A Magnet School’s Impact

Fairchild Wheeler Magnet School
Rendering of Fairchild Wheeler Magnet School

Trumbull didn’t want this school within its boundaries. Bridgeport did. Either way it appears both sides are happy. A new regional science magnet school will be constructed, assuming land use approvals, now that the state legislature and Governor Dan Malloy have agreed to a boundary change that places the school in Bridgeport proper.

Bridgeport receives 50-plus acres for a new school and Trumbull inherits a piece of state land in Bridgeport it can use, including the city’s Parks Department building, for possible recreation use that the town must negotiate with the state Department of Environmental Protection for approval. This agreement is a key accomplishment for Mayor Bill Finch who wants to take pressure off the antiquated Harding High School.

The regional high school provides Bridgeport 1,000 spots among the 1,500-student school. During the past 10 years the city has built a number of middle schools with modern technology. The big issue, according to city educators, comes when kids segue from state-of-the-art middle-school facilities to antiquated high schools. Harding High, in particular, is a major problem. The mayor sees this $125 million school as both unique in its science and math curriculum, that includes information technology, aerospace and zoology, as well as lessening the strain on Harding.

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37 comments

  1. The biggest problem confronting Bridgeport’s school children and the teachers who strive to educate them is John Ramos. This school will provide academic opportunities, but that doesn’t solve the long-term problem of having an incompetent superintendent.

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  2. Yes! Finally! Hurray for Bridgeport AND the Region! This is going to be an excellent high school experience for the 1000 Bridgeport students and 500 regional students that will attend each and every year. I am proud that it will have a Bridgeport address. Bravo.

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  3. Finch has bought off every possible angle for his re-election. Stallworth was his last needed deal.

    Foster can’t possibly win without John Gomes’ help.

    Gomes can win without Foster as his appeal is of a broader range.

    Even with the OIB cheering section for Mary-Jane this blog does not reach the voters who need to sign up and vote.

    It is inevitable that Foster and Gomes who have much respect for one another, get together and chop down the Machine.

    It’s not an if, it’s a when. THEY NEED EACH OTHER AND BPT NEEDS THEM.

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    1. Chosen 1, first off Stallworth brings nothing to the table that will really help Finch. Yes I know he will preach to his congregation but will it be in support of Finch.
      Mary-Jane has a broad appeal and will be speaking and in many cases has already spoken to black leaders. She is doing the same in the hispanic community.
      Polls show her close to Finch and far ahead of Gomes and that was before she announced her candidacy.

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      1. What is going to make a difference this time around is the people of the city of Bridgeport actually have some practical choices. The primary will not be the usual dog-and-pony show for the DTC as led by Mario Testa. You know, ward-heelers bringing every drunk, every drug addict, every bum that receives mail at a homeless shelter, bringing them all to the polling places to vote according to the master plan.

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          1. Ernest “T” wouldn’t know an apostrophe if one crawled up his leg and bit him on the ass.

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    1. Really, 2011. How accurate do you expect that poll to be? Asking the patrons of a sandwich shack who they’re gonna vote for, of course they’ll support the guy who serves ’em pastrami on rye.

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  4. Jesus, what did you expect from a poll where the guy owns the business and has your lunch made? You are kidding, right? BTW how many who voted live in Bridgeport?
    I did not do a poll but two were done professionally and Lennie did one and one was done by the DTC.

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    1. The race is tight between Foster and Finch. It could be a statistical dead heat before June. Gomes is trailing both. (Coviello is not even worth considering. He’s the Erwin Corey of Bridgeport politics.)

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  5. The DTC’s poll was taken at the train station, white professionals on their way to Stamford and NYC. This is FACT. Results were never made public, why? Calamarians didn’t like the results?

    If Ms. Foster did do a poll, which I highly doubt in my opinion, those results will not be known, will they?

    Another fact, this website is a MJF hype machine. Rumors are Mr. Grimaldi is writing Ms. Foster’s speeches for her and her press releases. Denials to come I’m sure.

    A few people who were diehard supporters of other candidates are fully on the MJF bandwagon, were jobs offered? What has been offered to tc? He will take a bullet for MJF, one day he was undecided and the next an MJF lifer. Council seat maybe? That’s selling out for less than Caruso, who he trashed for selling out.

    Just evening the odds for people reading this website and on the fence. There should be a warning:

    THIS IS A MARY-JANE FOSTER WEBSITE, PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION.

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    1. Hey bud, I met Mary-Jane Foster at the Metric soiree. Spoke with her, found her charming and more than qualified to run the city. My support for MJF comes from principled conviction: the people of the city of Bridgeport deserve a lot more than they’ve been getting since 2001. Since that time we’ve seen one mayor convicted of racketeering; been governed by another who got drunk and snorted cocaine on the public’s nickel (he also provided a character reference to a 22-year-old man who knocked up a 14-year old girl); and a third who didn’t even want the job to begin with and still doesn’t want it, except for the paycheck.

      I’m guessing you’re working for the Finch camp. Only he would send a semi-literate houseplant to do his PR work.

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    2. Grin–
      Personally I don’t believe Lennie’s given any more attention to MJF than any other candidate. Maybe it seems that way because she just launched her campaign and is getting a lot of attention. Let’s not forget the attention John Gomes got when he announced his own candidacy for mayor.

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    3. And whom does The Reeper support? The majority of my coverage goes to Bill Finch. He is the mayor. If Foster, Gomes, Coviello send me something I’m likely to run it. Keep it coming. No Reep, not writing Foster’s press releases. Caryn Kaufman does that for her. But feel free to write releases on behalf of your candidate.

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  6. Reeper or should I say Creeper again you start with the race thing. Keep your racist bullshit to yourself.
    First off you just can’t believe anyone really cares about Bridgeport. I care about Bridgeport and always have. I have had one city job and that took a competitive exam to get.
    Let me tell you this, I support MJF 100% because I think she would do good things for Bridgeport. I have not been promised one damned thing nor do I want one damned thing. You see I have all the money I need, I have too many outside interests to go back to work. Tell me how MJF can guarantee me a council seat as she is not running a full slate. I had my one run for a council seat and lost. You just make this shit up as you go along because you have nothing else to do. Let me suggest that maybe you take a Dale Carnegie course.
    Reeper you are right on one thing, one day I was undecided and the next I was 100% behind Mary-Jane Foster. I did not hide it, everyone on this blog knows I support her. I guess you can’t understand something like that. For you it’s easier to post bullshit, throw out the racist card and do nothing else.

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    1. Not to play the devil’s advocate here. Grin Reeper was just pointing out the DTC’s poll was taken from a limited section of the local population, white urban professionals, that is a minority in Bridgeport.

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  7. I don’t see where Reeper pulled a race card. He/she said a poll was conducted at a train station and white professionals were polled. Everyone here has heard the Lennie rumors and him being on the Foster payroll. So what if he is? We all have a right to earn and nowhere does it say the blog boss can’t be a supporter. He doesn’t say he’s fox fair and balanced. Back to tc, you throw so much crap against the wall that even if it does stick, who the hell cares?

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    1. The challenge is getting those white professionals to the polls. Mario will use every trick up his sleeve including putting lots of “money on the streets” as they say. Are there enough “white professionals” and other concerned citizens of any race/gender/creed to offset that? That’s what we have to work on. Countdown is right about going after the Republicans and Independents. If they switch for this primary … if Gomes throws his support to MJF … if everyone comes out to vote. Lots of if’s but it is a real possibility. I feel the momentum building and so do others.

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    2. Thank you Kid, if you think what I write here is just throwing crap against the wall, so be it.
      Lennie’s poll if that’s the one reeper is referring to was done by telephone and even if it was not, why is it necessary to say it was mostly WHITE professionals? Most polls I have read if they get into race the racial breakdown is given.

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  8. The poll was conducted (no pun intended) at the train station, asking Metro North commuters on their way to work in Stamford and Manhattan who they would vote for. The majority of them were and are white urban professionals, a minority in this town. Most of us are working-class and we come in a wide variety of colors. Multi-ethnicity makes Bridgeport a multifaceted place.

    Ernie Newton has played the race card more than any other contributor to this blog. He’s still carping on and on and on about John Rowland, a white governor, getting a year and a day in the slammer for pleading guilty to “theft of honest services.” Mr. Newton copped a plea and received five years for stealing campaign funds, cheating on his taxes and taking a bribe. His only defense is “I didn’t rat out anyone!”

    Like it or not, race plays a part in Bridgeport politics. More than a few holders of public office have played on xenophobia to retain their seats. Is that right, is that moral? No and no. The politician who can reach out to the many communities that make up the social fabric of Bridgeport can show people there is great strength in diversity, that is the person to vote for.

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    1. I’ll support Jim Fox only if he uses Ol’ 55 as his campaign song.
      “Well my time went so quickly, I went lickety-splickly out to my old ’55
      As I drove away slowly, feeling so holy, God knows, I was feeling alive.”

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      1. Bill Finch’s campaign theme song ought to be an old Earnest Tubb number:

        “Yes I know I’ve been untrue and I have hurt you through and through
        But please have a mercy on this heart of mine
        Take me back and try me one more time …”

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  9. *** Rumor has it some state legislators were invited to a West End Community Business Council Dinner & no one showed. Of course not, it’s not election year for them! Also, seems “some” of those pushing for Mayoral candidate Gomes before are now singing a new tune with MJF in the race! Who will be zooming whom come Sept? *** HERE WE GO! ***

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  10. Bruce Hubler is switching! That means a lot!

    For over 30 years I was an unaffiliated voter so I could be a neutral and effective public-sector executive manager for Mayors Lenz (D), Clapes (R) and Serrani (D) in Stamford; Westchester County Exec Spano (D); Governor Cuomo (D) in New York; Governor Weicker (I) and finally Mayor Fabrizi (D).

    I switched to Democrat for the Malloy/Lamont primary because I knew Malloy was our best hope to be the Governor. I wanted him to lead Connecticut out of the mess it was in.

    I live in Downtown Bridgeport. I am signing my fifth lease at City Trust in a couple of days. Now I am talking to all of my Republican and unaffiliated friends and asking them to switch party affiliation to Democrat so you can vote in the Sept 13th primary. Why? Connecticut is a closed primary state. You must be a Democrat to vote in the Democratic primary. The law requires that you must switch before June 13th in order to be eligible to vote on Sept 13th (90-day period). In Bridgeport politics, the action is at the September primary, not the November General Election. In my opinion Mary-Jane Foster is our best shot at leading Bridgeport out of the mess it is in. Mary-Jane is a fiscal conservative with integrity and vision.

    This is a call to action folks. SWITCH to Democrat before June 13th and VOTE. Friend MJ on her Facebook page “Mary-Jane Foster for Mayor”, and sign up on her website www .fosterforbridgeport.com.

    I was talking to a guy yesterday who lost the RTM vote in Fairfield by one vote. He reminded me that EVERY VOTE COUNTS. He now lives in Bridgeport and switched yesterday. So … SWITCH!

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  11. There is a Facebook page, “Republicans Are Assholes And Arguing With Them Is A Waste Of Time!” The name ought to be amended. Not all Republicans are assholes. The GOP in Bridgeport is an assemblage of inert matter.

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  12. Bridgeport Kid,

    Don’t give Mayor Finch too much credit in getting the school deal done. My sources tell me Nancy D and Mario T brokered that deal before it got to Hartford.

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