To the Editor:
Open Choice is a wonderful program. It has existed successfully for decades in other parts of Connecticut and became available to Wilton only last year. Under the program, Wilton would open our school doors to a small number of Norwalk students. That number is fully under Wilton’s control and Wilton can stop new enrollments at any point. Norwalk students would enter a lottery for the limited seats we make available. Wilton’s Board of Education is currently considering inviting five Norwalk students to enroll in our schools (three in kindergarten and two in first grade). We hope the Board of Education votes in favor of the program.
The main focus of opponents seems to be cost, but almost all of those concerns confuse the marginal cost of educating an additional student versus the average cost for all students. Some opponents are using absurdly inflated numbers to represent the marginal cost of adding a student. Norwalk would pay us $3,000 per student, which is a reasonable approximation of our actual costs of adding a student to an existing classroom. Additionally, Hartford and Norwalk would cover transportation costs and special ed costs (if any).
A related focus of opponents seems to be financial risk, but that too is significantly overstated. Yes, the program is funded by Hartford and a legislature can revise anything at any time, but Open Choice has existed for decades without threat, and the towns that rely on it for reimbursement are almost by definition politically powerful. And yes, after decades of cooperation, one town (Woodbridge) is in a small dispute with its sending district (New Haven), but reports are that the matter is being resolved amicably, and in any event, the same circumstance can be avoided through meaningful communication and cooperation.
Another focus for opponents seems to be the lack of formal studies suggesting that greater diversity in our classrooms might benefit Wilton’s students. Those opponents have not looked very hard. Or spoken with students or recent grads who reflect that their educational experience would have been stronger if Wilton were less of a homogenous bubble.
Another focus of opponents seems to be the assertion that Norwalk students would be more disruptive than the average Wilton student. I wish we had crystal balls to predict disruptive students when they join us in kindergarten, but it is more likely that Norwalk students (and their families) who jump through hoops to attend our schools would be on average more disciplined.
Another focus of opponents seems to be that some neighboring towns have not approved Open Choice. But the program has been available locally only since last year. The more relevant observation is the large number of towns (49 as of 2018) that have approved the program and have lived with it successfully for decades. All of those towns have the opportunity to cancel the program at any time, but they do not. The program works well elsewhere. None of those 49 towns is experiencing the dire financial or other problems that opponents predict for Wilton. Locally, Westport has 69 students enrolled, and Weston has 29.
And then there are several other stated concerns that are hard to respond to. Some opponents are arguing that Norwalk is richer than Wilton, and some are suggesting that Westport has a million-dollar budget line item for the program. Neither is true.
Open Choice is a small program with limited financial risk. More important, it is an opportunity to broaden the experience of our own students while potentially changing the trajectory of opportunity for a handful of our Connecticut neighbors. We hope that Wilton’s Board of Education will embrace Open Choice as a win-win, and as part of the values that make us a great town.
Thank you,
Tom Dubin, Chair
Wilton Democratic Town Committee