This is a letter by Marc Schoenen, a Norwalk Public School parent.
Interim Superintendent Nast, Mayor Moccia and the Norwalk Board of Education:
I am dismayed to learn that Superintendent Michael Nast has ordered the halting of an internal investigation of policy and procedures that led to the hiring of Dina McNelis. There are clear and distinct differences between what the police are investigating, and what the Board's constituents and concerned parents are requesting. A police investigation is intended to determine if criminal behaviour has occurred, and, if so, to determine whether or not to proceed with pressing charges against individuals for alleged crimes. What concerned parents across Norwalk want is to review the Human Resources department in the Central Office and determine how and why Dina McNelis was allowed to be hired in the first place, given a track record of inappropriate behaviour and previous dismissals within the school district.
An honest assessment of this situation would provide transparency to constituents, rather than the status quo, which many perceive as a cover-up, and an effort to not cause any waves in the last month of the interim superintendent's tenure. The ask is simple: What paper trail exists and what reviews were performed by Human Resources and other central office administrators in allowing Dina McNelis to be placed on the substitute teacher roster? What reports were produced, to whom were they provided and how were they reviewed?
Repeated lack of transparency, repeated insistence that the Central Office got the "job done and done well" in light of circumstances not only with McNelis but also in regards to Tate require explanation. The public is furious, and we will not allow this issue to continue to be swept under the rug, simply because the school year is nearly over. This issue will not simply go away.
This reflects poorly upon the entire Board of Education. How can the public have any faith that these were isolated incidents? Absent any review, how can parents be assured that we will not have further instances that put our children at risk? It was only eighteen months ago that this city was rocked with the Stacy Lore autism scandal. Combined with Dina McNelis' rehiring and assignments, it portrays a pattern of carelessness and a lack of ownership in addressing the needs of our school district.
Superintendent Nast -- I implore you, do what is right for the school system and the concerned citizens and parents in the community. Demand accountability and provide transparency in reviewing the policies, procedures and reviews performed by the Human Resources department and Central Office administrators in the case of Dina McNelis. Take a stand and do not hide behind opaque legal advice, which seems to be constantly shifting. Why was there not legal advice last week advising against an investigation? Reviewing internal policy and procedure regarding how employees are hired, background checks are performed, and reports are provided to the proper management is a fundamentally different investigation than evaluating alleged criminal behaviour by McNelis and Tate.
The public deserves answers; the Board should demand accountability of its administrators. Please provide transparency in identifying what went wrong in light of these recent events.
Thank you,
Marc R. Schoenen
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
PTOC Elections Delayed
A version of this story also appears in The Daily Norwalk
There was vocal opposition at last night’s PTO Council meeting to a proposed change in the bylaws that would allow Bruce Kimmel, a parent with a child who is no longer in the school system, to run for president.
“The PTOC is a unique group for parents,” said Lynn Massey, president of Parents for Brien McMahon and former PTOC president. “I really believe it must remain that way. I think the policy should stand.”
Bruce Kimmel, former BOE and Common Council member, said that he was asked by current PTOC members to run for president. However, upon hearing the opposition to changing the bylaws from the group, he decided to withdraw his candidacy. “This is a complicated issue and one that requires thought. Now would not be the right time. We are not ready to change the bylaws. It has to done in a way that protects the integrity of the organization.”
Kimmel did caution against “creating a false distinction between parents and taxpayers. Many taxpayers are still parents and parents are taxpayers. Both groups should be working together.”
Even before tonight's stalled vote, the PTOC was at an organizational crossroads. Six of the seven positions on the board are open and there is a sense that the organization may have to fold if not enough parents volunteer for the vacancies. As it stands, there is only one returning Board Member, Emily Aguilar, and one possible candidate, Jeffrey Spahr.
Since only seven of Norwalk’s 19 participating PTOs were in attendance preventing a quorum needed for an election, it was decided that a committee would be convened to assist Aguilar recruit more candidates over the summer.
Aguilar said that the group was having a hard time recruiting parent volunteers. “We started to think outside the box and looked to parents who used to be active,” she said. Jennifer Covello, outgoing treasurer said, “We wouldn’t have thought to change the bylaws if there were other parents who decided to volunteer.”
The meeting ended with a broader discussion of the role of PTOs in the schools and how to cast a wider net to include parents who cannot make meetings and are not interested in fundraising. Former BOE Chair Rosa Murray was in attendance, “We need to think about how to reinvent parent participation."
There was vocal opposition at last night’s PTO Council meeting to a proposed change in the bylaws that would allow Bruce Kimmel, a parent with a child who is no longer in the school system, to run for president.
“The PTOC is a unique group for parents,” said Lynn Massey, president of Parents for Brien McMahon and former PTOC president. “I really believe it must remain that way. I think the policy should stand.”
Bruce Kimmel, former BOE and Common Council member, said that he was asked by current PTOC members to run for president. However, upon hearing the opposition to changing the bylaws from the group, he decided to withdraw his candidacy. “This is a complicated issue and one that requires thought. Now would not be the right time. We are not ready to change the bylaws. It has to done in a way that protects the integrity of the organization.”
Kimmel did caution against “creating a false distinction between parents and taxpayers. Many taxpayers are still parents and parents are taxpayers. Both groups should be working together.”
Even before tonight's stalled vote, the PTOC was at an organizational crossroads. Six of the seven positions on the board are open and there is a sense that the organization may have to fold if not enough parents volunteer for the vacancies. As it stands, there is only one returning Board Member, Emily Aguilar, and one possible candidate, Jeffrey Spahr.
Since only seven of Norwalk’s 19 participating PTOs were in attendance preventing a quorum needed for an election, it was decided that a committee would be convened to assist Aguilar recruit more candidates over the summer.
Aguilar said that the group was having a hard time recruiting parent volunteers. “We started to think outside the box and looked to parents who used to be active,” she said. Jennifer Covello, outgoing treasurer said, “We wouldn’t have thought to change the bylaws if there were other parents who decided to volunteer.”
The meeting ended with a broader discussion of the role of PTOs in the schools and how to cast a wider net to include parents who cannot make meetings and are not interested in fundraising. Former BOE Chair Rosa Murray was in attendance, “We need to think about how to reinvent parent participation."
Monday, May 24, 2010
PTOC Elections Tonight
The fate of the PTOC will be decided tonight- May 24th. The meeeting is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. at the West Rocks Middle School in the Library.
Bruce Kimmel, a former BOE member and Common Council member, is running for president. Although he was a parent of a NPS student and a former PTO president of Cranbury school, he no longer has children in the school district. For that reason, the bylaws of the PTOC would need to be changed in order for Kimmel to be elected president. Jeffery Spahr is running for VP of Education. Aside from the need to change the bylaws, the problem still remains that several of the PTOC positions are still open, including treasurer.
The proposed amendment is as follows:
Eliminate Article V, Section A, Item 1: "Qualifications: All officers shall be members in good standing of a school parent organization which is a dues paying member of the Norwalk PTO Council."
Pursuant to Article XI of the existing ByLaws, for the proposed amendment to pass, the amendment must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the membership present at the May 24th meeting. Additionally, this notice shall serve to satisfy the notice requirement set forth in Artcle XI of the existing ByLaws.
A copy of the current ByLaws may be found at the PTOC Website. A copy of this notice is posted on the PTOC homepage.
Bruce Kimmel, a former BOE member and Common Council member, is running for president. Although he was a parent of a NPS student and a former PTO president of Cranbury school, he no longer has children in the school district. For that reason, the bylaws of the PTOC would need to be changed in order for Kimmel to be elected president. Jeffery Spahr is running for VP of Education. Aside from the need to change the bylaws, the problem still remains that several of the PTOC positions are still open, including treasurer.
The proposed amendment is as follows:
Eliminate Article V, Section A, Item 1: "Qualifications: All officers shall be members in good standing of a school parent organization which is a dues paying member of the Norwalk PTO Council."
Pursuant to Article XI of the existing ByLaws, for the proposed amendment to pass, the amendment must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the membership present at the May 24th meeting. Additionally, this notice shall serve to satisfy the notice requirement set forth in Artcle XI of the existing ByLaws.
A copy of the current ByLaws may be found at the PTOC Website. A copy of this notice is posted on the PTOC homepage.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
District Line Up to Race to the Top
Here's a different perspective on Race to the Top from our neighboring towns.
A version of this story appears in The Daily Norwalk
School boards across Fairfield County have been deciding whether or not to sign on to the state’s application for Race to the Top Funding, the Obama Administration’s $4.35 billion education reform grant. A “memorandum of understanding” for Round II is due today, May 19. Connecticut stands to win as much as $175 million in federal funds if selected. Just this week, Westport, Darien, Fairfield, Wilton and Weston have all decided to participate. New Canaan and Norwalk had already signed on for Round I in January.
Much of the grant is geared toward disadvantaged school districts in the state. Affluent, high achieving districts (many did not sign on in Round 1) have been evaluating whether they have enough to gain by signing on to the state’s application this time. Connecticut’s application was rejected in the first round of Race to the Top, placing 25 out of 40 states. In this second round, Commissioner of Education Mark McQuillan is pushing for all districts to sign on to the Race to the Top application--approximately half signed on last time-- because it increases the state's chance of getting the grant. In addition, the Commissioner has increased the amount of funding allocated to smaller districts with low poverty rates. A town like Darien, for example, is now eligible for $140,000 over four years.
In addition, new laws were passed this month by the Connecticut General Assembly in order to align the state’s next application-- due in June--with Race to the Top goals of 1) improving teacher effectiveness, 2) creating better assessments aligned to rigorous standards, 3) fixing failing schools, or 4) using data systems to track student achievement. These new laws have changed the equation for many school districts.
Darien BOE Chair Kimberly Westcott said there has been “a lot of chatter” about RTTT among the area's board chairs. “The Board felt that it was important to be part of the conversation. Many aspects of the law are a work in progress. ”
Darien Superintendent Donald Fiftal supports the grant but is concerned about the scope of participation. “Here in New England, we are independent-minded and pride ourselves on local control of our schools. We have to be careful this program does not impede a district like Darien.
Westcott agreed, “In high performing districts like Darien we take a lot of pride in our curriculum and we like the way we teach. There can’t be a one size fit all solution.”
During a recent Fairfield BOE meeting, Superintendent Ann Clark said that Fairfield will be required by law to implement changes like increased high school graduation requirements and tying teacher evaluations to student program whether they are part of the grant application or not. “We might as well get some money for it."
“We are already doing many of the things in the application, like data improvement initiatives,” said Clark. “And the ones that we are not doing, we will be required to do by law. At this point there is no downside. The new law has changed everything."
Districts are worried about the cost of the new laws since there are no guarantees that Connecticut will win funding, and even if it does, the funds are unlikely to be enough to cover all the new requirements. “There is a feeling here that this is an unfunded mandate,” said Westcott.
New Canaan is an exception among its peer school districts because it chose to sign on to the application in Round I. “I see it as important way to support the state and show solidarity,“ said New Canaan Superintendent David Abbey.
A version of this story appears in The Daily Norwalk
School boards across Fairfield County have been deciding whether or not to sign on to the state’s application for Race to the Top Funding, the Obama Administration’s $4.35 billion education reform grant. A “memorandum of understanding” for Round II is due today, May 19. Connecticut stands to win as much as $175 million in federal funds if selected. Just this week, Westport, Darien, Fairfield, Wilton and Weston have all decided to participate. New Canaan and Norwalk had already signed on for Round I in January.
Much of the grant is geared toward disadvantaged school districts in the state. Affluent, high achieving districts (many did not sign on in Round 1) have been evaluating whether they have enough to gain by signing on to the state’s application this time. Connecticut’s application was rejected in the first round of Race to the Top, placing 25 out of 40 states. In this second round, Commissioner of Education Mark McQuillan is pushing for all districts to sign on to the Race to the Top application--approximately half signed on last time-- because it increases the state's chance of getting the grant. In addition, the Commissioner has increased the amount of funding allocated to smaller districts with low poverty rates. A town like Darien, for example, is now eligible for $140,000 over four years.
In addition, new laws were passed this month by the Connecticut General Assembly in order to align the state’s next application-- due in June--with Race to the Top goals of 1) improving teacher effectiveness, 2) creating better assessments aligned to rigorous standards, 3) fixing failing schools, or 4) using data systems to track student achievement. These new laws have changed the equation for many school districts.
Darien BOE Chair Kimberly Westcott said there has been “a lot of chatter” about RTTT among the area's board chairs. “The Board felt that it was important to be part of the conversation. Many aspects of the law are a work in progress. ”
Darien Superintendent Donald Fiftal supports the grant but is concerned about the scope of participation. “Here in New England, we are independent-minded and pride ourselves on local control of our schools. We have to be careful this program does not impede a district like Darien.
Westcott agreed, “In high performing districts like Darien we take a lot of pride in our curriculum and we like the way we teach. There can’t be a one size fit all solution.”
During a recent Fairfield BOE meeting, Superintendent Ann Clark said that Fairfield will be required by law to implement changes like increased high school graduation requirements and tying teacher evaluations to student program whether they are part of the grant application or not. “We might as well get some money for it."
“We are already doing many of the things in the application, like data improvement initiatives,” said Clark. “And the ones that we are not doing, we will be required to do by law. At this point there is no downside. The new law has changed everything."
Districts are worried about the cost of the new laws since there are no guarantees that Connecticut will win funding, and even if it does, the funds are unlikely to be enough to cover all the new requirements. “There is a feeling here that this is an unfunded mandate,” said Westcott.
New Canaan is an exception among its peer school districts because it chose to sign on to the application in Round I. “I see it as important way to support the state and show solidarity,“ said New Canaan Superintendent David Abbey.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Schools Administrator Review Fizzles
A version of this story appeared on The Daily Norwalk
An attempt by Board member Steve Colarossi to have the Board of Education discuss the performance of some of its administrators was rebuffed at last night's school board meeting. Colarossi had placed on the agenda the "Discussion of the performance of Fay Ruotolo, Tony Dadonna, Suzanne Koroshetz, Alaine Lane, and Bruce Morris in response to learning of the recent arrests of people associated with the Norwalk School District."
In the past two weeks, an art teacher at Brien McMahon High School and a substitute teacher at Briggs High School were arrested, separately and charged with child abuse related crimes. Ruotolo is Norwalk's human resources administrator, Dadonna is the assistant superintendent, Koroshetz and Lane are principals at the affected schools, and Morris is the district's human relations officer.
"There are a lot of legal issues here," said Mayor Richard Moccia who sits on the board as an ex officio member. He tried to dissuade discussion of the topic. "We have to proceed very carefully. We're on dangerous ground when we're dealing with peoples' rights." Moccia questioned whether the administrators had been given official notice and whether they had a right to legal representation if the meeting went into executive session.
Colarossi responded that the board's attorney had been consulted before putting the matter onto the agenda.
"These are all very good people," said Colarossi, "but we have to make sure that the policies are being followed. That's why I wanted to have this agenda item discussed in executive seesion." Colarossi said he learned in April about the complaints against Dina McNelis, the substitute teacher who was arrested last week.
Other board members, however, were reluctant to have a discussion at all because the investigations into each alleged incident are on-going.
Interim Superintendent Michael Nast said that he didn't understand the purpose of having a discussion about the staff's performance. "We have an excellent staff who did their jobs well," said Nast. "I don't think the discussion should go beyond that. Nast said he hasn't receieved any e-mails from the community expressing concern about the arrest.
An attempt by Board member Steve Colarossi to have the Board of Education discuss the performance of some of its administrators was rebuffed at last night's school board meeting. Colarossi had placed on the agenda the "Discussion of the performance of Fay Ruotolo, Tony Dadonna, Suzanne Koroshetz, Alaine Lane, and Bruce Morris in response to learning of the recent arrests of people associated with the Norwalk School District."
In the past two weeks, an art teacher at Brien McMahon High School and a substitute teacher at Briggs High School were arrested, separately and charged with child abuse related crimes. Ruotolo is Norwalk's human resources administrator, Dadonna is the assistant superintendent, Koroshetz and Lane are principals at the affected schools, and Morris is the district's human relations officer.
"There are a lot of legal issues here," said Mayor Richard Moccia who sits on the board as an ex officio member. He tried to dissuade discussion of the topic. "We have to proceed very carefully. We're on dangerous ground when we're dealing with peoples' rights." Moccia questioned whether the administrators had been given official notice and whether they had a right to legal representation if the meeting went into executive session.
Colarossi responded that the board's attorney had been consulted before putting the matter onto the agenda.
"These are all very good people," said Colarossi, "but we have to make sure that the policies are being followed. That's why I wanted to have this agenda item discussed in executive seesion." Colarossi said he learned in April about the complaints against Dina McNelis, the substitute teacher who was arrested last week.
Other board members, however, were reluctant to have a discussion at all because the investigations into each alleged incident are on-going.
Interim Superintendent Michael Nast said that he didn't understand the purpose of having a discussion about the staff's performance. "We have an excellent staff who did their jobs well," said Nast. "I don't think the discussion should go beyond that. Nast said he hasn't receieved any e-mails from the community expressing concern about the arrest.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Administrators on the Hot Seat Over Arrests
NPS administrators are going to be in the hot seat at this week's BOE meeting. Included in the Agenda for tomorrow night's meeting is a "Discussion of the performance of Fay Ruotolo, Tony Dadonna, Suzanne Koroshetz, Alaine Lane, and Bruce Morris in response to learning of the recent arrests of people associated with the Norwalk school district."
The three Central Office administrators and two Principals (Koroshetz is Principal of Brien McMahon High School and Lane is Principal of Briggs High School) will undoubtedly be questioned about the arrests of John Randy Tate and Dina McNelis.
Tate was a Arts teacher at Brien McMahon who was arrested at the beginning of the month for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old student. McNelis, a substitute teacher at Briggs, was arrested for having "inappropriate" contact with middle school children. The arrests come in addition to the arrest in April of fake special ed therapist Stacy Lore.
It's certainly troubling when one teacher gets arrested for misconduct, but when three are arrested in such a short period of time its perfectly reasonable to ask whether its just part and parcel of life in a large urban district or was there a systemic policy failure that got us here.
The lack of background checks and respect for parent feedback are at the heart of the Stacy Lore saga, but unless Tate had a previous arrest or other problems that weren't reported to the NPS his case would be harder to detect in advance.
McNelis is another matter. According to The Hour, she was shuffled through the Norwalk School system:
In The Hour article HR chief Ruotolo said that the events at Jefferson took place in the month before McNelis was moved to Briggs, and when they did she was moved almost immediately from one school to the next.
Why?
Why wasn't she immediately let go? Terminated. Fired. Is there a NPS or NFT policy that prevents substitutes from being disciplined?
And where does the buck stop? Who should be held responsible for allowing McNelis to prey on our children?
I hope that the Board demands some individual accountability for the actions that the school system undertakes. Administrators are responsible for setting up screening systems and training the people that work under them. The fact that McNelis wasn't screened out indicates that either the HR policies are weak or were not properly followed. In either instance someone should be man or woman enough to stand up and take responsibility.
May 18 BOE Agenda
The three Central Office administrators and two Principals (Koroshetz is Principal of Brien McMahon High School and Lane is Principal of Briggs High School) will undoubtedly be questioned about the arrests of John Randy Tate and Dina McNelis.
Tate was a Arts teacher at Brien McMahon who was arrested at the beginning of the month for allegedly having sex with a 17-year-old student. McNelis, a substitute teacher at Briggs, was arrested for having "inappropriate" contact with middle school children. The arrests come in addition to the arrest in April of fake special ed therapist Stacy Lore.
It's certainly troubling when one teacher gets arrested for misconduct, but when three are arrested in such a short period of time its perfectly reasonable to ask whether its just part and parcel of life in a large urban district or was there a systemic policy failure that got us here.
The lack of background checks and respect for parent feedback are at the heart of the Stacy Lore saga, but unless Tate had a previous arrest or other problems that weren't reported to the NPS his case would be harder to detect in advance.
McNelis is another matter. According to The Hour, she was shuffled through the Norwalk School system:
McNelis was removed from a classroom at Cranbury Elementary School in 2003 after acting strangely and yelling at a student. She got into her car and sped away from the school, nearly hitting two students and a crossing guard...
McNelis was removed as a substitute in the Derby school system in 2004 because the Derby Board of Education received numerous complaints about her from staff and students...What I can't understand, and perhaps the BOE members can find out, is why McNelis was let back into our school system after her problems at Cranbury seven years ago! What, if anything, did our school administrators tell the poor people in Derby, and in turn did we even check with them when McNelis bounced back to us?
Jefferson administrators raised concerns about McNelis' behavior prior to the Briggs incident, complaining that she ate food that belonged to other teachers and, at one point, hid in a closet...
In The Hour article HR chief Ruotolo said that the events at Jefferson took place in the month before McNelis was moved to Briggs, and when they did she was moved almost immediately from one school to the next.
Why?
Why wasn't she immediately let go? Terminated. Fired. Is there a NPS or NFT policy that prevents substitutes from being disciplined?
And where does the buck stop? Who should be held responsible for allowing McNelis to prey on our children?
I hope that the Board demands some individual accountability for the actions that the school system undertakes. Administrators are responsible for setting up screening systems and training the people that work under them. The fact that McNelis wasn't screened out indicates that either the HR policies are weak or were not properly followed. In either instance someone should be man or woman enough to stand up and take responsibility.
May 18 BOE Agenda
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
NY Times Article: In New York’s Suburbs, Teachers Feel Budget Ax
We are not the only district in tri-state area dealing with the issue of union concessions. See today's story in the NY Times to see what other districts have done.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/nyregion/12teachers.html?emc=eta1
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/nyregion/12teachers.html?emc=eta1
Teachers are giving up raises in at least five Long Island districts, including Brentwood, where the 1,400 teachers will also take individual pay cuts of $900 that will be repaid to them without interest when they leave or retire.The entire article is worth a read.
Teachers are facing a wage freeze in 44 of the 69 Connecticut districts that reached new teacher contracts this year, something virtually unheard of in a state where the average raise has been about 2.5 percent.
And in Pelham and Scarsdale, two places in Westchester County that have long been synonymous with well-paid teachers, they voted to reopen their contracts and shave off a portion of their scheduled raises.
Such concessions come amid threats of widespread layoffs, state and local government budget cuts and insistent public calls that teachers make sacrifices in a tough economy.
“Nobody wants to give up money,” said Joe Hogan, president of the Brentwood teachers’ union, whose members unanimously agreed to give up their raises to prevent hundreds of layoffs and save music, art and sports programs. “Did everybody do this happily? I don’t think so. But did they do this because of the times we’re in? Yes.”
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
PTO Council Might Fold Next Year
A version of this story appeared in TheDailyNorwalk.com yesterday.
The PTO Council is in trouble. Six of the seven positions on the executive board are currently vacant for next year, and unless parents volunteer for the positions, the organization might have to fold. The PTOC is the overarching Parent Teacher Organization that deals with district-wide issues, as opposed to a particular school's PTO that addresses the needs of that school. "There will be no PTOC, unless people step up the plate," says Jill Arvanitas, PTOC president whose term finishes at the end of this year. "We have sugar coated it for as long as we could, but at this month's PTOC meeting, we made the point loud and clear."
"I’ve gained a critical understanding very early in my children’s student careers of how actions that happen at the district level impact my kids in the classroom," says Arvanitis who has a child at Cranbury Elementary School and another one entering next year. "The PTOC's goal is to provide information to parents and be a unified advocacy voice for the district as a whole. "
According to Arvanitis, the organization has been short staffed all year. In addition, some members filled in positions for people who had to step down. This has left the group with only one returning member, Emily Aguilar the Vice President of Information. Arvanitis herself steps down this year. She took over current Board of Education member Sue Haynie's term when Haynie decided to run for the Board. She says that there has been some interest in the open positions but no "bites".
A couple factors have led to the situation, says Arvanitis. First, she says the economy is putting more pressure on parents' time. "People are so busy. The economy has more parents working for longer hours. Before, there were more stay at home parents involved." Arvanitis also acknowledges that some parents are "disillusioned" by the system and the decline in the PTOC has happened over time. "People tell me that there once used to be standing room only at the meetings."
For the past year, Arvanitis has been working with some success to re-engage parents and the community. During her one year stint as president, attendance at the monthly meetings has doubled. The PTOC has changed the meeting format from presentations to discussions. It has held several meetings, including a Parent Budget Forum with the Superintendent, to help parents understand the process. In addition, the PTOC has deployed an improved communication strategy with a new email newsletter.
Arvanitis points to a couple of the PTOC's less visible accomplishments. It renegotiated the insurance rates that local PTOs have to pay to cover school events. The group has also provided a webinar to local PTO's to demonstrate best practices in financial management and make sure each PTO had financial controls to protect their funds.
"We are buildling momentum," says Arvanitis. "And now, with the new superintendent coming on board, there is so much we can do. If we get the right people, we can keep the PTOC going."
Contact info@ptocouncil.org for more information. Below are the job descriptions for the open positions:
President
The President shall preside at all meeting of the Norwalk PTO Council and the Executive Board and shall coordinate and extend the work of the Norwalk PTO Council into all parts of the community so as to promote the purposes and mission as stated in these Bylaws, and shall act as liaison with the Board of Education and administration.
1st Vice President
The First Vice President shall be responsible for meeting agendas and speakers, preside over all meetings at which the President is absent, and assist the President with his/her duties
Vice President for Education
The Vice President for Educational Information shall be responsible for informing the PTO Council of educational issues at the local, state and national levels, and preside over all meetings at which the President and other Vice Presidents are absent
Recording Secretary
The Recording Secretary shall record and keep the minutes of all meetings, maintain a copy of these bylaws, and maintain attendance records
Corresponding Secretary
The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for all internal and external communications of this organization
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall receive all moneys of this organization and shall pay any bills or obligations as authorized by this organization or the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall keep a record of all financial transactions of this organization and shall present a full financial report at every meeting of this organization. The Treasurer shall maintain a record of member organization financial reviews.
The PTO Council is in trouble. Six of the seven positions on the executive board are currently vacant for next year, and unless parents volunteer for the positions, the organization might have to fold. The PTOC is the overarching Parent Teacher Organization that deals with district-wide issues, as opposed to a particular school's PTO that addresses the needs of that school. "There will be no PTOC, unless people step up the plate," says Jill Arvanitas, PTOC president whose term finishes at the end of this year. "We have sugar coated it for as long as we could, but at this month's PTOC meeting, we made the point loud and clear."
"I’ve gained a critical understanding very early in my children’s student careers of how actions that happen at the district level impact my kids in the classroom," says Arvanitis who has a child at Cranbury Elementary School and another one entering next year. "The PTOC's goal is to provide information to parents and be a unified advocacy voice for the district as a whole. "
According to Arvanitis, the organization has been short staffed all year. In addition, some members filled in positions for people who had to step down. This has left the group with only one returning member, Emily Aguilar the Vice President of Information. Arvanitis herself steps down this year. She took over current Board of Education member Sue Haynie's term when Haynie decided to run for the Board. She says that there has been some interest in the open positions but no "bites".
A couple factors have led to the situation, says Arvanitis. First, she says the economy is putting more pressure on parents' time. "People are so busy. The economy has more parents working for longer hours. Before, there were more stay at home parents involved." Arvanitis also acknowledges that some parents are "disillusioned" by the system and the decline in the PTOC has happened over time. "People tell me that there once used to be standing room only at the meetings."
For the past year, Arvanitis has been working with some success to re-engage parents and the community. During her one year stint as president, attendance at the monthly meetings has doubled. The PTOC has changed the meeting format from presentations to discussions. It has held several meetings, including a Parent Budget Forum with the Superintendent, to help parents understand the process. In addition, the PTOC has deployed an improved communication strategy with a new email newsletter.
Arvanitis points to a couple of the PTOC's less visible accomplishments. It renegotiated the insurance rates that local PTOs have to pay to cover school events. The group has also provided a webinar to local PTO's to demonstrate best practices in financial management and make sure each PTO had financial controls to protect their funds.
"We are buildling momentum," says Arvanitis. "And now, with the new superintendent coming on board, there is so much we can do. If we get the right people, we can keep the PTOC going."
Contact info@ptocouncil.org for more information. Below are the job descriptions for the open positions:
President
The President shall preside at all meeting of the Norwalk PTO Council and the Executive Board and shall coordinate and extend the work of the Norwalk PTO Council into all parts of the community so as to promote the purposes and mission as stated in these Bylaws, and shall act as liaison with the Board of Education and administration.
1st Vice President
The First Vice President shall be responsible for meeting agendas and speakers, preside over all meetings at which the President is absent, and assist the President with his/her duties
Vice President for Education
The Vice President for Educational Information shall be responsible for informing the PTO Council of educational issues at the local, state and national levels, and preside over all meetings at which the President and other Vice Presidents are absent
Recording Secretary
The Recording Secretary shall record and keep the minutes of all meetings, maintain a copy of these bylaws, and maintain attendance records
Corresponding Secretary
The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for all internal and external communications of this organization
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall receive all moneys of this organization and shall pay any bills or obligations as authorized by this organization or the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall keep a record of all financial transactions of this organization and shall present a full financial report at every meeting of this organization. The Treasurer shall maintain a record of member organization financial reviews.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Updated: Unions' Budget Math Doesn't Add Up Says NPS
An analysis by the NPS Finance Department has found that the budget proposal submitted by unions representing school teachers and administrators contains errors.
Most significantly the review by interim CFO Dr. Dan Cook found that several items totaling $1.5 million had been double counted. That in turn affected the savings calculation that was made.
As a result Cook said in a memo sent to interim Superintendent Michael Nast that it “is not accurate” that the solution can restore high school and middle school teachers, the assistant principals, AT, strings, and other cuts.
Norwalk’s unions represented by Bruce Mellion (Norwalk Federation of Teachers) and Tony Ditrio (Norwalk Association of School Administrators) and Dr. Lynn Moore, Principal of West Rocks Middle School had presented their alternative budget at the BOE meeting on May 4. It was described by Ditrio in an e-mail to me as "not a list of cuts" but a "plan that reconciles the budget and maintains all staff and programs.
In his analysis Dr. Cook said, “Of the 11 suggested reductions all had been part of the Superintendent’s overall reconciliation plan in different stages with some variations in dollar amounts.”
Because of the cap imposed by the Board of Estimate and Taxation, the BOE has to find $5.1 million in savings from the proposed budget of $149.7 million. Thus far the revisions proposed by Nast have left a gap of $1.5 million. However because of the decision not to touch the AT program in middle schools the gap is actually closer to $2 million.
School administrators have proposed laying off teachers, language and numeracy specialists, and Assistant Principals to bring in a budget that meets the BET’s requirements.
Update: Tony Ditrio sent me a copy of his letter to interim Superintendent Nast (posted below). In it he attributes the double counting to his confusion over how the Dan Cook was presenting data on spreadsheets:
Finance Analysis
Budget Reconcilliation
rsponse
Most significantly the review by interim CFO Dr. Dan Cook found that several items totaling $1.5 million had been double counted. That in turn affected the savings calculation that was made.
As a result Cook said in a memo sent to interim Superintendent Michael Nast that it “is not accurate” that the solution can restore high school and middle school teachers, the assistant principals, AT, strings, and other cuts.
Norwalk’s unions represented by Bruce Mellion (Norwalk Federation of Teachers) and Tony Ditrio (Norwalk Association of School Administrators) and Dr. Lynn Moore, Principal of West Rocks Middle School had presented their alternative budget at the BOE meeting on May 4. It was described by Ditrio in an e-mail to me as "not a list of cuts" but a "plan that reconciles the budget and maintains all staff and programs.
In his analysis Dr. Cook said, “Of the 11 suggested reductions all had been part of the Superintendent’s overall reconciliation plan in different stages with some variations in dollar amounts.”
Because of the cap imposed by the Board of Estimate and Taxation, the BOE has to find $5.1 million in savings from the proposed budget of $149.7 million. Thus far the revisions proposed by Nast have left a gap of $1.5 million. However because of the decision not to touch the AT program in middle schools the gap is actually closer to $2 million.
School administrators have proposed laying off teachers, language and numeracy specialists, and Assistant Principals to bring in a budget that meets the BET’s requirements.
Update: Tony Ditrio sent me a copy of his letter to interim Superintendent Nast (posted below). In it he attributes the double counting to his confusion over how the Dan Cook was presenting data on spreadsheets:
At the Board budget work session a series of departmental spreadsheets were distributed and discussion were held on specific reductions. The resulting sum of Central Office cuts on these spreadsheets totaled more than the amounts on the previous versions. I falsely attributed the new numbers to more reductions. What really happened was that reductions never before on the spreadsheets were moved there. I should have known better but instead I revised our proposal to reflect the “additional” Central Office reductions. I had already sent my initial plan out to PTO Council and several others so I can produce copies if you need verification. This caused me to report a much smaller amount that needed to be cut from Central Office at the Board meeting. By revising my plan to give your team credit I created a false impression that the deal was already done. Instead of the $640,879 Central Office increase I reported it was really $1,385,689. This was solely due to the movement of proposed reductions to the new spreadsheets.
Finance Analysis
Budget Reconcilliation
rsponse
Friday, May 7, 2010
Things to Do: Rowayton School Carnival
Rowayton School's annual carnival opens today. Full of amusement park rides, games, and food this is a terrific way to spend time with your kids and raise a little money for Rowayton. The midway opens Friday from 6 pm to 10 pm and on Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.
I'm going this evening and will take pictures to share.
I'm going this evening and will take pictures to share.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
House Passes Landmark Education Reform
Late last night, on the last day of the 2010 legislative session, the Connecticut General Assembly passed one of the most significant education reform bills in recent decades. The far-reaching bill which passed 31-4 will increase high school graduation requirements, ease enrollment restrictions on charter schools, create a “fast track” for teachers to become principals, tie teacher evaluations to student progress, give parents authority to help overhaul failing schools and allow the State Board of Education to disband locally elected school boards if a district consistently does not show progress.
“All of Connecticut’s children deserve top quality education, and we have a duty to do whatever it takes to make that a reality. Today’s reforms are a huge step forward in ensuring that we do just that,” said Rep. Andy Fleischmann (D-West Hartford), House chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee. “By updating our high school curriculum so that it has sufficient science, technology and math we’re helping to ensure that Connecticut’s youth are ready for 21st century jobs.”
State Commissioner Mark McQuillan has been pushing for these high school reforms passed by the legislature. The bill which does not go into affect until 2014 requires increased graduation requirements and making students take additional credits in mathematics, science and foreign language. Starting with the class of 2018, students would be required to complete a senior project and pass graduation exams in algebra, geometry, biology, American history and English.
The bill also aims to turnaround low performing schools and strengthen Connecticut's application for the Obama Administration’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top Grant. Connecticut stands to win as much as $195 million in federal funds. However, the state's application was rejected in the first round of Race to the Top, placing 25 out of 40 states. The new laws, it's believed, will align the state’s next applications-- due in June--with Race to the Top goals of 1) improve teacher effectiveness, 2) create better assessments aligned to rigorous standards, 3) fix failing schools, or 4) use data systems to track student achievement.
“Today is a breakthrough for the Connecticut education reform movement,” said Alex Johnston, CEO of Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN), an education advocacy organization that has been instrumental is pushing through the bill. “These policies would have been unimaginable just five years ago, but they are on their way to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law today.”
Some legislators worry that if Connecticut does not win Race to the Top, the state will be saddled with the cost of extra teachers and training required to fulfill the new high school requirements. The bill could require the hiring as many as 380 additional teachers statewide at a cost of nearly $21 million, according to an estimate by the Legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis.
“All of Connecticut’s children deserve top quality education, and we have a duty to do whatever it takes to make that a reality. Today’s reforms are a huge step forward in ensuring that we do just that,” said Rep. Andy Fleischmann (D-West Hartford), House chair of the Legislature’s Education Committee. “By updating our high school curriculum so that it has sufficient science, technology and math we’re helping to ensure that Connecticut’s youth are ready for 21st century jobs.”
State Commissioner Mark McQuillan has been pushing for these high school reforms passed by the legislature. The bill which does not go into affect until 2014 requires increased graduation requirements and making students take additional credits in mathematics, science and foreign language. Starting with the class of 2018, students would be required to complete a senior project and pass graduation exams in algebra, geometry, biology, American history and English.
The bill also aims to turnaround low performing schools and strengthen Connecticut's application for the Obama Administration’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top Grant. Connecticut stands to win as much as $195 million in federal funds. However, the state's application was rejected in the first round of Race to the Top, placing 25 out of 40 states. The new laws, it's believed, will align the state’s next applications-- due in June--with Race to the Top goals of 1) improve teacher effectiveness, 2) create better assessments aligned to rigorous standards, 3) fix failing schools, or 4) use data systems to track student achievement.
“Today is a breakthrough for the Connecticut education reform movement,” said Alex Johnston, CEO of Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN), an education advocacy organization that has been instrumental is pushing through the bill. “These policies would have been unimaginable just five years ago, but they are on their way to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law today.”
Some legislators worry that if Connecticut does not win Race to the Top, the state will be saddled with the cost of extra teachers and training required to fulfill the new high school requirements. The bill could require the hiring as many as 380 additional teachers statewide at a cost of nearly $21 million, according to an estimate by the Legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
List of Possible Budget Reductions
Here is a document prepared by Superintendent Nast for the BOE'sBudget Workshop this past Monday. It spells out the POSSIBLE reductions and their dollar amounts, totalling $1.6 million. The district has already identified possible cuts for approximately $3.5 million of the $5 million required reduction.
This list has two scenarios. One lists the possible cuts to staff and programs. The other is a list of possible concessions from unions (not the teacher's union) and the city. The hitch here, according to Mr. Nast, is that the unions have said that they will entertain concessions only after the budget has been brought down to a zero percent increase. The City has said that they will only give the BOE additional funds if union concessions are made.
I tried to rotate this document to make it easier to read, but couldn't. Tilt your computer, it's better than twisting your neck!
Budget Scenarios
This list has two scenarios. One lists the possible cuts to staff and programs. The other is a list of possible concessions from unions (not the teacher's union) and the city. The hitch here, according to Mr. Nast, is that the unions have said that they will entertain concessions only after the budget has been brought down to a zero percent increase. The City has said that they will only give the BOE additional funds if union concessions are made.
I tried to rotate this document to make it easier to read, but couldn't. Tilt your computer, it's better than twisting your neck!
Budget Scenarios
Parents Speak Up for School Staff
A version of this story appears on TheDailyNorwalk.com
More than one hundred parents and staff members from schools that will be affected by the BOE’s proposed budget cuts crowded into the Concert Hall at City Hall to beseech board members to leave their schools alone during the board meeting’s public comments section.
“Principal Sara Reilly and and Assistant Marybeth Crupi have been a valuable, successful, strong administrative team that Rowayton school cannot afford to lose,” Karine Sweitzer, a parent, told board members. “Marybeth has been instrumental in closing the achievement gap with her expertise in literacy. This past Fall we lost our fulltime literacy specialist and she’s been working with the kids in the classroom.”
Sweitzer and other parents were incensed that the BOE is considering eliminating Assistant Principals, teachers, literacy specialists and other staff in order to make up a $1.5 million gap in the schools budget.
That task was made infinitely harder when earlier in the meeting interim Superintendent Michael Nast announced to cheers that the middle schools AT Program would not be cut. Keeping AT will mean that the $425,000 in savings derived from laying off teachers in this area will have to be found elsewhere.
Parents from Naramake were equally passionate in their yellow t-shirts waving signs that read “Believe in Our Team” every time one of them spoke.
“Standing before you tonight is a family. Standing before you tonight is a team. Standing before you tonight is the lighthouse school of Norwalk,” said Liz Morelli a parent of two students who attend Naramake elementary. “I find it ludicrous that I am standing here before you once again to stand up for what is right. We all know that eliminating positions in Naramake is taking a well oiled, excellent functioning machine apart when it doesn’t need to be fixed.”
Morelli and others suggested that the funds to bridge the gap could be found at the central office.
“I am not convinced that the powers that be have not taken a good hard look at their own back yard,” said Morelli. “I am not convinced that there are honestly no employees elsewhere in the system who are not being kept despite their inability to work effectively or efficiently.”
Indeed earlier in the evening representatives from the Norwalk Federation of Teachers (NFT) and the Norwalk Association of School Administrators (NASA) circulated their own budget proposal which suggested that significant funds could be found in reducing Central Office costs and in non-classroom areas.
Several parents urged the BOE members in their public comments to give serious consideration to the union’s proposals and not to dismiss them out of hand.
One parent urged the BOE not to forget that education is an important component to the overall economic health of the city of Norwalk. She said education is a major factor in the decision making process when people consider moving to Norwalk, and feared if we continue to make cuts in our school system that families and business would decide to go elsewhere.
More than one hundred parents and staff members from schools that will be affected by the BOE’s proposed budget cuts crowded into the Concert Hall at City Hall to beseech board members to leave their schools alone during the board meeting’s public comments section.
“Principal Sara Reilly and and Assistant Marybeth Crupi have been a valuable, successful, strong administrative team that Rowayton school cannot afford to lose,” Karine Sweitzer, a parent, told board members. “Marybeth has been instrumental in closing the achievement gap with her expertise in literacy. This past Fall we lost our fulltime literacy specialist and she’s been working with the kids in the classroom.”
Sweitzer and other parents were incensed that the BOE is considering eliminating Assistant Principals, teachers, literacy specialists and other staff in order to make up a $1.5 million gap in the schools budget.
That task was made infinitely harder when earlier in the meeting interim Superintendent Michael Nast announced to cheers that the middle schools AT Program would not be cut. Keeping AT will mean that the $425,000 in savings derived from laying off teachers in this area will have to be found elsewhere.
Parents from Naramake were equally passionate in their yellow t-shirts waving signs that read “Believe in Our Team” every time one of them spoke.
“Standing before you tonight is a family. Standing before you tonight is a team. Standing before you tonight is the lighthouse school of Norwalk,” said Liz Morelli a parent of two students who attend Naramake elementary. “I find it ludicrous that I am standing here before you once again to stand up for what is right. We all know that eliminating positions in Naramake is taking a well oiled, excellent functioning machine apart when it doesn’t need to be fixed.”
Morelli and others suggested that the funds to bridge the gap could be found at the central office.
“I am not convinced that the powers that be have not taken a good hard look at their own back yard,” said Morelli. “I am not convinced that there are honestly no employees elsewhere in the system who are not being kept despite their inability to work effectively or efficiently.”
Indeed earlier in the evening representatives from the Norwalk Federation of Teachers (NFT) and the Norwalk Association of School Administrators (NASA) circulated their own budget proposal which suggested that significant funds could be found in reducing Central Office costs and in non-classroom areas.
Several parents urged the BOE members in their public comments to give serious consideration to the union’s proposals and not to dismiss them out of hand.
One parent urged the BOE not to forget that education is an important component to the overall economic health of the city of Norwalk. She said education is a major factor in the decision making process when people consider moving to Norwalk, and feared if we continue to make cuts in our school system that families and business would decide to go elsewhere.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Breaking: AT Program Off The Table
The budget cut targeting the Academically Talented program in Middle Schools ia no longer being proposed as a possible budget cut according to an email to Middle School principals sent by Assistant Superintendent Tony Daddona. I have calls into Daddona, Instructional Specialist Joan Glass, and Superintendent Nast for details.
Clearly, this decision is the result of an strong stance by several BOE members that AT was an important program for the district. They told school administrators to look for other ways to save money before they touched the program.
At a special meeting of the BOE held Monday night at City Hall, interim CFO Dan Cook reviewed with board members a department-by-department breakdown of a revised budget and $3.5 million in cuts being proposed. (see related story)
The cuts included ending the Middle School AT program -- a decision, according to interim Superintendent Michael Nast, made unanimously by the principals of Norwalk's four middle schools. "I have a letter from them," he told board members. "It was their choice and they say that there is some data which indicates that it has very little impact on test scores."
Nast's comments, made near the end of the evening's meeting, drew immediate reaction from several board members.
Board member Steve Colarossi said that cutting AT would affect all students not just those enrolled in the program. He said that even though his daughters' are not in Nathan Hale's AT program they benefit when other students are taken out of the classroom for AT. "It lets them shine in a smaller classroom, because the teacher can focus on their needs," he said.
Colarossi said that it would be "incredibly unfair" to students to encourage them to participate in AT while they were in elementary school, leave them adrift in grades 6, 7, and 8, and then expect them to participate in an Honors program when they entered grade 9 in high school.
His sentiment was echoed by Heidi Keyes who said that her two children participated in the AT program (one at middle school and one at elementary school). "We have to raise the bar, and I get concerned if at the central level there is a decision not to lift the bar for our most gifted students." Keyes said that students would be detrimentally affected by the loss of AT and that valuable years would be lost.
Board member Erin Halsey also weighed into the debate and pointed out that the existence of an AT program is part of Norwalk's educational profile that was trackable online. She said that BOE members should be concerned that the lack of an AT program would negatively impact a family's decision to move to Norwalk and have an effect on property values.
A lone voice of dissent was expressed by board member Jodi Bishop Pullan who suggested to school administrators that the middle school curriculum as a whole needed to be addressed and overhauled. As such, she implied that a separate AT program may not be necessary if the Middle School curriculum were rigorous.
Mr. Nast reminded board members that the cutting of the AT program would eliminate four teaching positions and save the District $435,000. If AT remained, he said, that money would have to be found elsewhere.
"We can do it," said Colarossi.
Clearly, this decision is the result of an strong stance by several BOE members that AT was an important program for the district. They told school administrators to look for other ways to save money before they touched the program.
At a special meeting of the BOE held Monday night at City Hall, interim CFO Dan Cook reviewed with board members a department-by-department breakdown of a revised budget and $3.5 million in cuts being proposed. (see related story)
The cuts included ending the Middle School AT program -- a decision, according to interim Superintendent Michael Nast, made unanimously by the principals of Norwalk's four middle schools. "I have a letter from them," he told board members. "It was their choice and they say that there is some data which indicates that it has very little impact on test scores."
Nast's comments, made near the end of the evening's meeting, drew immediate reaction from several board members.
Board member Steve Colarossi said that cutting AT would affect all students not just those enrolled in the program. He said that even though his daughters' are not in Nathan Hale's AT program they benefit when other students are taken out of the classroom for AT. "It lets them shine in a smaller classroom, because the teacher can focus on their needs," he said.
Colarossi said that it would be "incredibly unfair" to students to encourage them to participate in AT while they were in elementary school, leave them adrift in grades 6, 7, and 8, and then expect them to participate in an Honors program when they entered grade 9 in high school.
His sentiment was echoed by Heidi Keyes who said that her two children participated in the AT program (one at middle school and one at elementary school). "We have to raise the bar, and I get concerned if at the central level there is a decision not to lift the bar for our most gifted students." Keyes said that students would be detrimentally affected by the loss of AT and that valuable years would be lost.
Board member Erin Halsey also weighed into the debate and pointed out that the existence of an AT program is part of Norwalk's educational profile that was trackable online. She said that BOE members should be concerned that the lack of an AT program would negatively impact a family's decision to move to Norwalk and have an effect on property values.
A lone voice of dissent was expressed by board member Jodi Bishop Pullan who suggested to school administrators that the middle school curriculum as a whole needed to be addressed and overhauled. As such, she implied that a separate AT program may not be necessary if the Middle School curriculum were rigorous.
Mr. Nast reminded board members that the cutting of the AT program would eliminate four teaching positions and save the District $435,000. If AT remained, he said, that money would have to be found elsewhere.
"We can do it," said Colarossi.
BOE Reviews Cuts in Detail
The BOE met in a special session Monday night to review a department-by-department breakdown of Norwalk Public School's budget request.
"I wanted to have this meeting so that there would be some understanding on why we weren't presenting a zero increase budget," said interim Superintendent Dr. Michael Nast.
NPS had originally asked the City of Norwalk for $154.8 million but the budget approved by the BET is for only $149.7 million -- $5 million less. Interim CFO Dan Cook and Assistant Superintendent Tony Dadonna took the lead in explaining to the board during a 3 and a half hour meeting where they thought $3.5 million in cuts to staff and services could be made. However even with the cutbacks, NPS would be $1.5 million short of the City's number.
A summary of the cuts (posted below) shows that the biggest cut, $878,323, is in the Instruction department. A spreadsheet distributed at the meeting which details the cuts shows the Instructional department's budget declining by nearly 20%. The bulk of the cost savings will occur because there will be additional teacher retirements beyond the number anticipated when the budget was first prepared. Another area of significant cutbacks in this department will be in Professional Development. Mr. Dadonna explained to the board that he is hoping that much of the reduction in PD will be made up from grants.
One area of the cuts to Instructional funding which drew criticism from BOE member Migdalia Rivas was in a $8,000 cut in instructional equipment which includes things like maps, posters and other media which supplements text books. Ms. Rivas questioned the benefit of cutting tools that directly affected classroom learning.
Additional cuts were being proposed at the Middle School level by eliminating the AT program and the four teachers teaching it (see related story) and reducing up to 5 teachers at the high school level.
Some departments are using the budget crisis to their advantage by negotiating cost reduction from vendors. For example Joanna Garcia who overseas the District's relationship with transportation companies said that she is negotiating a new contract with the bus company that takes students to school and expects to recoup $100,000. The company that takes special needs children to school has already decreased their fees by $40,000.
Despite the cuts, Superintendent Nast explained that a shortfall remained. He distributed a one-sheet (posted below) which laid out two scenarios. In one, a number of unions representing school workers would make concessions totaling $1.4 million. Mr. Nast told the board that it was his understanding that if such concessions were made that the City of Norwalk would add money back to the schools' budget.
If these concessions were not made, then Mr. Nast listed an additional $1.6 million in cuts to staff and services including teacher's aides, literacy and numeracy specialists, and music teachers.
Budget Scenarios May 3
Related Stories:
"I wanted to have this meeting so that there would be some understanding on why we weren't presenting a zero increase budget," said interim Superintendent Dr. Michael Nast.
NPS had originally asked the City of Norwalk for $154.8 million but the budget approved by the BET is for only $149.7 million -- $5 million less. Interim CFO Dan Cook and Assistant Superintendent Tony Dadonna took the lead in explaining to the board during a 3 and a half hour meeting where they thought $3.5 million in cuts to staff and services could be made. However even with the cutbacks, NPS would be $1.5 million short of the City's number.
A summary of the cuts (posted below) shows that the biggest cut, $878,323, is in the Instruction department. A spreadsheet distributed at the meeting which details the cuts shows the Instructional department's budget declining by nearly 20%. The bulk of the cost savings will occur because there will be additional teacher retirements beyond the number anticipated when the budget was first prepared. Another area of significant cutbacks in this department will be in Professional Development. Mr. Dadonna explained to the board that he is hoping that much of the reduction in PD will be made up from grants.
One area of the cuts to Instructional funding which drew criticism from BOE member Migdalia Rivas was in a $8,000 cut in instructional equipment which includes things like maps, posters and other media which supplements text books. Ms. Rivas questioned the benefit of cutting tools that directly affected classroom learning.
Additional cuts were being proposed at the Middle School level by eliminating the AT program and the four teachers teaching it (see related story) and reducing up to 5 teachers at the high school level.
Some departments are using the budget crisis to their advantage by negotiating cost reduction from vendors. For example Joanna Garcia who overseas the District's relationship with transportation companies said that she is negotiating a new contract with the bus company that takes students to school and expects to recoup $100,000. The company that takes special needs children to school has already decreased their fees by $40,000.
Despite the cuts, Superintendent Nast explained that a shortfall remained. He distributed a one-sheet (posted below) which laid out two scenarios. In one, a number of unions representing school workers would make concessions totaling $1.4 million. Mr. Nast told the board that it was his understanding that if such concessions were made that the City of Norwalk would add money back to the schools' budget.
If these concessions were not made, then Mr. Nast listed an additional $1.6 million in cuts to staff and services including teacher's aides, literacy and numeracy specialists, and music teachers.
Budget Scenarios May 3
Related Stories:
AT Program Faces Possible Cut
A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com.
Joan Glass says that cutting the middle school Academically Talented program is "one of the worst ideas" she's ever heard. The Instructional Specialist for Norwalk's K-12 Academically Talented program is holding an emergency meeting this Wednesday, May 5 at 8 p.m. at City Hall, to discuss the potential cut. In a letter to AT parents, Glass wrote: "I urge you to take action with me against the recent recommendation that Norwalk’s middle school Academically Talented program be eliminated. In these inordinately difficult economic times, it is essential that we work together to preserve the services that benefit Norwalk’s high-ability learners."
As part of the budget process, middle school principals were directed by interim Superintendent Michael Nast to cut $85,000 at each of their respective schools. The Norwalk Board of Education has been directed by the City to cut $5 million from its proposed budget. At the last board meeting, Superintendent Nast said that the middle school principals had decided collectively to cut the AT program. Currently, AT is a program for gifted students in grades 3-8. In middle school, AT students (who are selected by their teachers and test scores) meet every day. They gather in a timeslot that takes the place of one of two Language Arts classes that are scheduled daily for the rest of the students. The eliminiation of the program will affect approximately 500 middle school students throughout Norwalk. So far, elementary AT is not being affected.
Glass says there is currently no district-wide strategy to address the needs of high achieving learners. "There is such a strong focus on NCLB [No Child Left Behind] that the needs of these high performing kids are not being met." Glass says there is national research showing that the emphasis on No Child Left Behind has created a "trickle down" effect. Glass also cites a body of research that says that gifted kids need a special type of curriculum in order to remain challenged.
"This is a strong academic program that puts 25 kids who are at similar levels together in a class," says Glass. "These kids are in a self-contained environment. This is a very powerful thing and one of the most effective ways to challenge these kids." Glass says that if students are not "pulled out" then teachers need to be trained on how to differentiate instruction. This is time consuming and costly. "We'll need teacher training and evaluations to make sure that differentiated instruction is being implemented across the board."
Bob McCain, principal at Nathan Hale Middle School, calls cutting the AT program a difficult decision. But, he also says in these difficult times, he and his colleagues were required to make a significant cut. "The middle school principals chose something that would disrupt the schools the least and could also be consistent throughout the district."
McCain also says that CMT data at Nathan Hale shows that reading and writing scores are falling for AT students. "The kids who were 'advanced' are dropping down a level at an alarming rate." While not a conclusive indicator, McCain says one of the reasons for this drop may be that AT students receive about half the language arts instruction compared to other students, since they are pulled out of their second language arts class. McCain says that he plans to differentiate instruction at Nathan Hale if AT is cut. "AT students will travel together to their second Language Arts class and receive appropriate instruction."
For Glass, the drop in reading and writing test scores is happening on the elementary level, as well as in middle school. "I would says it's more an effect of our current focus on moving kids from "proficient" to "goal" and not paying enough attention to gifted and talented kids."
Norwalk is one of only a few Connecticut districts that has a daily program for gifted students. In fact, Glass says other districts, like Fairfield, are contacting her to find out more about Norwalk's program. On the same point, McCain counters, "No one else is doing AT every day. We cannot afford a model like this anymore."
Glass believes Norwalk's strength is its diversity, "We have so many cultures, backgrounds and learning abilities. Gifted students are also part of Norwalk's diversity."
Joan Glass says that cutting the middle school Academically Talented program is "one of the worst ideas" she's ever heard. The Instructional Specialist for Norwalk's K-12 Academically Talented program is holding an emergency meeting this Wednesday, May 5 at 8 p.m. at City Hall, to discuss the potential cut. In a letter to AT parents, Glass wrote: "I urge you to take action with me against the recent recommendation that Norwalk’s middle school Academically Talented program be eliminated. In these inordinately difficult economic times, it is essential that we work together to preserve the services that benefit Norwalk’s high-ability learners."
As part of the budget process, middle school principals were directed by interim Superintendent Michael Nast to cut $85,000 at each of their respective schools. The Norwalk Board of Education has been directed by the City to cut $5 million from its proposed budget. At the last board meeting, Superintendent Nast said that the middle school principals had decided collectively to cut the AT program. Currently, AT is a program for gifted students in grades 3-8. In middle school, AT students (who are selected by their teachers and test scores) meet every day. They gather in a timeslot that takes the place of one of two Language Arts classes that are scheduled daily for the rest of the students. The eliminiation of the program will affect approximately 500 middle school students throughout Norwalk. So far, elementary AT is not being affected.
Glass says there is currently no district-wide strategy to address the needs of high achieving learners. "There is such a strong focus on NCLB [No Child Left Behind] that the needs of these high performing kids are not being met." Glass says there is national research showing that the emphasis on No Child Left Behind has created a "trickle down" effect. Glass also cites a body of research that says that gifted kids need a special type of curriculum in order to remain challenged.
"This is a strong academic program that puts 25 kids who are at similar levels together in a class," says Glass. "These kids are in a self-contained environment. This is a very powerful thing and one of the most effective ways to challenge these kids." Glass says that if students are not "pulled out" then teachers need to be trained on how to differentiate instruction. This is time consuming and costly. "We'll need teacher training and evaluations to make sure that differentiated instruction is being implemented across the board."
Bob McCain, principal at Nathan Hale Middle School, calls cutting the AT program a difficult decision. But, he also says in these difficult times, he and his colleagues were required to make a significant cut. "The middle school principals chose something that would disrupt the schools the least and could also be consistent throughout the district."
McCain also says that CMT data at Nathan Hale shows that reading and writing scores are falling for AT students. "The kids who were 'advanced' are dropping down a level at an alarming rate." While not a conclusive indicator, McCain says one of the reasons for this drop may be that AT students receive about half the language arts instruction compared to other students, since they are pulled out of their second language arts class. McCain says that he plans to differentiate instruction at Nathan Hale if AT is cut. "AT students will travel together to their second Language Arts class and receive appropriate instruction."
For Glass, the drop in reading and writing test scores is happening on the elementary level, as well as in middle school. "I would says it's more an effect of our current focus on moving kids from "proficient" to "goal" and not paying enough attention to gifted and talented kids."
Norwalk is one of only a few Connecticut districts that has a daily program for gifted students. In fact, Glass says other districts, like Fairfield, are contacting her to find out more about Norwalk's program. On the same point, McCain counters, "No one else is doing AT every day. We cannot afford a model like this anymore."
Glass believes Norwalk's strength is its diversity, "We have so many cultures, backgrounds and learning abilities. Gifted students are also part of Norwalk's diversity."
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