The Budget! Where oh where are the suggestions to cut.....what? perhaps over 5 million dollars? Will Steve do it all by himself? Anyone care to comment....again?
Steve had to bail them out last year and he will have to do it again this year. The question to ask is why are we paying marks $240k a year? To do what? Steve has been doing it for free!
From what I read right here on this blog, she has been permission by the mayor to do nothing. Ask. The mayor to explain why we should be paying her $240k yearly.
Truth be told- just look at the agendas and minutes for Supt. Marks' Budget Workgroup. You'll see how little she's done on the budget. Unless I'm missing something it looks like they have not met in months!
There's so much talk in Norwalk and in the state about accountability and meaningful evaluations for teachers. How about showing us accountability for the superintendent's job performance! The Board of Ed should not ask for teacher accountability when they themselves can't hold a superintendent accountable for not even doing her job, for allowing a principal to defy a segregation complaint without even a note in his HR file, for allowing the lowest morale ever to permeate the 3rd floor and spread to the schools, and much more. Don't ask for teacher cooperation, Board of Ed, unless you provide the leadership role and take care of your own business.
PENA and MIKLAVE made sure that there would not be enough money for the schools or the city's other departments. Mayor Dick made sure we had a superintendent who couldn't figure out a budget if she had unlimited dollars. The big question for all of them is WHY??? Don't you think the stakes are too high to play your political games?
Last year, Haynie and her BFF Susie Marks tried to balance the budget by cutting lots of teachers. They want to try the same thing again this year. That means a lot more kids in every lower grade class. It might mean it'll be tougher for the kids to learn. But then there will be enough money for the Supt. to keep overpaying the former Dir. of Elem Ed (who is now a housemaster) and keep Italia Negroni as Grants Director. My kids should make sacrifices for Marks' friends, right?
Don't forget that the former director of Elem Ed, now housemaster, is probably going to be the new Tech Director thanks to her BFF. Her grievance hearing was already held, so we should be hearing about her appointment any day now. It must be great to be BFF with such a powerful person.
Without getting into the swipes and counterswipes that get tossed around here (and I would encourage civility-- which I remind myself to practice as well), I would greatly appreciate hearing from parents, students, taxpayers, staff and citizens regarding areas that you believe could be designed more efficiently. The Finance Committee will be having its next two meetings on April 4th and April 11th (both meetings at 7:30 p.m.) to begin an orderly review of current spending and the 2012-2013 budget. For those of you who have never attended a BoE Finance Committee meeting, I encourage public participation and work with our staff to provide as much detailed information as possible. It is important for all of us to remember that reconciling the budget is an evolving process, subject to the whims of the state (which lately has threatened Norwalk with reductions in aid and a series of unfunded mandates). Plus, single cuts in programs need to be evaluated in the context of other possible cuts. This means that simply because one item might be on an agenda, it does not necessarily mean that that area is on the "chopping block". Instead, as I have done in the past, I like to use Committee meetings to have general discussions about specific areas so that we can then evaluate their inter-relationship with other areas. For those of you who can't make the evening meetings or who would feel more comfortable emailing me directly, please feel free to contact me at stevecolarossi@gmail.com
Here's a question (or maybe a suggestion!!), just what is it that Assistant Principals do??? Just askin!
ReplyDeleteThat's one good suggestion. More suggestions? I think we have to speak up here to be heard at all.
ReplyDeleteSteve had to bail them out last year and he will have to do it again this year. The question to ask is why are we paying marks $240k a year? To do what? Steve has been doing it for free!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I read right here on this blog, she has been permission by the mayor to do nothing. Ask. The mayor to explain why we should be paying her $240k yearly.
ReplyDeleteWhere or where are the budget menus this year?
ReplyDeleteTruth be told- just look at the agendas and minutes for Supt. Marks' Budget Workgroup. You'll see how little she's done on the budget.
ReplyDeleteUnless I'm missing something it looks like they have not met in months!
There's so much talk in Norwalk and in the state about accountability and meaningful evaluations for teachers. How about showing us accountability for the superintendent's job performance! The Board of Ed should not ask for teacher accountability when they themselves can't hold a superintendent accountable for not even doing her job, for allowing a principal to defy a segregation complaint without even a note in his HR file, for allowing the lowest morale ever to permeate the 3rd floor and spread to the schools, and much more.
ReplyDeleteDon't ask for teacher cooperation, Board of Ed, unless you provide the leadership role and take care of your own business.
PENA and MIKLAVE made sure that there would not be enough money for the schools or the city's other departments. Mayor Dick made sure we had a superintendent who couldn't figure out a budget if she had unlimited dollars.
ReplyDeleteThe big question for all of them is WHY??? Don't you think the stakes are too high to play your political games?
Last year, Haynie and her BFF Susie Marks tried to balance the budget by cutting lots of teachers. They want to try the same thing again this year. That means a lot more kids in every lower grade class. It might mean it'll be tougher for the kids to learn. But then there will be enough money for the Supt. to keep overpaying the former Dir. of Elem Ed (who is now a housemaster) and keep Italia Negroni as Grants Director. My kids should make sacrifices for Marks' friends, right?
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that the former director of Elem Ed, now housemaster, is probably going to be the new Tech Director thanks to her BFF. Her grievance hearing was already held, so we should be hearing about her appointment any day now. It must be great to be BFF with such a powerful person.
ReplyDeleteWithout getting into the swipes and counterswipes that get tossed around here (and I would encourage civility-- which I remind myself to practice as well), I would greatly appreciate hearing from parents, students, taxpayers, staff and citizens regarding areas that you believe could be designed more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteThe Finance Committee will be having its next two meetings on April 4th and April 11th (both meetings at 7:30 p.m.) to begin an orderly review of current spending and the 2012-2013 budget. For those of you who have never attended a BoE Finance Committee meeting, I encourage public participation and work with our staff to provide as much detailed information as possible. It is important for all of us to remember that reconciling the budget is an evolving process, subject to the whims of the state (which lately has threatened Norwalk with reductions in aid and a series of unfunded mandates). Plus, single cuts in programs need to be evaluated in the context of other possible cuts. This means that simply because one item might be on an agenda, it does not necessarily mean that that area is on the "chopping block". Instead, as I have done in the past, I like to use Committee meetings to have general discussions about specific areas so that we can then evaluate their inter-relationship with other areas.
For those of you who can't make the evening meetings or who would feel more comfortable emailing me directly, please feel free to contact me at stevecolarossi@gmail.com