Board Of Education

WE believe in a diversifed Board representing ALL of New Milford

Scott Leddy

Age: 48

Spouse: Andrea

Children: Dylan, 13

Occupation: Commercial print broker (sole proprietor) for 17 years

Number of years as resident: 10

Education: Holds a four-year business degree from Mercy College

Community experience: He is a member of the New Milford Republican Town Committee and a commissioner on the Inland Wetlands Commission.

Three most important issues facing the town related to the
office being sought and proposed solutions:

Many families are struggling financially in these tough economic times: I want to ensure the taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars go to promoting and facilitating programs geared toward education and not wasted on bureaucratic red tape.

College preparedness. This is an area where New Milford lags behind the rest of the state: Introduce and facilitate programs promoting real-world applications.

Provide our teachers with the necessary means and resources to instruct our children to the best of their ability and to provide parents more of a say when it comes to how they feel their children should be educated.

Theresa Volinski

Incumbent (one term)

Spouse: James Volinski Jr.

Children: James Volinski III

Occupation: Home health care/CNA for two years.

Number of years as resident: 28

Education: Graduated from New Milford High School

Community experience: She is a member of the Board of Education, having served one term, a member of the Lions Club of New Milford and secretary for the Paradice Cruisers. She is a past member of the Town Council and the Planning Commission.

Three most important issues facing the town related to BOE

Continued new programs: Using our funds entrusted to us so that we can invest in new programs for our students like the K-5 math programs, Technology improvements and upgrades, additional teachers for electives, social workers, substance abuse counselor, funding for PSAT so the students do not need to pay, no more pay-to-play.

Quality education: I am still and always have been committed to a quality education for our students. Making sure they have the equipment and technology to work with is key to accomplishing this goal. I will continue to work at acquiring the items we need to get our students and our school system up in the rankings.

Drug intervention: We already have funding in the budget for a drug counselor. What I’d like to see and am researching is for our school nurses to have Narcan kits to assist in preventing a drug overdose in our schools. If it is a state policy that nurses are not allowed to administer Narcan, I will work in getting that changed.

Barbara C. Parks Greco

Spouse: Frank S. Greco

Children: Richard Davies, Christopher Parks, Wayne Parks and Matthew Greco

Education: Graduated from Stamford High School and Norwalk Community College with an A.A.S., and attended Fairfield University.

Three most important issues facing the BOE

John Pettibone School: I understand that a committee was formed to review the current and further status of this school. Their findings were to close this school based on the enrollment numbers over the past 10 years.
Pettibone, in my opinion, is an outdated school that does not meet current building codes and has asbestos with is a danger to everyone. The cost to renovate the school is approximately $10 million. This money should be us
ed for more programs for our students. I would like to see more vocational programs for students who do not go to college.

The increase of substance abuse: Recently, it has been noted that New Milford is facing an increase in substance abuse. I think the idea of a substance abuse counselor would be beneficial. I also believe the school nurses should be trained in administrating Narcan. This would help to save a life. I would also like to see a DARE program started. I saw firsthand how well this program works in Fairfield.

Mending the unhappiness of the teachers: I understand the teachers were given a 9.5 percent increase in their last contract over the next three years. I think the teachers must realize that this increase in salary and their better insurance package outweighs what is taking place in the economy today. Average wages have gone down 6 percent in the last several years. I have empathy for the teachers, but, we must all work together to resolve their concerns. The future of our students is our major concern.