Really? Did the part-time mayor REALLY say this?

Boughton said after his acceptance speech he expects the city will spend the next 18 months focusing on the challenge of providing quality education in crowded schools.

Really?

Issues that will need to be addressed by city leaders in coming years, he said, include an increasing enrollment in Danbury schools...

Hmm...the last time I checked, Boughton has been in office for the last TEN YEARS. Therefore, the increased over-crowding of the schools on the city happened under HIS watch.

Hmm...the last time I checked, it was Boughton that continuously cut funds to education...which resulted in the elimination of para-professionals while classroom sizes increases AS WELL AS art classes being taught at Stadley Rough School from a CART!

Hmm...the last time I checked, it was Boughton and his ilk on the city council that demonized the decisions made by the Board of Education.

Hmm...the last time I checked, it was Boughton who "punished" the Board of Education by taking back money that was already allocated to them simply because you didn't agree with the way the planned to use it.


Hey Markie Mark! Remember this oldie but goodie from last year?

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton has gone too far and has overstepped boundaries in his attempt to cut the already approved education budget.

Boughton wants to take back the equivalent of raises given to four non-union administrators, and a salary for another.

The mayor has called the 2.5 percent raises to four people irresponsible at a time when an intermediate school is closing in the city and other cost-saving measures are being instituted.

He has a point. Every expenditure must be carefully weighed when it comes to educating children -- no matter the frugality of the economic times.

But it is too late. The mayor and the City Council had their chance to review the proposed education budget; they took the responsibility seriously and allowed a less than 2 percent increase above the previous year.

It was up to the Board of Education to work with that amount, though the increase was only half of what was requested. Neither the mayor nor the City Council ought to have line-item veto power over the Board of Education.

[...]

Mayor Boughton's suggestion, which was referred to committee last week by the City Council, amounts to posturing.

[...]

For trying to do so, Mayor Boughton, a former teacher, should get called into the principal's office.

While I'm on the subject of the last honest man in Danbury "punishing" the Board of Education, remember this exchange the mayor had with another member of the Taborsak family over the matter...



Hmm...the last time I checked, it was Boughton who, due to his decreasing of the educational budget in 2010, forced the accelerated closing of Mill Ridge Intermediate School.

Hmm...the last time I checked, it was under Boughton's leadership when it came to educational performance, Danbury High School received a failing grade.

Yesterday, the The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) released their 2010 School Rankings and when it comes to High School performance, the City of Danbury is an embarrassment.

Out of the 164 high schools in the state of Connecticut, ConnCAN ranks Danbury High 125 with only 30 percent of the students meeting state goals across all subjects (a drop of 2 percent from 2009).

Hmm...the last time I checked, under Boughton's leadership, when it came to educational performance, most elementary and secondary schools in the city received a average of failing grade.

...and don't get me started on the High School dropout rate in the city.

It isn't like Lynn Taborsak doesn't know these things (you know, the mayoral candidate whose husband is on the Board of Education).

I don't know what I'm more excited about:

• Taborsak going after Boughton on his history of being dishonest with the residents of Danbury (now that's gonna to be FUN),



• Warren Levy explaining his LONG record of criticizing the Republican Party and Boughton's mayoral record,



• Michael Esposito explaining his Richter Park problem (which resulted in him not being placed on the Democratic city Council ticket two years ago out of concerns that the Republicans would being up the issue)...

I could go on and on but why spoil the surprises...it's only July.