David Heller said he wished the residents, Donna Cariello and Charles Amrich, and those who signed their petition, had voiced their concerns .
Heller said he appreciated the efforts of petitioners, and asked School Superintendent John Tindall-Gibson, Ph.D, to meet with Cariello and Amrich to explain the reasons Central Avenue School was selected for closing.
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When she appeared at the public comment portion of the meeting at Western Elementary School Thursday night, Cariello was clearly disappointed to learn that board members would not have a dialogue with her and answer questions she had about the selection. As a rule, the board generally does not engage in dialogue with the public during the public comments section of meetings.
After leaving Thursday's meeting, Amrich said he and Cariello have a granddaughter who attends Central Avenue School.
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Amrich said he believes the board did not give parents the opportunity to oppose the school closure before it was a done deal.
"The building is in excellent shape," he said, adding that parents feel a different school should have been closed instead. "There are a lot of parents that are upset."
At the end of the meeting, Heller asked that the item be added to the agenda so it could be discussed, which the board did, but over the objection of board member James Scully, who said the matter should have been discussed while Cariello and Amrich were still there.
Board member Glenn Connan noted that declining enrollment meant that at least one school had to be closed. "There’s nothing we could do," he said. "Sombody would have to be displaced."
Connan agreed that Central Avenue was in better physical shape than Salem Elementary School, but Central was chosen because it is a low-performing school.
With enrollment in the district still declining, another school might have to be closed in the future, he added.
