Enfield's School Audit: A Breakdown in Communication and Oversight

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The newly released audit of the Board of Education's $5.6 million cost overrun makes one thing clear: this wasn't a simple mistake. It was a systemic failure — the result of siloed operations, weak internal rigor, and missteps by both the school district and the town. And here's the hard truth: Enfield still hasn't actually paid for this failure. Town reserves covered the gap, shrinking our financial cushion and limiting our ability to soften future tax hikes. Next year's budget will reveal just how vulnerable we are. What this incident tells us is that Enfield isn't managing its risk very well — and that should worry everyone. Fundamentally, this was a costly risk-management failure, and nothing in the audit suggests it can't happen again.  [ Audit link , and Council  slide deck ] CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), the audit firm, outlines eight major problems, many of them rooted in communication breakdowns between the town, the school district, and the state. The ...
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Enfield's pedestrian neglect


Cranbrook, Enfield CT
Where the sidewalk ends at Cranbrook

My car broke down, and I had it towed to the new AAA auto repair shop on Hazard Avenue. It meant walking back home, a different way to experience Enfield. 


Palomba and Cranbrook, Enfield CT
No crosswalk at Palomba and Cranbrook
To get to my home off Raffia, I walked from the AAA garage to Cranbrook Blvd. to reach the Big Y and pick something up. Only one side of Cranbrook has sidewalks in front of some businesses but not others. The sidewalk ends abruptly before Palomba Dr., covered by an overgrowth once marked by torn yellow caution tape. 

There is no crosswalk at the four-way stop at Palomba Drive. Why is that? When I felt it was my turn to cross safely, I held my hand to ensure the drivers were paying attention. 


Palomba has a sidewalk, but it ends (or starts) at Cranbrook, meaning you need to walk through the shopping center's parking lot (The one with Anthony's and Smyths Ice Cream Shop) to get to Hazard. 


Pedestrian use is an afterthought in the commercial district and that won't change unless people begin to demand more from our community. This is far from the only example of bad things in Enfield. More to come.



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