I like my low property taxes as much as anyone else in Greenwich. But it’s clear that a major consequence of our self-imposed penury is the inexorable decline of the local school system.
As the Greenwich Time has been reporting in detail – in several articles since standardized test scores came out in late July – Greenwich ranks low in almost every measure of performance against its peer groups. I am waiting for several online services to report the full rankings of these scores but they may not be available until September because the state is slow to release all the data.
One service is http://www.conncan.org/learn/reportcards. Another is http://www.schooldigger.com/. Keep an eye on this post for updated school rankings.
The first flurry of data which comes out in July is largely irrelevant. They basically show how a particular school system performed against previous years’ scores. Like the SAT, these scores fluctuate year over year and one year’s comparison against another year is not particularly useful. Yet school administrators and school board members will jump on the slight improvements and grab headlines to manage expectations of an uninformed consuming public. I am still stunned at the virtual silence in Greenwich among parent groups and other putative school activists whom one would think would be all over the administration and school board ever since Greenwich rankings began their decline about half a decade ago.
It takes a few days to sort through the data to make some meaningful assessments. The first of these appeared in the Greenwich Time July 20 when reporter Colin Gustafson disclosed how poorly Greenwich did when compared to other districts.
He followed it up with the other article cited previously.
The excuse most heard in Greenwich for the declining standardized test scores is that they are being dragged down by the influx of the poorer and non-English speaking underclass in the western part of town. In whispers and occasionally not so subtle messaging, the gentrified folks will assure themselves that Muffy and Buffy are going to be okay. In Greenwich they will still get the best education that money can buy.
Only problem is that the facts do not support any of that. Take Eastern Middle School for instance. For decades Eastern was ranked the No. 1 middle school in the state. Then around 2005 Eastern began to slip. Last year it ranked No. 10. I am waiting for the new rankings to appear after the state releases the data. Stay tuned.
Old Greenwich school and Riverside School have had similar slips in rankings. The schools are virtually devoid of hispanic immigrants.
I feel lucky that I no longer have any children attending Greenwich public schools. The system is need of a major revamp and perhaps even an education recovery effort like a Marshall Plan. We need to engage volunteers more aggressively since no one is in the mood for raising taxes. There has to be other ideas as well.
Something has to give.
(I will give superintendent Sid Freund the benefit of the doubt for his failing to return calls from the Greenwich Time on the issue of these rankings … it is, after all, summer vacation time … but the system does have a fulltime communications director who is paid in the six figures. Eventually, there will be accountability).
