In regards to the Bridgeport School system. I know it is a done deal but an individual such as Mr. Ramos, the former Superintendent of schools, as nice of a man he was, he failed. He failed miserably thousands of students that have come and gone over the past few years. It will be hard to tell how much damage has been done under his leadership. He should have been fired instead of resigning with a healthy package in an economy where individuals are loosing everything they have worked their whole life for.
That being said, it is a done deal. Reward for a job poorly done. Benefits for years while the average Bridgeporter learns to live without benefits for their family and children .Enough said on that .In the past 2 years I have been in nearly 24 schools as a sub. Lets not even discuss the insulting pay scale for a substitute in Bridgeport. Never mind the lack of benefits and the inability to initiate a claim for unemployment benefits .
Let's discuss the real issues as mine is a temporary one and a great learning experience. This afternoon on my way home from an assignment at Longfellow school, which btw is immaculate and orderly with great students, I drove by Harding High School. This is the real reason for this letter. Harding High School was identified as one of the worst performing high schools in the area. The Principal was let go and a group came in to revamp and wave the magic wand to help bring that school to a higher level.
You would think that with the high caliber of individuals coming into that school at a nice price there would be basic improvements like cleaning the garbage around the school.You would think that not only the former Superintendent , but the new principal and associate principals, students and families would have gone on a team building expedition to increase pride in the school and neighborhood. The entire property lining Central Avenue around their otherwise beautiful athletic field is completely littered and fenced in with garbage for the entire stretch of the school.
This is a disgrace. This not only sets the tone for the students but also shows the lack of self esteem of the school teachers and students, parents and neighbors surrounding the school. I do not blame the Mayor but would question the local council members of that district.
Setting the tone of the school would be the first step in improving conditions at Harding. Getting the community and students involved would improve not only neighborhood relations but teach the students about team building and improve their social skills. The students and teachers deserve to work in an environment that is clean . The neighbors should not have to look at garbage 7 days a week every week year after year. That garbage lining Central Avenue on the Harding School; property is just plain unacceptable and yes it does affect on a subconcious level anyone interested in developing any part of that neighborhood. In just a short while the General Electric property could be just one development affected by this.
I would suggest , for the sake of our students, teachers and neighborhoods that this school address this opportunity to make a huge impact in the neighborhood .Partner up with a Home Depot. plants gardens and improve the quality of life for all of the residents and students.
There are many problems with our schools that need to be addressed. The school system in Bridgeport is key to our future economic development. Cleaning the garbage and improving self esteem is a quick fix. just do it and get it done.
The City Of Bridgeport, Connecticut, has so much potential. With the right leadership, an individual with vision, charisma and the ability to excite developers, Bridgeport has the ability to outshine its major competitors Norwalk and Stamford, Connecticut. All three urban centers are located in Fairfield county, the wealthiest county in the United States. I believe Mary Jane Foster is that individual that can bring Bridgeport into a new era.
During the best of times, while Norwalk and Stamford have been focused on economic development, Bridgeport was content to be the dumping ground of all social ills, leaving the burden of support on the taxpayers of the city while businesses were quick to relocate. While Stamford proceeds full speed ahead with its Harborpointe development (ironically a name once used by Bridgeport’s project now known as Steelepointe), Bridgeport still has dreams of getting that first shovel in the ground to start the touted 1 billion dollar project, Steelepointe.
Mayor Finch, in a recent Connecticut post article had given himself a grade of A for his performance on economic development in the city. I would not agree.
For the past 4 years Mayor Finch had the perfect opportunity to market Bridgeport to nearly 500,000 vehicles passing on I95 weekly. A simple Billboard on the vacant Steelepointe site touting the future of the city starts here .People would be a buzz with excitment. Maybe plant a few thousand flowering bulbs, after all we are the Park City.The sad reality is that even with a highly paid Development Director, Donald Eversley, The basic marketing skills were never applied and Bridgeport missed an opportunity that can never be regained after 4 years.
While time moves on as it stops for no one, Bridgeport still hopes to become a major destination. Mayors and business leadership continue to pat themselves on the back as though the project, expected to take 20 years to complete, has already been started. The rumor of a big box retailer eg. Walmart on the waterfront property is painful to imagine. Creating nothing more than minimum wage jobs not to mention all the families that had to be relocated. Is this the best Bridgeport can do. Not even a quality Supermarket can be attracted to that neighborhood?
Perhaps the most important element in making Bridgeport’s dream of Steelepointe a reality is an improvement of colossal proportions to the education in the Bridgeport Public Schools. Improved schools will be an incentive for young families to move here. Now it just becomes another burden on the overtaxed resident to send their children to a private school to get the education that they need to succeed in life.So now we have a high priced Superintendent of Bridgeport schools relying on a state appointed school board.
The arts and entertainment are yet another key component to attract developers. The long vacant Poli Majestic theaters in the downtown area remain a constant memory to what Bridgeport’s glorious past used to be. In the past 40 years there have been hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on study after study to see if it was viable to rehabilitate the theaters. So there they stand vacant, dark and dilapidated as one enters a downtown that has been seeing an upswing in development (most notable being the Bijou Square Project). Developer Phil Kuchma has done a great job in creating an arts theater that outshines most theaters from New York To Hartford . Mayor Finch may want to take credit for helping this project along but truth be told, Phil Kuchma does an excellent job marketing his projects and he would have been able to secure the funds without the City's help.
Finally, one must remain optimistic in the future of Bridgeport, the largest city in Connecticut and the wealthiest county in the United States. The question is who will lead us into the future, reduce the taxes and create a quality of life for the working middle class and create the incentive to want to live here, work here and play here.I believe Mary -Jane Foster is that individual. She is thoughtful, charismatic,determined and honest. This September 27th we have a choice.