Dear New Canaan Residents,
Two years ago, I ran for a seat on the Board of Education. Not only did I have skin in the game with four kids in the schools, but we were in the midst of some pretty challenging times, and I thought I could be additive.
To be frank, the political climate was fraught and rather unpleasant. In my estimation, events far from New Canaan and having nothing to do with New Canaan were being used as justification for considering a bevy of ideas that would have been wrong for our town. Not only could some of these ideas have negatively impacted some of the district’s greatest achievements, such as our long and storied history of exceptional academic performance, but they might also have had other, more significant implications downstream from that. There are legions of young parents who moved to New Canaan, some of them stretching or taking on considerable financial risk to do so, precisely because they wanted to provide their children with an excellent education that would prepare them to achieve academically, go to a great college, and prosper and thrive professionally. For some of these families in our community, there is no margin for error. And in my view, they should be the first people we think about when we consider making major policy changes in the schools.
Fortunately that moment from 2021 has passed, temperatures have cooled, and the schools remain focused on academic achievement—ensuring that every New Canaan student has the tools they need to succeed both personally and professionally. But make no mistake…there will be other moments. Perhaps difficult ones. It takes courage to stand up in those moments against the prevailing political winds and remind people both of our district’s winning formula and the substantial risks associated with deviating from that formula. I’ve watched Hugo Alves do this over the past two years as a board member time and time again. He’s stood shoulder to shoulder with me on a host of tough issues, and has shown unwavering commitment to New Canaan families. I hope voters allow us to stand together again. I’m also encouraged by the candidacies of Matt Campbell, Lara Kelly and Matt Wexler. All of them asked tough questions and relentlessly advocated on behalf of New Canaan kids during the misguided Covid lockdowns and mask mandates. I have zero doubt that all four of them will work well with our superintendent and administrators, and continue to put New Canaan kids first.
Please vote Row B for the Board of Education.
Phil Hogan
Vice Chair, Board of Education
