Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Board of Ed Meeting
Reactions to the Board of Education public hearing meting Monday night? Were they listening? Was it just another act in this political drama? Was it simply to force the unions to take a pay freeze? Will the mayor come to the rescue and be a hero once again? Is the public falling for 'cuts' that were never meant to come to pass because this is a well thought out scam on the public? Are Marks and the mayor serious or are they seriously lying? What's your guess? Then let's see what really happens....
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Did not stay for the whole thing. How late did it go until?
ReplyDeleteAlso, is there any possible way that the teachers/admin unions can take a pay freeze/cut? That is, if the teachers want to pursue that course, can they do so even if the teacher's union leadership is against it?
This is more about the city giving the BOE more time to pay off their debt. Everyone in control knows that, the mayor, the superintendent, the union leaders. It's a 'who blinks first' tragedy in many acts.
ReplyDeleteIt was political theater, plain and simple. The cuts don't make any sense- they are not a part of any grand plan. How do you talk about deep academic cuts for the lower grades, but not cut a dime from high school sports or band?
ReplyDeleteI agree with all the Wolfpit people who were concerned about how high their class sizes would be. I was disappointed in the Columbus team who don't want anything touched at their school, even though it means lots of cuts everywhere else.
Does the Board of Ed get it? Good question- I think only a couple of them really get it.
Thank you 10:19pm for what you have said in support of the schools and in particular Wolfpit School. The city of Norwalk has had the benefits of all of the PTO groups in all of our schools for years making up for the money not being supplied for needed updates to our schools. The fundraising in Wolfpit School this year has financed Smart Boards in every classroom and is supposed to replace 25 computers in our Computer Lab this fall. Why should be follow thru on that purchase when all signs are pointing that the BOE doesn't see our school as valuable enough to keep our classrooms as viable learning places?
ReplyDeleteHere are some of our numbers, tell us how we are supposed to continue performing in the 1,2,3 spot for CMT/SOI/DRP testing if our classrooms are decimated? We understand that cuts need to be made but why are they so unevenly distributed? There are 12 schools, if the cuts have to happen why are they not more shared?
WOLFPIT SCHOOL Cuts
The proposed amount of certified teachers to be cut from Wolfpit Elementary School is 5. For every teacher being removed a classroom is being closed (1 per section per grade). Out of all of the elementary schools in Norwalk, Wolfpit is the only school with the highest amount of proposed teacher cuts. This is broken down into a 29.4% of teacher loss for Wolfpit. Again, the highest amount out of all of the elementary schools.
When you take away teachers/class sections, and keep the same amount of children, the breakdown looks something like this:
Class Size Average currently: 17.8
Class Size Average with proposed cuts: 25.3
Kindergarten: 26
Grade 1: 26
Grade 2: 27
Grade 3: 28
Grade 4: 28
Grade 5: 20 (the 5th grade has 40 kids total - 20 kids per 2 classes).
The teacher contracted amounts of students per classroom for grades K-2 are 22 students per class. Grades 3-5 are 24 students per class. We are 20% over in Grades K-2 and 16% over in Grades 3-4.
What will happen to our schools across Norwalk? Who would want their children in our schools? How will the failings of our schools affect property values? It is time for action by not just parents of children but by the whole Norwalk community. A petition to the Governor to reallocate more funding to the Norwalk schools is on Facebook, one also needs to go via email. This constant year over year begging for funding needs to stop.
Cutting teachers and having large class sizes is the *worst*. It ruins class for the kids for the whole yeal. Out of all the proposed cuts, it's the one that hurts education the most.
ReplyDeleteAt least if you lose sports, or the library, it's bad, but not bad all the time for the whole year.
Cut elementary assistant principals, cut sports, shut down the libraries if you have to (as crazy as that may sound) -- we can win those back. But when you increase class sizes like is being talked about, it throws a big monkey wrench in the the kids' education for that year.
> shut down the libraries if you have to (as crazy as that may sound)
DeleteActually, sorry, I take that one back. That's just too over-the-top crazy. It would be nonsense to have a school without a library.
Close Columbus Magnet. I would like to know how many of the students at Columbus stay in school district or move/send to another after 5th grade. On Monday night it was obvious that the Bank Street way of teaching is more expensive per student.....and clearly we can't afford that at the moment. That came from almost everyone speaking on their behalf. I signed up for the 13 year plan not the 5. Although I think it is a wonderful program we just can't afford it. Wouldn't it make more sense to close one school instead of decimating the entire district.
ReplyDeleteParents, you are falling for a carefully thought out scam on the people of Norwalk. All of these horrible actions to cut what is necessary in the schools is never going to happen and was never going to happen. It is all politics. As the commenter above said, THIS IS THEATER! The final act is about to take place. don't forget to applaud for the mayor and superintendent when the curtain comes down. You've been taken and you have fallen for it...once again!
ReplyDeleteRe. Anon at 6:15,
ReplyDeleteIn my experience (I could be wrong, I don't know what the percentage is), the majority of the students at Columbus are from Norwalk. You close that school and most of those students just go back into the other Norwalk schools and you've still got basically the same problem (too many kids per class). Besides, now you've lost the magnet school, and you've lost all those good teachers (and my understanding is that you'd have unemployment to pay).
You don't want to go closing schools.
No, the way to fix the problem is something more like:
1. make some cuts to non-academics that we'd rather not make but have to,
2. cut the elem school assistant principals,
3. reduce the salaries of the superintendent and the principals (this one takes time). (Take a look at what they make before you complain about this one.)
4. Misc: work to reduce heating and electricity costs in the schools. Spend less on technology for its own sake (such as those computer projector systems instead of regular chalkboards).
Regarding Columbus specifically, what makes it special in my opinion and experience is not Bank Street / TRIBES / HOT. What makes it special is:
1. you've got a high level of parental involvement (self-selected here),
2. it's had strong principals/leadership in the past (not currently).
3. teacher's aides
4. it used to have a "magnet school" subject focus. Not sure what happened to that.
Instead of looking to get eliminate teacher's aides there, we should be looking for ways to increase the overall number of teacher's aides in all the Norwalk elem schools. Having them in the classroom has a direct positive impact on students, every day.
> Parents, you are falling for a carefully thought out scam on the people of Norwalk.
ReplyDeleteI would hope that the citizens of Norwalk work to keep our politician's feet to the fire, get information out there, and keep the amounts of politics and theater as low as possible.
If we pay attention and follow the money, there's less chance of getting fooled.
You can't bust the teacher's union if you can't scare teachers. You can't try to scare teachers if you don't have an excuse to lay them off. You don't have an excuse to lay them off unless you have a big deficit. You don't have a big deficit unless you create one.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't political theater, this is children's literature-- haven't any of you ever read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"?
You must be a teacher? Living in lala land. The Global economy is in the toilet. Do you think this is some kind of ploy to bust the teachers union. The model doesn't work we need to adjust.
ReplyDeleteWhether you like it or not, 1:10 is correct. This was a scare tactic aimed at the unions, but it had no effect. If the mayor or the superintendent had intelligently approached the unions, the union leaders might have had some suggestions and/or might even have accepted a pay freeze for this year. While taxpayers don't like the unions for what they achieve, right or wrong, the unions have brilliantly protected their members. It is a shame there is no intelligence on the other side of the table. Only if Norwalk, the city and the school system, find really intelligent negotiators, will the union lose a battle with the school system. Until then, the union will dance circles around clowns.
ReplyDeleteTo fully realize what a cynical game the Mayor's office, BET and the BOE Chair are playing, imagine the following hypothetical scenario:
ReplyDeleteSome time in the future, the City of Norwalk is doing great. The Grand List is up. Tax collections are up. Things are going so well that it looks like there is going to be a surplus. The political types at City Hall start lining up to take credit for a tax cut.
Meanwhile, the teacher's union is working under a multi-year contract negotiated when times were not so good. They have small annual raises, well below those of surrounding towns and the booming private sector.
As the Mayor prepares a tax cut, the teacher's union says "Wait - instead of cutting taxes, you should re-open our contract and give us bigger raises. Times are good, the money is there -- if you really care about the kids, you will give us raises bigger than what the current contract provides."
How many nanoseconds do you think it would take for the Mayor and the BET to say "Oh, no. A CONTRACT IS A CONTRACT."?
my cents on all of this is that the board and the city will figure it all out and we won't have to fire or eliminate much. As for the city, if I was a council member, I would eliminate the expense from the Board with the condition that they take accountable by firing the following:
ReplyDelete* Board members, that are still on board, during the Corda administration - they need to step down for not managing and asking the right questions
* Tony Daddona - has been there thru many changes of the administration
* The finance coordinators - especially the one getting a stipend for doing the "accounting"
* Dr. Marks for not taking immediate action to the recent foundings
There has to be some accountability in the central office and if they don't want to tak action - we should force them to. Jack C - as chairman, you too should be taking action to this grand issue we are facing - sitting there and doing nothing just shows how ignaorant and non-leader you are.
I hope you were not educated in Norwalk. You don't have any credibility with that kind of writing or that kind of logic.
Delete>7:15 You are right on many points. Columbus is not the school it used to be under Mr. P. Many of those teachers are retired and do not follow the Banks Street method. The one "special Ed" Parent who spoke on Monday between her crying and screaming "you don't want to mess with a parent like me" is a teacher there.Her comments about having three special needs children and one who is at CES that she would like to see back in the system was telling about the new staff members at Columbus. It was her comment when she said " I don't know what I was drinking when I was pregnant" making a statement about having her three children with special needs. I do not think I would want my child in her classroom. She does not seem that stable.
ReplyDelete12:49 PM- I appreciate your frustration. However, the comments about the mother/teacher above do cross the line of civil discourse.
ReplyDeleteWho are you? The Blog Police? I don't judge others.
DeleteI think we can do a better job making the cuts that need to be made.
ReplyDeleteI've put together a "Kids First Alternative Plan" and circulated it to my colleagues on the Board of Education.
You can read about here: www.colarossifornorwalk.com
My plan is not perfect, but I think it minimizes the impact on the elementary schools and offers cuts to less educationally-critical areas.
Please let me know what you think (stevecolarossi@gmail.com)
I looked at your "Plan" Some ideas might work.
DeleteWhy is Columbus not being hit as hard as the rest of the elementary schools? Originally 4 aides were only losing their positions and 2 of them were retireing?
Why not cut the aides benefits and use the money to help restore the rest of the other aid positions??
What what that item about Silvermine School? That school is pretty much full since the pre-school came into it. The classes are big and if teachers are cut the classes will get larger. Columbus might hae lost a section but the new Kindergarten and aide were approved.... I say again why is COLUMBUS SO SPECIAL THAT THEY GO TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS AND THE REST OF THE SCHOOLS ARE IMPACTED MORE.
> I say again why is COLUMBUS SO SPECIAL THAT THEY GO TO THE HEAD OF THE CLASS AND THE REST OF THE SCHOOLS ARE IMPACTED MORE.
DeleteOh stop yelling (all caps) and trying to be inflammatory. If you think Columbus is getting special treatment, just ask about it.
IMO, keeping class size down across the board is what's most important. Columbus should get no special treatment in this regard.
Steve, may I copy your post and make it a topic all of it's own? Good job, by the way!
ReplyDeleteYes- you may copy it and post it.
DeleteThe plan could be improved.
I won't be at the Tuesday meeting as I am on a short vacation with my daughters that I have taken with them since they were toddlers.
I don't understand under Steve's plan how a Middle School with under 450 students is entitled to an Assistant Principal and Guidance Counselors yet Elementary Schools with over 450 students should be denied an Assistant Principal. The Intervention Aide can't evaluate teachers or be an instructional leader.
ReplyDeleteI am not clear on where some of this 'found' money is coming from. I hope this isn't going to lead us into another insurance-type fiasco. Also, two library clerks for the elementary libraries? No way!
ReplyDeleteFor God's sake, let this be over. Employees are STRESSING about their jobs. Why doesn't the overpaid central office supervisors and their bosses take a pay cut and freeze for the following school year. PLEASE LET THIS NIGHTMARE END and get back to normal (if such exists!!)
ReplyDeleteThere really aren't enough administrators at central office to take a pay cut. Their pay cut would be a drop in the bucket. I'm sorry that teachers are stressing, but right now many people in the world are stressing. it's the new normal.
ReplyDeleteLet's be clear. . .central office administrators (and all other administrators) took a 2 year paycut that began this year. Time for the teachers union to give a little back, too. We should all have shared responsibility in fixing this.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting pretty tired of hearing all the BS about the central office staff. The year is 2012 people and not 2000 when there were over 25 central office administrators walking the 3rd floor at City Hal. Now it is under 10 positions. With the exception of the finance dept (yes - the one that forgot to add the numbers correctly and to connect all the dots) every dept is operating with a very small crew. The entire staffing at the central office is under 50% of what it was ten years ago. I agree that some principals would love to see no central office at all, so they could do what they darn well please....but heck, isn't that what some of them do now anyway?
ReplyDeleteOh yes, principals, especially the elementary ones are in complete control. No one can or will prevent them from doing whatever they want. Parents think Melion is a dictator? You have no idea!
ReplyDelete