January 16, 2009

Streifer still worried school plan could be in jeopardy

Just in from school Superintendent Philip Streifer:

To: Bristol Board of Education
Bristol City Council
Bristol Board of Finance

From: Philip A. Streifer, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools

Re: Building Project Rejoinder

Date: January 16, 2009

I appreciate Mr. Nicastro’s statement as reported in the Bristol Press Blog but I stand by what I said at the Council Meeting on January 13, 2009. Mr. Nicastro reports having spoken with the state education department who of course would make the statement that the project is on target as long as we begin construction by June 2010. This is consistent with our earlier statements but misses the point I made this week. I never questioned the intent of the state education department; they are working off of current law – which could be changed in light of the state’s budget problems. At the Council meeting this week Mr. Nicastro said he would set up a meeting with the legislators on the various finance committees which has yet to happen. Once I hear from them that this project is safe, I will back off my warnings. But from my perspective, this project is still in jeopardy because the legislature, once in session, could pull funding for any project that has yet to make significant progress. Further, we are truly running out of time to complete everything that needs to occur by June 13, 2010 as Scotty, Steve and I have been stating form months now.

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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are the kids safety at risk with the current schools? If not, I hope the state cans all projects that do not jeopardize the citizens safety. The schools in this state are just fine!

Anonymous said...

Reading that Streifer reads this blog, I hope he also reads these/this comment.

Streifer: Stop pushing this wrong-headed project! Obviously, you haven't been in Bristyol long enough to appreciate the geography etc. otherwse you'd never be for a new school in the location you are pushing for. You are wrong on this school site.

Anonymous said...

And if the state did legislate a change, it would be a GOOD thing for us. It would not make sense to take taxpayer money to build more schools when those taxpayers are losing their jobs. Chill.

Anonymous said...

Have any of you spent much time in the city schools lately?

Times have changed, requirements have changed.

Ad Frank is not the best one to determining how to approachteh issue.

2:35

Obama wants to put people to work!
Obama thinks that Education is a high priority!

Anonymous said...

Frank will blow his horn to save the PRESS, but not work for a better school system!

But then, he hasn't changed.

Anonymous said...

Let Obama pay for the new schools. He's got a job.

Anonymous said...

Obama does have a job, and pretty soon he will have a lot more of your money.

Anonymous said...

Frank is absolutely right to move cautiously. Beware of the reckless ones.

Anonymous said...

This superintendent sounds like all the others who want new schools in their districts: telling people to hurry, spend some money now so the state can't back off, the deadline is fast approaching, blah, blah, blah. They must have a textbook telling them what to say. Bristol should be the city to say "put a sock in it."

Anonymous said...

Frank stopped Education from moving forward in the past, and is doing it again.

Glad to see he is not running again.

Anonymous said...

Don't let the Super feed you a line. Frank is not against education, he doesn't hate kids, and he's not living in the past. He's doing his job well, as he has always done, looking out for all the citizens of Bristol.