To the Editor:

Please join me in commending Woodbury First Selectman Jerry Stomski and Bethlehem First Selectman Jeff Hamel for taking a stance on behalf of our right to vote on Region 14's Board of Education's reconfiguration plan.

In December, Superior Court Judge John Pickard called for the restoration of BES and MES to their originally intended K-5 configuration, not K-4 as reported.

Judge Pickard's decision was guided by the Connecticut Supreme Court's ruling, which mandated any non-incidental change to the original regionalization plan must be approved by plurality in each member town.

Region 14's reconfiguration was implemented without that mandated vote.

It's very discouraging that the other Woodbury selectmen see things differently based on assumptions.

The very same BOE that broke the law should have the luxury to continue their use of our education budget to further defend an illegal plan to avoid having a legal referendum?

This seems a rather misguided stance for a politician to take, given the very same voters whose rights have been violated are the ones they will depend on for their own reelection.

I strongly believe the over $115,000 already spent on litigation would have been better spent educating our children.

All further expenditures wasted by this BOE in order to drag out litigation they will ultimately lose in hopes of gaining another school year under their illegal plan is unforgivable, especially in these economic times.

With an over 20 percent drop in enrollment at the elementary level and steadily declining projections through the year 2020, the overcrowding claims which spawned this illegal agenda are no longer a viable consideration.

However, support from informed town leaders in asking the BOE for cost savings, especially those involving the defense of something already determined illegal by the highest court in Connecticut, are not only warranted but expected.

Lori Grant

Woodbury

*****

A Big 'Thank You'

To the Editor:

Hilltop Farm Senior Center in Bridgewater says a very big "thank you."

The 2009 Baskets of Cheer for the Bridgewater seniors were distributed on December 13. The baskets were overflowing with all kinds of goodies (poinsettias, scarves, mittens, hats, calendars, day planners, flashlights, journals, tote bags, popcorn, cookies, candies, fleece throws, washcloths, sponges, books about Bridgewater, indoor/outdoor thermometers, etc.).

All of this is made possible through donations from the following businesses: Bridgewater Village Store, Bridgewater Plaza Convenience Store, Maywood Estates, Union Savings Bank, Newbury Inn of Brookfield, ShopRite of Brookfield, H.H. Taylor, Home Depot of New Milford, Walmart of New Milford, Homestead Inn of New Milford and Hydro Technologies, Inc.

And the following individuals: Jim and Nancy Stuart, Bob and Sonja Grey, John and Marilyn Curtin, Greg and Joy Bollard, Peter and Leni May, Tom and Julie Segar, Curtis Reed, Jean Hopkins, George Allingham, Lisa McMahon, Don and Sally Shail, Burton and Jane Bernstein, Andy and Ann Bazos, Mr. and Ms. Osang Kwan, Alice Kang, Hal Myerson, Louis and Celeste Sproviero, Neil Cable, Dorothy Fitch and an anonymous donor.

Thank you also to all the people who helped assemble the baskets: Maureen Terry, Marion Spodnick, Susan Brannigan, Sonja Grey, Ann Tyman, Joanne Stuart, Wanda Heaney, Charlie and Barbara MacMillan, Bob and Elvira Giusti, Debbi Kuchinski, Laura Shail and Marilyn Curtin.

Baskets were delivered by John and Pat Barlow, Charlie and Barbara MacMillan, Marilyn Curtin, Susan Brannigan, Wanda Heaney, Sonja Grey, Sally Shail, Bob and Elvira Giusti and Maureen Terry.

Thank you to everyone for putting a smile on the faces of the seniors and making it another successful year of spreading holiday cheer.

Marilyn Curtin

Director, Hilltop Farm

Senior Center

Bridgewater

*****

PTO Not in the 'Red'

To the Editor:

I totally disagree with Mr. Stocker's letter dated February 3, 2010, regarding the Welcome to Oxford sign that the PTO helped support.

First and foremost, is he even a member of the PTO to be able to comment on how our funds are used? Has he helped raise any money? What events has he volunteered at? Most likely the answers are no and none.

1. All of those hours that I volunteer to put into fund-raisers have not been "wasted;"

2. Our leader is not "misguided." She works full-time and raises a family;

3. The BOE is responsible for funding library books in the budget, not the PTO;

4. Two boys and two girls from eighth grade have been awarded $100 scholarships annually for many years now. Please get your facts straight.

What most people don't understand is that the PTO only funds programs/events that are requested of them by the principals and all requests for funding are voted on.

Again, not all trips are brought to the PTO for consideration so the PTO does not fund every single trip/event. Ten out of 10 trips requested by the principals are fully funded by this organization. There have been no trips/events that have been rejected, ever.

I agree with the PTO's initiative to welcome people in our town. Yes, I wish it would have been less money, but the money was there and it has not put the PTO in the "red" and it has not taken away any programs/events from our children.

I believe the PTO has learned a valuable lesson from this and will undoubtedly think again next time.

Please visit www.oxfordctpto. org for more information on our organization and meeting schedule. We look forward to seeing you.

Maura Satkowski

Oxford

*****

Board Member Honorable Man

To the Editor:

The assault on John Bucciarelli in Southbury is another example of why so many people are disgusted with the political process.

There have been multiple letters complaining about John's wife having a job in Region 15 and demanding his resignation. She had the job before he was elected to the board. To accuse John of anything wrong is irresponsible.

I would like to point out that there are "conflicts" all around the area. I know of a few specific examples. In Region 14, we had a board member elected while working as a teacher in another region.

We also had another member elected, as the top vote-getter, whose spouse worked in the school system. Region voters knew this and elected the person anyway.

In Watertown, a board member was a principal in another school system. When you have a volunteer job like Board of Ed, and all the stress and aggravation that come with it, few people want the job.

Due to the lack of desire for the job, these potential "conflicts" will invariably come up.

There are many Boards of Education all over Connecticut that have teachers on them from other school districts. They vote on teachers' contracts all the time, which is a conflict of interest because with binding arbitration, that can affect their salaries.

To ask for John's resignation shows a lack of perspective over how things actually work. I know John and he is an honorable man.

He served our country and wrote a good book on leadership. If Southbury Democrats want to ask for John's resignation, they need to start doing the same in other districts.

Sean Murphy

Woodbury

*****

Encouraged by Moratorium

To the Editor:

On behalf of Keep Oxford Green, we are encouraged to see that the new Planning and Zoning Commission is taking the time, by putting in place a moratorium, to rewrite stronger regulations pertaining to affordable houses.

The previous administration wanted to put in place regulations that would permit high density apartments/condos. Keep Oxford Green is strongly opposed to high density apartments and condos.

Citizens of Oxford and KOG look forward to working with the new P&Z Commission to adopt regulations that are in keeping with the Oxford residents' expectations.

Ed Carver

Oxford

*****

Grateful for President's Remarks

To the Editor:

As a college student, I was very interested in hearing the State of the Union Address.

Among other things, money has been the hot topic on everyone's mind. I was curious to see if he would speak to all the troubling issues on the American agenda.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only did President Obama talk extensively about the American economy, but he spoke to the financial struggles of young college students like me.

The cost of attending a university is astronomical. In fact, many of my fellow students at Salve Regina University have had to transfer simply because of the financial burden it places on their families.

President Obama brought these struggles to the forefront in his address to the nation. He wants to "re-vitalize" community colleges to make a college education more accessible for everyone.

Every student who attends a higher educational institution will receive a $10,000 tax return for their four years of schooling. Once a student has graduated, only 10 percent of their monthly income can be spent re-paying student loans and after 20 years loans will be forgiven.

In short President Obama wants to ensure that, "America will regain its lost ground and have the highest proportion of students graduating from college in the world by 2020" (WhiteHouse.gov public statement).

If America wants to continue to be a leading world power, it has to help its own citizens obtain the means to stay cutting-edge. By implementing the changes to higher education that President Obama has proposed, he is confirming to young Americans across the nation that education does matter, that we are important as the next generation to run this country.

Our struggles are recognized and validated. I thank him from the bottom of my heart, as I'm sure millions of college-age Americans do.

Sarah Mellody