The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 16, Number 14
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Malloy brings education reform tour to Berlin By Melissa Chicker The Berlin Citizen
Governor Dannel P. Malloy spoke in front of an audience of over 100 people as he brought his education reform tour to Berlin. The town meeting, held March 28 at McGee Middle School, brought out members of the public, teachers, students, and town officials to hear proposed reforms to the state’s public school system. “It’s great to be here in Berlin, a town that has an exceptional education system,” Malloy said. Malloy’s plan includes access to high-quality early childhood education opportunities, enable supports to turn around Connecticut’s lowest-performing schools and districts, and working on a fair evaluation system that values skill and effectiveness over seniority and tenure.
“One of the things that strikes me, as opposed to other states in our areas, is that we as a state are not moving forward at a time when other states are,” he said. The governor’s plan for tenure reform and teacher evaluation systems has sparked fire with teachers and unions. The governor continues to defend education reform, even with criticism from the audience and pushed to get his proposal heard. Many present were area teachers, whose questions had to do with teacher tenure laws that would make it easier to fire incompetent teachers. Social studies teacher at Berlin High School and Connecticut’s Teacher of the Year, David Bosso said teacher evaluations would lower teacher morale and student learning in schools. “I am so much more than
Citizen photo by Melissa Chicker
Governor Dannel P. Malloy making his speech on school reform in Berlin on March 28, at McGee Middle School. my students test scores,” he said. “The impacts I make on students’ lives go far beyond that.” Malloy said teacher unions voted previously to have these evaluations and while Berlin has an exceptional school system, right next door in New Britain and Hartford failure rates are over 40 percent. “We need to find something that lights the fire under all of us to do something,” Malloy said. Lifelong resident of Berlin and English teacher at Berlin High, Evelisa Mayette told the governor her concern with teacher evaluation and
how administration would have authority over teacher certification. Malloy said if a tenured teacher’s performance begins to slip, the school system cannot fire him or her because of a bad evaluation. The system would have to
work with the teacher to turn the situation around. “You wouldn’t lose your right to teach and you wouldn’t lose your right to tenure,” said Malloy.
See Reform, page 15
McGee March Madness ends its 2012 season
Candy hunt
By Melissa Chicker The Berlin Citizen
Citizen photo by Melissa Chicker
The Berlin Parks and Recreation held its annual Easter Candy Hunt at Berlin High School. The event was moved inside due to inclement weather, but that didn’t stop parents and their children from missing out on candy and a visit from the Easter Bunny.
The roar of the gymnasium as crowds of students cheered on their fellow students could be heard throughout the school. The day closed out another successful year of March Madness at McGee Middle School. A full day of activities, held March 30, included the popular student verses teacher basketball game. This was the first year, said gym teacher and March Madness Director, Bryan Plona, students participated in activities all day in celebration of the end of March Madness. Students were treated to 21
activities including a wheelchair basketball game and assemblies with speaker Tony Terzi, a former sports reporter, and speaker “Mighty” Mike Simmel, a member of the Harlem Wizards professional basketball team and national spokesman for epilepsy awareness, a disease he suffers from. McGee also raised $3,000 dollars to the Ryan Lee Foundation. Lee, a former McGee student and Berlin native, died a year ago. The check was presented to Lee’s father during half-time of the eighth grade game. Also at half time, the persuasive essay winners were
See March, page 17