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BOE Candidate Focus: Elizabeth Brad Noel

By Jeffrey B. Cohen

October 20, 2009

Here's the sixth in our BOE Candidate Focus series.

Elizabeth Brad Noel, of the Working Families Party.

NAME: Elizabeth Brad Noel

AGE: 78

PROFESSION: Retired after 25 years employed by Hartford Public Schools as Weaver High School Guidance Chairperson.

FAMILY: Married to Don O. Noel Jr., daughter Emily, Weaver graduate, Math teacher at Hartford Magnet Middle School, grandson student at Classical Magnet School

YEARS IN THE CITY: Living on Ridgefield Street since 1965

The Most pressing education issue affecting the City's students

The cost of adding new programs last spring, resulted in a $2.4 million cut from existing schools for this year. We need to consolidate our efforts on "maintaining" and supporting our existing programs. If we consider our system a pie with one piece for each school, adding more schools requires each piece to receive a fewer dollars.

This is now the time to "slow down" the development of new academies and concentrate on giving more support to our existing schools. We cannot expect our schools to continue to improve student achievement with fewer and fewer resources.

I have consistently criticized cuts made in arts, music, guidance, health and physical education that limit our ability to address the needs of the whole student.

The Board must continue its efforts to strengthen communication with teachers, parents and the community. Governing Councils, and more dialog, with our staff and their union representatives.