We are continuing to monitor the situation with the Freedom of Information requests from Steve, but are also looking for comments regarding the middle school plan. Steve, please keep us posted on the FOI information.
All topics are welcome here that involve the Norwalk Public Schools.
Thank you for allowing us to provide a forum for your thoughts.
The more I read about this middle school restructuring, the more worried I get. Every school is doing something different. How is that a plan?
ReplyDeleteWhy hasn't there been a long-term plan? You know, debate changes, have public meetings, take a Board of Education vote and then plan teacher training?
The more I see of this "new" administration, the more I am reminded of the Corda years. Big plans with no planning. Board of Education presentations with no Board of Education debate. A special master as superintendent and a rubber stamp Board of Education is not the "change" Norwalk needed.
As a taxpayer I want to know what is going on at Norwalk High. First we have the "hit List", Nancy on Norwalk ran a story, and so did the Hour. What is going on?
ReplyDeleteNow we have High Roads Special Ed Students coming to the high school next school year.
Who is running the show?
That school seems to be the dumping ground. What a shame.
High Roads kids are coming b/c of the superintendent. They removed the day care that ran in the basement and Adamowski put in the High Roads kids. Never asked anyone at NHS. When it was questioned the answer was that the kids were on High Roads top tiers. Well kids only need to follow their plans for 30 days to move up a tier.
DeleteThey are not High Roads kids. They are our kids. They are Norwalk High students who are being returned to their home school. Let's not get crazy here. The goal of any outplacement is supposed to be to return students to the general education setting.
ReplyDeleteThe Norwalk BOE is being asked by Supt. Adamowski to approve a contract addendum which will expand the ELLI preschool model for 3-more years at Fox Run and give it more rent-free space in Naramake and Tracey. It should be rejected.
ReplyDeleteThe contract addendum for the expansion of the ELLI preschool program represents a financial morass for the Norwalk Public Schools. In essence, taxpayers are being asked to subsidize a single private preschool provider.
Furthermore, the “proposal” which accompanies the contract addendum indicates that Stepping Stones would be responsible for costs of outfitting its new classroom spaces and for its operating costs. However, the contract indicates that NPS will responsible for up to $30,000 for each classroom start-up and for up to $360,000 of the program’s costs. Yet, the revised budget only appropriates $166,286 for the ELLI preschool costs.
The justifications which have been given by the administration to justify this taxpayer subsidy to a private preschool provider are, at best, specious. First, the student “data” which was provided is suspect given testing irregularities and the inclusion of data from students in the special education preschool classrooms.
Secondly, for years the Naramake Family Resources Center, Inc. provided a preschool program in NPS buildings yet never received any subsidy and had an agreement obligating them to pay rent. Yet, for some reason, Stepping Stones requires the equivalent of corporate welfare to conduct its business in Norwalk’s public schools. Stepping Stones will pay no rent. NPS will subsidize its operations up to $360,000 per year. And, NPS will be paying Stepping Stones to provide memberships to Stepping Stones to the families of the preschool students.
Third, the Administration claimed (made at the last BOE meeting) that no other school district in Fairfield County provides preschool with state Department of Education certified teachers (and, that, therefore, Norwalk should not incur such a significant expense). However, a cursory review of surrounding school districts indicates that the Fairfield Public Schools has an expansive public preschool programs that uses state-certified teachers. Also, New Canann has a public preschool which also uses state-certified teachers.
I doubt I am alone in questioning why the Administration has used such dubious methods to advance its plan to subsidize a business venture between Stepping Stones and its private, for-profit partner, Literacy How, Inc.
However, given these concerns, I hope that the Board of Education rejects the contract addendum and counsels the administration that Norwalk’s families and taxpayers deserve full information about the costs of and true justifications for this give-away
Scary article in The Hour. Supt. Adamowski mentions that the Board of Education now owns the Strategic Operating Plan. Is this guy going to blame the Board of Education if parts of the plan fail? Now that's what I call leadership.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of what is happening with Lynne Moore?
ReplyDelete