To the Editor:

Connecticut has a long history of interdistrict magnet and choice options. (1,2,3) There are decades of experience that can be utilized to inform decision-making around the implementation of the state’s Open Choice Program (OCP). In addition, Wilton students already have the opportunity to attend and some utilize a number of magnet schools in other districts, including Norwalk. While Norwalk and Wilton often feel like different worlds, they are intrinsically linked to each other as residents work and utilize services and businesses in each other’s towns.

Addressing the financial considerations and potential “bottom line” impact is important while making these types of programmatic decisions. I appreciate the clarification at the March 16 Board of Education meeting about extraordinary special education costs. Having an MOU [memo of understanding] could be a great strategy to clarify the relationship with Norwalk Public Schools at the outset. I also appreciate the addition of the state’s supplemental transportation funds which could be used to provide students access to additional after-school activities. While some students may not be able to participate in after-school activities due to family constraints, providing transportation would alleviate one barrier to such an important part of school life.

The law allows Wilton significant discretion in determining the number of students to permit. I understand and support the idea of starting small as Wilton Public Schools begins implementation. Class seat vacancies permitting, it may be beneficial to have more than two students (like Darien considered) in a “cohort” to provide greater social-emotional support for both the students and the families. I’ve not found any research on an ideal cohort size for this type of program, but there’s something to be said for having more than just a few students per grade level to reach a greater benefit for both the Norwalk and Wilton students and to reach some economies of scale for any additional supports or resources needed.

While the costs are a concern, it’s also important to examine the intangible benefits to not only the incoming students but also Wilton students. This is important not only for Wilton’s white students but also for the growing percentage (approximately 25%) of students of color as well. Research has found that by decreasing racial isolation in schools via interdistrict choice programs, “Both white and minority students were more likely to feel connected to peers of other races, to report having multiple friends of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and to express stronger interests in and understanding of multiculturalism.”(3)

“I encourage our district and our Wilton community to emulate the values that the WPS Portrait of a Graduate espouses regarding acting for the greater good, demonstrating social and personal responsibility and kindness, and embracing diversity. … Turn the district’s vision and values into action by fully, albeit strategically, implementing the Open Choice Program here in Wilton.” Julie Corbett

There are some additional considerations that I encourage the district to think through to decrease the learning curve during the transition process. It will be important to think about how OCP students coming into Wilton, and their families, will be supported by the staff and the community. Research has shown that having support during the transition process was largely impactful to OCP students.(4) While transportation for students is provided for the program, what supports are available to the students and their parents/caregivers if they do not have reliable transportation and if a student is sick during the day or if the parents/caregivers want to engage in school activities?

Additionally, Wilton has an opportunity to link the implementation of OCP to existing, yet nascent, efforts already underway. Areas that could be enhanced and aligned include our broader efforts in diversifying the teaching staff, embracing culturally responsive teaching, and ensuring that the culture and climate of Wilton’s schools embrace and respect diversity. These efforts must be done while actively seeking to reduce microaggressions, unintentional bias, and overt racism — all of which have macro impacts on both white students and students of color.

I encourage our district and our Wilton community to emulate the values that the WPS Portrait of a Graduate espouses regarding acting for the greater good, demonstrating social and personal responsibility and kindness, and embracing diversity. I encourage you to embrace our Norwalk neighbors and turn the district’s vision and values into action by fully, albeit strategically, implementing the Open Choice Program here in Wilton. The program will benefit the educational opportunities of students from Norwalk, while also benefiting all Wilton students and our broader community, which extends far beyond our town’s borders.

Julie Corbett

Julie Corbett is a Wilton resident, who previously lived in Norwalk and served on the Board of Education for Norwalk Public Schools; is a board member for NorwalkACTS; and runs a national education consulting company. 

References:

(1) Corbett, J. & Morando Rhim, L. (2016). School boards driving turnaround: Case study — New Haven Public Schools. San Francisco, CA: Center on School Turnaround at WestEd.

(2) Potter, H. (2016). Stamford Public Schools: From desegregated schools to integrated classrooms. New York, NY: The Century Foundation.

(3) Quick, K. (2016). Hartford Public Schools: Striving for equity through interdistrict programs. New York, NY: The Century Foundation.

(4) Sarli, S. (2020). Open choice programs: Helping or hurting in the long run? [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Northeastern University.

14 replies on “LETTER: Open Choice Program is Wilton’s Opportunity to Enact Our Portrait of a Graduate”

  1. Open Choice is simply a sanitized way of saying “regionalization” of the area’s school districts.

    The implications of this social engineering gambit are real, stark and expensive. Residents chose Wilton for the school system (that’s a shadow of its once vaunted position). Diluting it is the path to higher taxes and lower property values. Vote out BOE members who support it, replace BOE employees who sponsor it. They’re only looking for ways to spread their control and influence.

    1. Gee, I wonder if Wilton’s school system being a “shadow of its once vaunted position” might have anything to do with a decade plus of stingy lean budgets. It’s certainly blessedly free of Open Choice kids at the moment, so you can’t blame them.

      Also, regionalization would save money and let us eliminate any number of the wasteful administrative positions you people are constantly complaining about, but somehow it’s important that our school system be both chronically underfunded and have a big 70-foot-high wall around it, just as it’s important that our property taxes be low and yet also a violation of Wilton’s sacred historical character or whatever to do anything to expand our grand list.

      1. No, the budget has been more than adequate. It boils down to management, quality teachers and judicious spending. You only have to look at the Miller Driscoll fiasco to see how easy it’s been for the Town to waste literally millions

  2. As a parent and Wilton resident, I have many issues with this open choice program none of which have anything to do with the diversity and inclusion. My biggest concern as a taxpayer and parent of three young children is that I get the support I need relative to the taxes I pay in this town. I could have moved to Norwalk or another town which may have lower taxes but I was drawn to the schools in Wilton which I thought were excellent. Growing up in New York public schools, and not the most affluent areas, I was provided with a lot of support including free extracurricular activities. As a parent this is invaluable. My parent never once had to pay for afterschool programs which helped bridge the gap while they worked and provided students with many opportunities, sports, music, language etc. there is nothing equivalent in Wilton. Before we even consider Open choice, we need to support Wilton working parents that need financial help because they have multiple students that need aftercare. We should consider free aftercare programs for residents. We can’t afford to have more student from other towns that would reduce places or seats available for resident students in wilton continuing education programs and increase the classroom teacher:student ratio. It is already so difficult and competitive to get seats in the Wilton continuing education programs that parents so desperately need. Open choice will increase the burden on Wilton parents. What we need is more support in terms of free aftercare and continuing education and more resources and staff for our existing students who may be struggling.

    1. I think free aftercare is a marvelous idea, but philosophically speaking I think that and Open Choice are very much aligned.

      The fundamental question is how big a role our schools should play in kids’ lives. In Wilton, our schools are excellent at what they do, but their role is pretty much as pared-back as they could possibly be; virtually no before- or after-school activities of any kind unless you pay, no vacation care, summer activities only paid + part-time, no breakfast, minimal lunch, little in the way of added enrichment (no gifted programming, extra tutoring, or other activities like, say, middle school theater); basically you get your 6 hours and change for 181 school days a year and that’s absolutely all they do for you. For all of the “portrait of a graduate” talk, it’s actually much more of a quick pencil sketch; filling in the rest is left up to parents, on their own time and with their own money.

      Other school districts in other places – even in neighboring towns – take on far more responsibility for ensuring every kid gets a real, whole-person education, but thanks in large part to decades of conservative stinginess (Wilton was literally the model for the Stepford Wives, and was a Republican bastion until very recently) Wilton’s schools do as little for our kids as they can possibly get away with.

      Open Choice proposes to help fill in one of those many many gaps in Wilton kids’ educations, namely, diverse classmates; an area we’re singularly lacking in, and barring some wondrous change in housing policy (which if it ever comes come is going to be tied up in litigation for so long that none of our kids will be kids anymore by the time it’s resolved) an area which we have few other options to address. And it does so at a pretty tiny cost – we already have the empty classrooms and the administrators and the lesson plans, adding a dozen Open Choice kids is not going to increase our school budget by 12 times whatever our current per-student cost is (or anything close to that).

      It’s not remotely as big of a change as free aftercare, but it’s also not anything like the cost of that; it’s a nice little thing we can try to make our schools just a little bit better. (from my own experience I know my kids have greatly benefitted from participating in extracurriculars / camps / etc with more diverse groups of classmates)

      I hope and pray and shout here constantly for us to spend much more money on our school budget and bring about a much more expansive vision of what our schools could do, but in the meantime, every little step in the right direction is a victory nevertheless.

      1. You would support greatly expanding the BoE budget to pay for free aftercare? (this is a fantastic idea, but somewhat at odds with your other comments)

          1. Her post in which she suggested they should offer free aftercare? Or did you not actually take the time to read it?

  3. Julie, thank you for writing this. You voiced the sentiment of Wilton’s many supportive residents by explaining how the merits of Open Choice outweigh the extremely small costs. Joining the achievement-driven towns who have opted in to Open Choice is the right thing to do. It is an opportunity to be kind, charitable neighbors to a very small few of the overwhelming number of kids in Fairfield County who – by no fault of their own – aren’t as fortunate as ours. It also enhances the education of the Wilton student population as a whole. We want our kids to have a greater understanding of the world and to be considerate human beings. What better way to teach them?

    1. If you have a moment to read the transcript from the BoE meeting last week, the person representing CES did address this with the board. This is the only instance of a reimbursement issue in the Open Choice Program. If I read this article correctly, it seems that Woodbridge asked for reimbursement for special ed services, that in the past when seeking reimbursement, had not included. I don’t believe this would ever happen between WPS and NPS. I encourage folks to read the transcript if they can, or reach out to the BoE and superintendent if they have any questions or concerns. From my experience they are very responsive.

      1. “I don’t believe this would ever happen between WPS and NPS.”

        On what are you basing this opinion? Seems that any student who comes and needs an IEP or 504 will bring additional costs that are borne by the Town of Wilton

  5. Most people agree that supporting diversity is valuable and unfortunately this letter doesn’t really do much more than elaborate a little on why that’s the case. The problem with Open Choice is not its goal of fostering diversity but how it’s implemented. Specifically, the random lottery which will bring in disruptive students that will negatively impact the educational environment in our classrooms.

    On the whole, are Norwalk students more disruptive than Wilton students? Whether you want to believe it or not, the answer is yes. This is generally true of city schools when compared to suburban schools and Wilton and Norwalk are no exception. To be clear, I’m not talking about the race, color or ethnicity of these students. I’m talking about the values and behavior that are learned at home and brought into the classroom. There are a lot of great families, parents, and kids in Norwalk. But when the approach is a random lottery you have to look at what sorts of students are most likely to come from that process and how they’ll affect our classrooms and our children.

    I am not saying all these programs are bad. In fact, ABC of Wilton is an example of a program that does it right. This program fosters diversity without undermining our schools core values, like Respect, Responsibility and Readiness to learn. This is thanks to its selection process, accepting students that have good grades. Bringing in random students from Norwalk is a completely different approach and will have completely different results.

    It is not fair to our teachers and it’s not fair to our children. We should never support a program where participation is based purely on lottery and where there is no process for removing disruptive students.

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