Friday, June 8, 2012
Elementary Schools Hit Hardest by Cuts
Home News Norwalk:
"BOE 'playing chicken' with budget harming elementary schools' ability to education, administrators say."
Is it a coincidence that the elementary schools will be hit hardest by the cuts? Is the BOE playing a game? Why are so many of the cuts hitting the elementary schools? Perhaps the administrators have a point? Even if you don't approve of the unions, try to look at this objectively. What is really going on here? The list of cuts don't make sense now. Feel free to agree or to disagree.
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The elementary schools haven't been hit very hard in the last few years. It appears to be their turn.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutly right! For the past 4 years the high schools have cut many positions that directly effect student and staff security and program growth. We have lost the needed Dean of Discipline position when Columbus Magnet got to keep their aides. We lost a security position when again the elementary schools have not lost a position. We have lost teaching positions through atrition 2 a year and cancellation of courses where teachers were not asked back. A total of 8 positions in the past 4 years. The high school is at a bare bones staffing and elementary people have been coasting through the hard times with little to no cuts. I feel bad that hard working people will lose their jobs, but please do not speak about the degree of the cuts that have to be made as we at the high school level have been feeling it for years.
DeleteI absolutely agree. Wait till the repercusions appear after 12 month high school secretaries are reduced to 10 months. The graduating seniors will suffer because records won't be sent out on time. School will open, of course, but will NOT be ready for teachers and students. To do summer work in 1 month plus just to get ready for opening will be almost impossible. Don't complain to the support staff, call those who made the decisions.
DeleteThis is crazy. At a state level they passed a law to have all students reading by grade 3, but Norwalk is going to make all these cuts at the elementary level? Also, Norwalk has signed up to be a part of the new teacher/administrator evaluation pilot...sorry but if these cuts go through, there is no way Norwalk will be able to participate. Let's cut things that are not totally essential for school, like sports. I know it's fun for the kids, but it doesn't help them read! These are drastic times, and they call for drastic measures.
ReplyDeleteWolfpit Day turns from talent show to heated exchange between Marks and principal
ReplyDelete-source: Norwalk Hour
I'm betting the elementary principals will want MORE money, not less, because they will have more work to do.
ReplyDeleteI've heard their union has already asked.
DeleteNo planning, no cooperation, no chance.
ReplyDeleteWhen Marks had to cut six million dollars she knew she had to work with the administrators union about assistant principals. She didn't. When this crisis blew up, Marks knew she had to sit down with the secretaries about work hours but she didn't. She hasn't come up with a plan to work with the teachers either. (By the by, she wants concessions so it's up to her to come up with the plan to get them)
The only people she cooperated with were Moccia and Wilms. They convinced her to cut teachers but not freshman sports. Now she looks like someone who doesn't care about education.
Doesn't feel like she's picked up much these past two years.
In response to Anonymous 11:58pm
ReplyDeleteIt's seems apparent that you dislike Dr. Marks. I can't say I'm a die hard fan, but lets cut her some slack. No Planning? No Cooperation? No Chance? From what I have heard and seen, there was a ton of planning. Perhaps not the union leadership, but why would management feel the least bit obligated to seek advice and consent from the people that have assisted with putting the BOE and City in this predicament? The unions number one goal is to protect its members. To keep employed the sick, lame and lazy. To get as much as it can from management for its members and to give up or give back nothing, or as darn little as possible. To collect dues from the membership, to feed to the national boys, that then get spread around to buy & secure influence, favors and protection. Do you really think that the school unions really give a fart about the kids, you or me? Who do you think comes first? The kids, you or me? Heck no! That's the game and that's how it needs to be played. The unions are the enemy, not allies! And unless you recognize this and act accordingly, you will continue to end up as we have in Norwalk. We have the second highest paid and provide the best benefit package for teachers, principals, assistant principals, housemasters, specialists and administrators in the state, out of 167 other cities and towns.
I am a different poster than 11:58. While I agree that the union does an amazing job keeping the workers who shouldn't be teaching, etc., I don't agree that Marks should be supported. She Is one of those workers who shouldn't be working! The Mayor is making sure she stays put. He's just as much at fault for supporting a 'do nothing' superintendent as the unions are for supporting bad teachers! At least the unions have the excuse that they are required to support dues paying members.
DeleteThe unions have no excuse for supporting bad teachers since they make every employee pay whether they want to or not.
ReplyDelete5:32 --- I am a union member and I remember getting paid 7,000 a year when all my business working contemporaries where bringing home 4x the salary. Out of pocket I have not paid out less that $2,000 in classroom supplies a year, books, pencils, book bags for students with meager family incomes, etc. I do that because I came from a single parent home and know what those parents are trying to cope with on a 24/7 basis. Before you blast the union members think about not painting us all with the same wide brush stroke. We are also taxpayers, parents and excellent teachers. We are being demonized because we are union members. Marks should be held accountable, but Norwalk did not hold Corda accountable or Herbert before him instead they strolled off with big buy out packages. We do not need the vice principals at the elementary level, we need competent Principals there. Here is a question how much more in unemployment bennefits will the BOE have to pay when all this goes down? What is the real cost savings? And who is going to investigate to see who's pockets got lined with the missing ten million?
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to good teachers, corporate employees work 12 months, 365 days minus their vacation weeks. Educational personnel work 180 days with lots of time off for school breaks. That would be the monetary difference! I'd like to be making some of those salaries for 180 days!
DeleteWith all do respect to people who think we only work 180 days here is some enlightenment. Some of us (not all but most of the teachers I socialize with) work a full work week and then have hundreds (yes Hundreds) of papers to grade at night and on our weekends. We attend graduate classes to keep our certifications to obtain master's degrees, 6th year degrees and PHDs. I have not had a summer OFF in 17 years. I have run workshops and worked on writing curriculum at the state level. I have given of my so-called vacation time to plan professional development days and to write documents and lesson plans for the up coming year's teaching assignment. We (teachers who teach for excellence) can be found in our schools setting up our rooms during the summer. We believe that our job is a 12 month job and we treat it as such. In the 180 student contact days we deal with so many issues and have to wear so many hats to resolve some life changing situations that the ordinary corporate worker would have a nervous breakdown over. Our profession has an average burn out rate of 5 years because of the way the job has changed. If you would like to be making my salary you have that opportunity in America! Again, if you do not have a teacher in your family or as a friend than you would not know what they expect of themselves. We are hard working individuals for the most part. I would love to survey the teachers just starting and see if they have their summers off, I bet you would be surprised to see they babysit, waitress, paint houses, do lawn work to make ends meet during their so-called summer off. It is not 1950 any more and we are living in Fairfield County, do you think for one minute that the teachers who are giving back every day in the classrooms around Norwalk are not paying their taxes too? We do! And on top of that we pay into our retirement and insurance- our benefits have been cut a little each year. Anon 11:40 you have no understanding or respect for any teacher because you do not have the facts.
DeleteOh,believe me, I DO!!!
DeleteTeachers - There are many of us in other professions that work equally as hard and long hours, above and beyond what we get paid. Taking work home nights and weekends has been a common and often expected practice in the private sector. If we in the corporate world don't produce or happen to be one of the misfits, we don't get a free pass.....like being sent to Briggs or being cast away to another building for assignment. If you would like to witness stress, come visit us in our work places. I put 3 kids thru the school system and was very active. Got to know lots of teachers & administrators. Sure as heck didn't see much evidence that a 5 year burnout existed, or for that matter a high level of stress. On the other hand, try working in the private sector and keeping up with the demands and expectations. It hasn't been easy trying to keep our jobs in this horrible economy for the last 3 to 4 yrs. Not knowing if your next paycheck will be your last, or if your pay & benefits will be reduced or eliminated. and if they are, it sure as heck isn't a subject for negotiation. We don't have a union. Nor do the 315 poor souls that are getting the boot from Norden. How would you like to be the freind of mine that got called into her bosses office 15 minutes before the end of the workday this past Friday. And out of the clear blue sky is told" thanks for your 17 years of devoted service to us". You are being layed off. Today is your last day. Have a nice life. Seems to me that teachers have it pretty good.
ReplyDeleteHere are my two cents, for whatever it's worth.
ReplyDeleteWhether you think teachers work long hours or are lazy shouldn't be a big deal in how you think about the budget because what should matter to you is what will be the impact on your kids. If you think kids will be fine in a class of nearly 30 other students, go for it. Compare it to how it was when you were a kid (walking to school uphill both ways to go to a class of 50 and you turned out o.k.).
If you think that there are too many teachers give yourself peace of mind with how you were able to function at your job with lower pay and more responsibilities after your company had layoffs. Don't worry that the "added" responsibility when you crowd a classroom is a kid- maybe your kid- and don't ask yourself if you could do 30 tasks as well as you could do 20.
By the way people, go ahead and complain about unions, but the only reason that class sizes that stayed where they are, a reasonable number of students in a class to learn, is because on the union contract. A teachers working conditions are a students learning conditions!
ReplyDelete9:50 you are right on that note.And the teacher's working condition has only gotten worse with the problems that are not being addressed by society as a whole. Yes, cuts have to be made, but at whose expense? How long lasting with the effect of the cuts be?
DeleteThe reality is that the cuts are going to come from somewhere. My guess is the mayor and Marks are forcing the unions to take a pay freeze, or even cuts, to prevent large class size. This is a game for them. Watch it happen! Politics is always a 'who blinks first' game. It's not about what is best for kids. If the union doesn't blink, the mayor will have to come up with more money. Betcha!
ReplyDeleteMy daughters are in elementary school. Last year we were under the same pressure with Supt. Marks wanting to cut teachers and trying to cut intervention aides. We are seeing the same proposals from her this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to think that there's a difference between visiting the schools and actually suppporting them.