LETTER: Why I Cannot Support the Elementary School Facilities Plan

Board of Education Meeting of February 19, 2026. PHILIP THIBODEAU PHOTO

The elementary facilities plan is an ambitious proposal to rebuild schools that could cost local taxpayers more than $100 million dollars. When accounting for possible cost overruns and inflation, the impact on local taxes may be even greater. This proposal is complicated and contains numerous uncertainties.

Having been elected just three and a half months ago, I have worked very hard to get caught up to speed on decisions and discussions that took place over the past two years, before I recently rejoined the Board of Education. This is why I have several concerns that prevented me from voting yes this evening.

First, I strongly support the concept of small neighborhood schools. Closing Flanders elementary school while expanding Kelley elementary school and creating an even larger South End elementary school moves us away from that model.

Second, abandoning a well-constructed brick school in the center of town presents a significant concern. As a Board of Education member, I have never received complaints about Derynoski elementary school. Building a new school behind the existing site raises additional questions and concerns. As a lifelong resident of Southington, I have heard that the property may have a high water table that could make construction challenging. I do not know if that is accurate, but it is an uncertainty that deserves clarity.

Let me be clear: I support rebuilding Flanders and Kelley elementary schools. However, I do not support constructing larger elementary schools that fail to preserve the advantages of smaller neighborhood schools. Southington already has a large high school and two very large middle schools.

Modern and well-maintained schools are essential for a thriving community. I would support a plan to rebuild Flanders now if one were presented. Unfortunately, the option before us does not allow for that. I support upgrading Kelley, but not in a way that closes Flanders, increases busing times, eliminates walkability, and leaves major unanswered questions about the future of the Derynoski and Flanders properties.

What happens to the existing Derynoski building? Will the Main Street school be demolished or sold for private development? What becomes of the 17 acres of Flanders property? These questions remain unanswered. Prior to proceeding, it is important to ensure meaningful community outreach and dialogue, enabling the Board of Education to clearly and effectively communicate its vision regarding these properties to both municipal leaders and residents.

For these reasons, I cannot support the plan as presented tonight.

I understand that voting against the majority on an issue like this can be politically difficult. My responsibility, however, is to vote on what I believe is best for the children of the Southington Public School system. I hope my colleagues will respect that position and avoid unnecessary political attacks and division.

I want to thank the many residents who have reached out to share their perspectives. Their input reflects a deep commitment to our schools, our children, and the dedicated staff who serve them every day.

Sincerely,

Dawn Derynoski-Anastasio

Note: The author is a current member of the Southington Board of Education. Any opinions expressed in the Letter are not necessarily those of the Southington Outsider.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Let's Retire The Phrase "Lady Blue Knights"

PHOTO COURTESY BILL MCKERNAN

Regarding the December 3, 2025 Southington Outsider article, “Southington Adds Girls Golf as CIAC Sanctioned Sport,” I would like to raise an important issue related to how we refer to our female athletes. I am writing to respectfully ask our school community to reconsider the name of our high school girls' athletic teams, the "Lady Blue Knights." While I admire the girls' prowess and the history of our programs, the name reinforces a subtle but persistent linguistic bias that marks our female athletes as secondary rather than equal. Currently, the boys’ teams are simply the "Blue Knights," the unmarked and more powerful default. The girls, however, are assigned the qualifier "Lady Blue Knights."

We do not refer to the boys as the "Gentlemen Blue Knights," yet the female team is required to carry a prefix. This suggests that the female form is a secondary version or an exception, rather than an equal standard.

The most compelling argument against this practice comes from history itself, where strong women have always embodied the spirit of the knight without needing a qualifier. Figures like Joan of Arc led armies to victory, functioning as a commander and general on the battlefield. Noblewomen like Matilda of Tuscany held military command, and elite women were formally inducted as "Ladies of the Garter," showing that high status and power have long included women.

There is a growing trend in collegiate and professional sports to adopt a single, powerful name that unites all athletes under the same banner. The clearest and most powerful statement we can make about true equality is to give all of our athletes the most potent title possible: the Blue Knights.

Let us recognize that our female athletes are not just female versions of knights; they are powerful, skilled competitors who deserve a name that conveys strength and achievement. Adopting one unified name would affirm to all young athletes that in Southington, excellence has no modifier.

Sincerely,

Bill McKernan     

Fritter Frenzy

To the Editor, 

“Fritter Frenzy!” has arrived – that’s what we at Zion Lutheran Church call our months-long planning period.

A personal memory. In the olden days of 1988, after the birth of our first child, we made a decision to find a local faith community so our kids would get some theology and doctrine and Sunday School. The congregation was welcoming. And Dottie Czarnota was there. Dottie knew our family because she worked with my husband’s dad. Tom, my spouse, was raised in the Swedish Lutheran Church on Franklin Square in New Britain. And I was a Catholic kid at St. Ann on North Street in New Britain. Tom’s great-grandfather was a founding member of that church. Neither of us had ever tasted a fritter.

Dottie said, “Hey, make sure you show up to prep the apples for our fritters!” After a 10-minute explanation about this festival favorite, we were pleased to be asked and included. Babies and kids of all ages were also trained to either look adorable next to their parents in their baby carrier, or were our runners and peelers. 

In the way back past, we had those heavy duty mechanical devices where you shove an apple on the spit and lock it into attached blades and turn a handle. The peels drop off and the apple along with many others in your personal bucket are whisked away to the center of the church hall, where the men and teens or college kids who came home to help dumped them into a dicing machine. Procedures for machinery like fryers and mixers and hoppers for cinnamon sugar were created and employed at the booth we still erect yearly. We had one fryer; now we utilize four of them. 

So my kids grew up with that special memory. The entire purpose is the same as it was back in the 1980’s: giving back funds to help those in need. Some of those folks returned to us to help in the incredible process created over time by folks who guide the newbies; meanwhile we boomers think about how young we were. Now new volunteers will take over the hard work and another era begins. 

Stop by and make new friends while waiting in line! Contact our church office if you would like to volunteer and speak to the administrator. Meet the third, fourth, and fifth generation creating fritters full of ‘agape’, or love. Every time we bag fritters the founding members are with us in spirit. The booth is a very busy but a very joyful place. Zion fritters are once a year; the memories are for a lifetime. 

Jacki Carson Willametz, Zion Church member, Southington

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