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Community Corner

Letter: Fawcett Responds to RTC Chair's Release

The following is a response from State Rep. Kim Fawcett.

What's Chris DeSanctis hiding from, and why won’t he speak for himself. DeSanctis has been “proudly endorsed” by the Tea Party, whose policies are both radical and misaligned with Fairfield voters.

The proof Mr. Millington is looking for regarding DeSanctis’s education policies is right there on his website -- or at least it was until just recently. It’s interesting that within 48 hours of our questioning DeSanctis’s position on education, edits were made to the DeSanctis website. So again, what’s DeSanctis hiding and why won’t he explain to voters what percentage of the funds that currently go to Fairfield public schools he would divert elsewhere? Voters certainly deserve to know.

It should be interesting and noteworthy for Fairfield voters to take notice of the changes in the before and after versions of the Desanctis policy positions. First he is for diverting money from public to private schools and “increasing school choice” for parents, and then just days after we highlighted his position he changed his mind.

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Here’s what the DeSanctis education page says now … http://chrisdesanctis.com/the-issues/education/

Here’s what it said just a few days ago, as recorded by Project Vote Smart … http://votesmart.org/public-statement/732009/issue-position-improving-education#.UHbFUy7A_44

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Will DeSanctis vote to cut your education funding? Well, let's go by what he's done so far. During his one year as a Fairfield Representative Town Meeting member, he voted to cut $800,000 from the education budget, forcing cuts to foreign language, music and sports programs. Mr. Millington simply needs to refer to the RTM meeting minutes for May 2011 to remind himself of the DeSanctis stand on education funding and cuts.

And teachers should also beware. In a 2011 op-ed written by Mr. DeSanctis, he highlights his positions on public school teachers. He writes: "Connecticut and schools nationally need to drop teacher tenure in favor of a merit pay system."  http://articles.courant.com/2011-07-23/news/hc-op-desanctis-merit-pay-teachers-0720110723_1_high-performing-teachers-teacher-tenure-bad-teachers

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