Is Enfield considering privatizing trash removal? Let's discuss.

Image
  Recent discussions in the Enfield CT Open Forum have sparked concerns about a potential plan to privatize the town's trash removal services. This originated from a union post suggesting this idea might be under consideration. While details remain incomplete, the implications could be significant for our community, and we need clarity before any decisions are made. Current service excellence Enfield’s municipal trash pickup has long been a model of reliability and quality. Our town’s workers know the community, understand our unique needs, and deliver consistent, dependable service week after week. These relationships and local knowledge are assets that cannot be easily replaced. Questions that need answers Financial impact and analysis Has the town conducted a thorough cost-benefit analysis of privatization? Are there multi-year projections to show the expected return on investment? How would privatization affect long-term cost stability for residents? What will happen to the to
Post a Comment

Are Enfield schools criminalizing adolescent behavior?

 

Enfield School District suspension rates by year. Black suspension are consistently high. The sharp decline in suspensions in the 2020-21 school year was a result of school 2020 school year was a result of COVID-related school closings. 

The Enfield Town Council is set to approve approximately $200,000 tonight for police equipment to support its armed guards—a decision already settled in previous debates. However, as we move forward, it's crucial that we examine the broader implications of this action and address some concerning trends within our community.

Last year, 42 students were arrested in Enfield Public Schools, with incidents evenly distributed between JFK Middle School and Enfield High School. This data alone prompts a serious discussion, but when coupled with the suspension and expulsion statistics, it becomes even more alarming. Approximately 21% of Black students were suspended, compared to 13% of Hispanic students and more than 8% of white students. This pattern of racial disparity has persisted over the years, raising significant concerns about the equality of our disciplinary practices.

While the effects of deploying armed guards in our schools remain uncertain — potentially leading to either an increase in arrests and suspensions or a deterrent against misconduct — one thing is clear: we need more detailed data to understand these dynamics fully. The School District and Enfield Police Department should provide comprehensive reports on the students arrested, including their age, race, the nature of the offense, and court outcomes.

Considering that 22 of the 42 arrests were at the JFK middle school, we need to ask if we are criminalizing adolescent behavior? 

Furthermore, by not proactively addressing these disproportionate suspension rates among Black students, we must consider whether we are inadvertently perpetuating systemic racism. What are the long-term educational outcomes of these high suspension rates? Are these disparities in arrests and suspensions potentially violating civil rights, and could they expose Enfield to legal challenges?

As the town prepares to invest a significant sum in security equipment, perhaps it's time to also allocate resources towards a deeper investigation into these troubling patterns. Conducting an equity study is one approach. This study should analyze the data we already collect to identify and address areas of racial disparity. Reviewing our policies and training with an equity lens could help uncover and rectify systemic issues contributing to these disparities.

Engagement from the community is essential. We should involve parents — especially those from marginalized groups — along with educators and students, in this initiative. Funding should also be provided to hire an external, neutral consulting firm to assist in organizing and executing this effort.

Enfield must not accept this ongoing disparity as the status quo. By taking comprehensive and inclusive action now, we can work towards a fairer and more equitable system for all our students.


Even if there is a question about the data reported by some communities, Enfield's arrest rate is alarming. We're one of the lowest funded communities in per pupil spending, but number two in the state in arrest rate for 2022-23. The arrest rate per 1,000 students, when compared to all the towns and cities with larger populations:

Waterbury - 11.28

Enfield - 8.55

New Britain - 5.97

West Haven - 3.68

Danbury - 2.97

Stratford - 2.37

Manchester - 2.26

Stamford - 2.23

Bristol - 1.93

Norwalk - 1.91

Hamden - 1.83

New Haven - 1.67

Meriden - 1.62

Middletown - 1.35

Wallingford - 1.12

Hartford - 1.01

West Hartford - 0.87

Greenwich - 0.70

Bridgeport - 0.31

East Hartford - 0.00

Fairfield - 0.00

Southington - 0.00
Note: This data is publicly available. Anyone can see this data for themselves by searching year by year. https://public-edsight.ct.gov/overview/profile-and-performance-reports?language=en_US


Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Enfield is in trouble? Facts with a dose of sarcasm

Image
Molly at School Rally People are going after spending in Enfield and trying to dissect it to see where they can find gross mismanagement. Since the Republicans have been in control for all but two of the last 16 years, let's assume that the town's spending is pristine and error-free and beyond reproach—except for the two years when the Democrats were in charge. As we all know, the Democrats dumped money out of the windows of Town Hall. The Town Council Republicans are going to try to set a token reduction in the Mill Rate. To reach that point, they may have to do some problematic things, such as deferring spending on things like police cruiser replacements and equipment generally, putting off some maintenance, and not filling vacancies and laying off where they can, and who knows what else. There's a lot they can't touch, namely contractual salary obligations. But they want to be able to say that they reduced taxes. More concerning will be how much of the costs are bein
Read more

Fewer kids, fewer costumes: What declining school enrollment means for trick-or-treating

Image
Enfield has experienced a significant and ongoing decline in public school enrollment over an 18 year period. When compared to four nearby towns of similar population size, Enfield and Middletown show the steepest declines. Many factors may be contributing to this trend. These include smaller family sizes, lower fertility rates, job market, cost of living including housing costs, an aging population across the state, and an increase in families choosing alternative education options, such as homeschooling. The data is available at EdSight . The enrollment data only covers the last 18 years. Update : After reading some of the insightful Facebook comments , more data is needed to show how population changes are contributing to the school population decline. The comments about an increase in homeschooling were thought-provoking. I wish there was a way to quantify that shift; I suspect the school district may have some estimates. Enfield has experienced an approximate 8.76% decline in popu
Read more

Enfield Town Council's unprofessional action

Image
  Enfield's Town Council is apparently trying to kill a 70-unit housing project in Thompsonville that the Planning and Zoning Commission approved. The Council's behavior has been egregious and unprofessional in pursuit of that goal. It's doing this in secret and risking a lawsuit for murky reasons. Impact Residential Development recently received PZC approval for this project in a 5-2 vote. It was a remarkable and courageous moment for the commission. But the Town Council Republicans want to block it. They are designing in executive session a way to oppose it. They did not let the developer know of their plan until the last minute. Here's the background The developers plan to build this housing on and near the former Strand Theater site, land which the town had acquired. It combines primarily affordable housing and market-rate units with 70 parking spaces. It faced opposition over concerns about on-street parking. The idea is that since this is a transit-oriented develo
Read more