09/25/11 Adelle Alessandroni's Letter To Greenwich Roundup In Support Of Board Of Education Member Marianna Ponns Cohen

Dear Greenwich Roundup: I am submitting the following letter to the editor in support of Ms. Ponns Cohen's candidacy for the Board of Education. I know her personally, and know the good work she does. She is a terrific and decent gal, and very smart, too. Sincerely, ADELLE ALESSANDRONI OLD GREENWICH, CT 06870 To the editor: Marianna Ponns Cohen has spent the past four years on the Board of Education working to stop bad things from happening in Greenwich and trying to make good things happen. Some highlights: First, the prior superintendent tried to quietly negotiate a magnet school venture with Stamford – using mostly Greenwich and state money. Marianna almost singlehandedly exposed and stopped it. Next, this superintendent proposed introducing over 100 new "initiatives ," a plan so watered down there would be no way to determine what worked and what didn't. Marianna suggested 30 measurements instead – the board ignored her. Then, Marianna recommended a budget review to help ensure an appropriate allocation of funding for students in the classrooms, rather than a continued churning of new "initiatives" that supported administrative staff and consultants. They attacked and silenced her. In the past two years, the superintendent and the Board chair covertly signed on to expensive, "international" programs (IB) for Greenwich middle and high schools, before some board members knew anything about it. And Marianna discovered that the agents selling IB get a hefty chunk of the millions it costs every district. I've since learned that, if you try to leave IB, they help arrange lawsuits against your town. By the way, the board has not provided one IB academic success story to the public – another of those pesky questions Marianna keeps asking. Marianna Ponns Cohen is certainly inconvenient for the rubber stamp Board of Education and their friends. But she is YOUR best friend as a taxpayer and parent. Vote for Marianna Ponns Cohen November 8.