Notes from the Old Noank Jail

Groton’s Educational “System”

Recently, the Groton Board of Education (BOE) voted to continue the employment of the School Superintendent, Mr. Paul Kadri, through the year 2014. Apparently, the BOE was satisfied with Mr. Kadri’s performance during the past few years. However, it would seem that some of the members of the BOE have failed to recognize the significance of the event that occurred a few months ago when Phase II was presented to the Groton voters.

Phase II, in its most recent, revised form, was turned down by the citizens in a huge 3 to 1 ratio landslide rejection. It was an expensive, grandiose plan which was flawed on many levels, including an undersized location for a large new middle school near a congested intersection, an unnecessary astro turf project and an early education program unfunded by the State. It was also a rejection, by association, of the superintendent himself, who was perceived by many to be trying to stuff the project down peoples throats.

The BOE had previously established a Phase II plan which involved expansion at the Kolnaski property. When Mr. Kadri arrived on the scene, he brought in his own engineer who didn’t even avail himself of any prior design work and instead followed Mr. Kadri’s direction to focus on the Chester School property. It then became a question of whether the BOE or Mr. Kadri was really running the show. And don’t forget that the BOE voted in favor of the Chester plan by just one slim vote.

The Groton voters clearly did not want to support a large, expensive school system and clearly wanted a major change on how the schools would be managed. They wanted a BOE that would listen to their voices rather than cloister as a group and make private decisions “for the good of the children.”

Part of the frustration here is that the BOE organization itself exists with a mandate from the state and does not have to report to the nine member elected Town Council except for a final budget review. In short, with their staggered terms and limitations on voting districts, they are really not representative of the citizens.

And now the BOE is adding back yet another administrative position in the form of a “Grants Administrator” at a salary in the $90,000 range. This has the appearance of a “shell game” to keep adding professional staff at high salary levels. This is reminiscent of Mr. Kadri’s previous decision to give raises last year to several administrators who had performed “extra work” while teachers salaries remained unchanged.

Do we have to keep putting up with this? The BOE needs to undergo some serious attitude changes in order to properly represent the Citizens of Groton, and the Superintendent needs to follow that lead. And let’s have no more “administrative” additions at $90,000 salaries. Wake up, folks…we can’t afford it.