Editorial - Teaching tablets in Cheshire

As published in the Record Journal Friday January 25, 2013

Cheshire Town Council is behind the times in criticizing Board of Education members for utilizing iPads during meetings.

Recently, Cheshire’s BOE commenced a paperless initiative in a commendable effort to modernize and better implement contemporary technology throughout the education district. Replacing bulky meeting packets with digital tablets also represents savings in paper and manpower costs, though iPad prices assumedly negate much of that.

Still, government officials sound out-of-date in questioning use of handheld computerized gadgets. BOE members would be doing Cheshire great disservice if, as one councilman suggested and editorial cartoonist John Grabar depicted on today’s page, they employed iPads leisurely amidst meetings. We see no reason to suspect that Hulu or Angry Birds will prove so distracting that academic business becomes ignored.

Concerns about confidentiality of wireless devices also are unfounded, as these tablets are perfectly secure as long they’re not misused. (We partially allude, of course, to the dreaded misclicked “Reply to all” email button).

While long-term savings on switching to expensive iPads are dubious, the value is in hands-on understanding of tablets’ educational potential. Town councilor Andy Falvey claimed no difference between bringing them to a BOE meeting versus a laptop. He has missed the point.

Current and future students likely will not use laptops in classrooms. Those computers are bulky compared with small, thin tablets. iPads and similar models provide pupils enormous learning possibilities — interactive lessons and all of history’s information— without being so big that they block views or become unwieldy.

Moreover, it’s important for the BOE to experience personally what tablets can offer. This board will make decisions as to what extent tech is applied throughout town schools. Cheshire High School already has begun encouraging learning through technology, with Dodd Middle School set to proceed similarly. It’s a “natural progression,” aptly observed School Superintendent Greg Florio of such modern measures (R-J, 1-19). For that progression to be as smooth and effective as possible, BOE representatives must grasp thoroughly what they are permitting students use of in classrooms.

While not as anti-iPad as his colleague, council member Tom Ruocco stated that he simply prefers working with paper. That’s a sentiment many of us can comprehend, particularly readers who favor tactile books over e-texts.

But regarding classrooms, the future is undeniably digital. Students and teachers have much to gain in this tech-and-academic evolution. And for Cheshire schools to keep pace with industry advancements, BOE officials must be conversant with the operational and educational aspects of the latest handheld technology.

FROM CHESHIRE - Construction to begin in March on 20 units of affordable housing

Building more affordable housing is something we should be doing in Wallingford to get beyond our current 6% of the housing stock with the goal of meeting then exceeding the 10% target goal as set by the state.

Some of this effort can be kick started by supporting the said development in the planned Incentive Housing Zone in Wallingford Center.

As you can see from the article Cheshire was able to do this work with funding from the State:

”The project is completely funded by the state. In April, the state Bond Commission approved $3,350,000. State Rep. Mary Fritz, a Wallingford Democrat whose district includes part of Cheshire, was instrumental in bringing the new development into town.”

It pays to investigate what monies are available to the town for projects and then go after them aggressively.

The below is as published in the Record Journal Friday January 25, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter: @AndyRagz

CHESHIRE — The construction of affordable housing off West Main Street will begin in March, with hopes that 20 units on Rumberg Road will be completed early next year. Housing Authority Chairman Bruce Klein said the units will differ from those in the Beachport housing complex on Rumberg Road. He explained that Beachport is a Section 8 housing development, reserved for the elderly and disabled. The new development will be affordable housing for “working people who do not have the means to afford housing” in Cheshire.

“The two pieces of property are contiguous, but it’s a separate facility with separate management,” Klein said.

The project is completely funded by the state, according to Klein. In April, the state Bond Commission approved $3,350,000. State Rep. Mary Fritz, a Wallingford Democrat whose district includes part of Cheshire, was instrumental in bringing the new development into town.

Cheshire spent $200,000 on submissions to the state Planning Board in 2010, and submitted an application to the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development. The town was then told the application process had changed, delaying the development. Fritz then appealed to DECD Deputy Commissioner Ronald Angelo, who resolved the issue. “I’m so glad,” Fritz said. “In my mind it was totally unfair.”

Fritz said affordable housing units are needed in Cheshire for retired residents who don’t want to leave their hometown.

“Mary has been very helpful in our project,” Klein said.

Three two-floor buildings with four apartments each will be built on Rumberg Road land that was recently cleared.

Two buildings on Rumberg Road will be renovated and converted into housing units, Klein said. One, the historic home of Cheshire politician Samuel Foot, who was born in 1780, now contains four apartments. Klein said the house is in disrepair and is being renovated to bring it back to “somewhat historic condition.”

Four apartments will remain in the Foot house. A garage, part of the Foot house, has two apartments upstairs. The lower-level garage area will be renovated into two apartments that will become handicapped-accessible units.

Klein said there has been a push for more affordable housing throughout the state. Cheshire now has eight units scattered around town — not counting the Beachport complex.

There is a “crying need for housing which is cheap enough for people who work for a living and need to be able to afford rent,” Klein said.

Rent for the new units has not been established, Klein said. Rent for affordable housing is based on annual median income in the area.

The apartments will be advertised for rent as soon as they are finished. Klein said DeMarco Management Corp., of Hartford, will be managing the property.

Town Council Chairman Tim Slocum aid his only concern about the new development is pedestrian access. Recently, a resident was hit by a car and killed on West Main Street. Town Manager Michael Milone said he’s in the process of applying for a grant that would provide $500,000 for additional sidewalks on the north side of West Main Street. Giving people a safe way to access shopping on the street is “a big priority for the council and all of us,” Milone said.

Both Milone and Slocum see the new development as an important step for Cheshire.

“One of the things that’s apparent is we as a community are aging,” Milone said. “It’s important that you have an opportunity that gives people away to stay in town.”

“Obviously, we have a food pantry,” Slocum said, “so it’s not a town without issues and a need for housing that’s affordable.”