Sunday, May 19, 2013
New post!
We can open up this post to the comments about the whittling down of the candidates for the Superintendent's job, or to reactions on the book published about the year at Brookside School, 'Raising the Curve,' or continue Haynie is doing whatever, or anything you wish to discuss. Please feel free to start the discussions going.
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Here are some different topics-
ReplyDelete1. How can a teachers' union that's filed 1 grievance in 30 years be considered a "threat"?
2. How can Lisa Thompson be the one threatening Republicans to nominate Haynie but claim that she's the head of a "non-partisan" group (come on, you don't think I'm going to call them a "grass roots education reform collaborative", when the five of them are anything but that)?
3. The Central Office will have no IT Director, no COO and an Interim HR Director on July 1st. Why aren't people being hired?
1. The teachers union is a paper tiger. Too bad some of the loudest BOE members make Mellion seem like a hero to the teachers- if only they figured out how to call his bluffs.
Delete2. Hypocrisy knows no party lines. Lisa Thompson is a politician, pure and simple.
3. People aren't being hired because the anti-Daddona forces don't want him to have a "powerbase" if he doesn't get the top job (although no one is saying if the guy even applied for it). Sooo, that group would have the school district tank for want of leadership just to make sure that they can vanquish one Tony Daddona-- how sad is that?
1. Good point. But don't hold your breath for change. Face it, both parties need a boogey-man.
Delete2. Really, Sherlock? You figured that when out all by your lonesome? Good for you.
3. It is very sad. But we can expect that Lyons is throwing his support to Haynie and Barbis, with Angry Jack jumping in to help them. Artie, Rosa, Midaglia and the Bull in the China Shop need Heidi Keyes to stop the insanity and micromanagement.
With BET funding a lot less than the budget submitted by Supt. Daddona, does anyone have any ideas about what to cut? Should he cut out all of the restored positions? Maybe he needs to recommend that the BOE re-examines last year's priorities. Any thoughts, peeps?
ReplyDeleteRecommend that the teachers who are getting paid and building on their pensions retire instead of paying them to sit home for the last few years. There are many young new teachers looking for positions. It they can't remain teaching in the classroom, then force them to leave and hire new ones. That would certainly save some money. Soo... teachers are being paid not to teach and subs are being paid to try to educate our children! Outlandish!!!
ReplyDeleteEver hear of age discrimination? One can not force anyone to retire! The legal costs would destroy what's left of the school system.
DeleteWell..............then there's the problem!!!
DeleteYou must be young and naive of federal law. It is a sad state of affairs when the youth want to put 60 year olds out to pasture so that they can grab their jobs. 'There's the problem?' No, you are the problem. One day you will be 60 as well with not enough money on which to retire. Would you also like senior citizens to be denied Medicare and social security benefits? It is truly the me me me generation!
DeleteWRONG!! Your assumptions are absolutely incorrect. You would be shocked at my age. Neither am I young nor naïve! I only see what's going on in our system and it's not right. So please don't make comments on what you don't know. No body wants to put 60 year olds "out to pasture"! But if one can't do the job, then something needs to be done.. whether it be the school system or the corporate world.
DeletePositions in the elementary schools need to be restored.
ReplyDeleteMiddle School extracurriculars have been missing for a year. That doesn't help kids there.
Come on, Board of Education, let's see a plan. Please?
With what money? Please face the reality that there is no money. There will be cuts, cuts and more cuts!
DeleteLast week, at a closed doors meeting, the Board of Education decided to keep the search's two to four finalists confidential, concerned that making them public, as was the plan until recently, would drive potential superintendents to withdraw their applications.- The Hour
ReplyDeleteNorwalk is a microcosm off what is happening at the national level. Republicans magnify the smallest events and create issues that sound threatening and frightening for the general public. Here in Norwalk, it's the Republican RedApples who throw the scare tactics at us from all angles. They attempt to discredit the current superintendent because they want to choose a candidate who will allow them power. I am hoping that Daddona becomes the next superintendent because he alone knows of their need for power. Watch what happens with the Board Republicans and their choice for superintendent. It should prove me right....unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteSad, sad truths . . .
DeleteThe "RedApples" are really "Red-Herrings". They complain about something local, make some global declaration about education and then explain that that's why Sue Haynie is the best Board of Education member ever. All the Red Herrings do is what Haynie does- find something that scares middle class people and figure out how to blame it on the "status quo".
Are you kidding me! The "Red Apples" are taxpayers, concerned taxpayers who see the system going down the crapper at record speed. The last thing this city needs is more Dadonna. "He alone knows their need for power"??? You sure you want to stick with that ridiculous statement. There are only a handful of people who would make such an outlandish statement, none of those would be teachers. Dadonna is the one on the power trip, campaigning with principals regularly, aligning his ducks so he can take over the system for good. He has been bullying us (teachers) for years and Mellion doesn't do a thing about it. Dadonna is also trying to push through programs so that he looks like he is doing something worthwhile for his $230K a year. Norwalk is failing fast and Dadonna is a big part of that decline as is Bruce Mellion, his buddy. Bruce, why all the theatrics about transparency in the super search? You know Tony doesn't want that info released. But as long as you are talking about transparency Bruce, why not reveal where those union funds go? Why not tell the teachers how you spend their money? I sure cannot remember the vote to buy 9 Mott Avenue (you know, the address that you give as your "home" address). It's crystal clear why you all need each other to maintain your own control...pathetic!
DeleteAnother Republican lie! Teachers know that a superintendent doesn't walk into classrooms and threaten them. Do not believe a word this person says. The spin is amazing and not true. If it were true, then I guess all the administrators must be stupid because they support Daddona. I know lots of teachers who do also. Your lies are pathetic!
DeleteAgreed he NEVER walks in a classroom, that's for damn sure. But if he hates you, your screwed. Sorry but there are just too many of us out here. What about the spyware he has? Word is out he has spyware and can read all NPS emails How do you want to spin that one? Teachers beware.
DeleteNow we either have one very paranoid teacher or someone who has a very vivid imagination! Either way, I don't want my children anywhere near her.
DeleteA teacher is writing 'your screwed?' A teacher doesn't know the difference between 'your' and ' you're'............that's no typo. That's just a failing grade!
DeleteI don't think this is a teacher. I think it's a secretary at WR! A secretary with a gripe!
Wrong again, Bruce. Now how many people would be knowing about that poor secretary??? Tipping your (correct usage) hand.
DeleteWrong! So if you are working for NPS, and you are afraid of the scary spyware, what are you doing during working hours writing on a blog????
DeleteRedApples = Red-Herrings
ReplyDeleteI think that could stick.
yeah, crap sticks too if you fling it hard enough!
DeleteThat adage is proven on the Apples Website!
DeleteI did some questioning through some trustworthy friends. There were four secretaries in Central Office who were spending over 3 hours during the work day on the Internet. They were caught shopping, e-mailing friends and whatever else of a personal nature. Marks and Daddona caught them. The computers belong to the Norwalk Public Schools and can be monitored by the IT Department from time to time. This is what is done in the business world and is perfectly legal. These secretaries made it known that they were not pleased. My own response is that it was about time someone took them to task. Why should taxpayers be paying hard earned money to pay secretaries to spend their working hours shopping?
ReplyDeleteThen why should taxpayers be paying for employees to buy airplane parts and food on our money. Also, why are we paying NPS employees to sit home or hang in the central office because they have done something wrong or supposedly ill/hurt? And why does NPS pay sooooo much for retired employees to come in and sub?
DeleteThe airplane parts and food situation HAS been dealt with. That person lost his job. Retired people come in at a lower rate and can be helpful to fill in a gap before a good candidate comes along. If you were ill or hurt, would you want to lose your job? What does any of this have to do with employees who shop online while being paid to do a job? AND spend three or more hours doing that? They should lose their jobs!
DeleteIt is sad that staff, anywhere, do not behave in an ethical work manner. It hurts the perception of those that do have ethics. There are a lot more than one that step up and go far beyond what is required and certainly do not have time to surf the web, let alone get to their total job responsibilities. Hours and manpower have been cut, cut, cut. The staff that took on the tasks are overworked, yet continue to step up because of their dedication to the educational system including teachers, para's and central office.
ReplyDeleteTaxpayers should not be paying hard earned money to reward staff that are not ethical, agreed, but please don't lump all staff into one group.
Administration has the responsibility to address workplace ethics and take action for wrong doing.
They also have the responsibility to recognize those that work hard and produce.
There is a very, very lean staff force at Central Office...except for 1 department...all have taken on extra work and duties, except one department...maybe that one department is where closer scrutiny is needed.
Hint hint...grants...hint hint...
DeleteSecretarial or Bookkeeping?
DeleteHigher...
DeleteWhoops! I commented below, but I meant to comment here to this secretary. I'll just repeat it.----------To the secretary, are you badmouthing your boss so that your good friend comes back into that position??? Hmmmmmmmmmm?
DeleteThere are also some secretaries or bookkeepers who take off one day a week almost consistently. That's not very professional either. Do they think we don't notice?
ReplyDeleteAs do many, many teachers!!!
DeleteFirst of all, saying teachers take days off too doesn't make it right. Secondly, teachers get substitutes, secretaries do not. So if secretaries get their work done even when they take off a day a week, I guess they only need to work the equivalent of four days a week.
DeleteIf you only knew!!! Yeah, and more money being spent by getting subs.
DeleteI don't think you got my point.
DeleteIf there's not enough work for them, cut there hours!
ReplyDeleteTHEIR hours!!
DeleteWho's hours?
DeleteCentral office secretaries and bookkeepers who take off a day a week almost every week.
DeleteGrant's secretary, badmouthing your boss so that you can get your good friend back in that position?
DeleteGrant's Secretary:
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orville_E._Babcock
Somebody has got to be concerned that BET isn't giving the schools what they promised. Right? Another year where our kids' educations get shortchanged.
ReplyDeleteFrom Mike Barbis Twitter feed: "Its an election season, right? BOE members up for re-election are suddenly asking questions about curriculum, worried about legal expenses?"
ReplyDeleteCheap partisan politics.
By the way, is Barbis doing nothing about the budget because he's not up for re-election this year?
What about Haynie choosing curriculum? What's her connection to Amplify-Wireless Generation? Since when does she know better than the teachers what to choose? The teachers are angry!!! Where's Haynie's expertise coming from that she can choose and ignore the teachers?
ReplyDeleteSue Haynie is not qualified in anyway to make choices about curriculum.She seems to be running the Norwalk Public Schools all by herself...well with her cronies; Lyons and Charriamonte who are not qualified either. They need to be voted out in November. Norwalk Public schools are going down hill since these "Three Stooges" came on-board. Teachers should be choosing the curriculum, not BOE members.
ReplyDeleteAnother issue that needs to be addressed is secrecy surrounding the choice of candidates fot superintendent. We need more transparency. The BOE does not have a good record of choosing qualified superintendents;just good puppets.