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
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
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It is time to wrestle away the power of the teachers union. Their lack of support in a manipulative effort to halt educational reform has not only affected DOE budgets state wide but has kept CT out of the running for Race to the Top funds. Educational reform WILL happen. Lets push for it now to at least pull in some federal funding rather than hold on to its last gasping breath and have to implement the reform without any federal support.
ReplyDeleteThe unions are trying to dictate what will happen. How arrogant of the two leaders to agree only if the BOE complies with their demands. Don't let the unions have their way.
ReplyDeleteBreaking Update;
ReplyDeleteAfter over 3 hours of discussion, yesterday in Hartford, the education reform legislation was kicked back from the senate to the house yesterday. An amendment was resubmitted by Gaffey after the house passed it nearly unanimously, so to dot the i's and cross the t's it was sent back to the house. The house just passed it resoundingly again at 7 pm May 5th 2010 and its on its way back to the senate for final passage this evening.
Looking good people.
You are making a difference.
Stay tuned, same channel.
Let me get this straight. Every union has conceded -- like lots of us -- in this economy facing inevitable reform -- BUT the teachers union holds strong -- what gives -- if they are good, effective and doing their job, they should have no problem supporting this endeavor. Makes you wonder who is running the show for the teachers. Most that I have spoken with do NOT support the union's position.
ReplyDelete>>>>BREAKING NEWS<<<<
ReplyDeleteWE DID IT !!!!
Congratulations everyone ! !
We have just made history.....
IT PASSED 31-4
So I am cofused--if consessions are made then all the cuts are not beign cut??? Are the consessions likely to occur??
ReplyDeleteI do not see cuts in central office administrators. Can someone tell me why not and if I missed it, who will be cut?? Before you cut programs from children we as a district need to look at central office admin. Let's wake up.
ReplyDeleteCan I ask parents from around town to openly talk about their schools strings schedule? Since it is on the chopping block for grade 3—can we all share what their school’s schedule looks like.
ReplyDeleteI honestly think if scheduling gets looked at WE CAN save the program for the elementary schools. It is a shame that so many kids would not be offered an opportunity to start an instrument. Let’s look at scheduling and class size. (Maybe the teacher can combine more kids after the have a basic down – by 5th grade. (A classroom teacher is asked to teach 25 kids to read why can’t we ask strings teachers to increase their loads in a class—instead of 6, make it 10) Also, many students drop out by then so I think that if we look carefully at scheduling it can be saved, but I wonder if anyone is looking at that! Please comment and tell us about your school. I don't have my school's exact schedule but I will get it and look at it carefully then report back. I suggest we all do that!
Although I empathize with your position, 4:46, I would rather have full literacy staff and have my kids play strings a year later in 4th grade. Just my opinion.
ReplyDelete11:14, I think you need to find out what exactly the literacy coaches really do or don't do. The program for strings is more worthwhile at an early age.
ReplyDeleteWe can agree to disagree. Both are valuable.
ReplyDeleteLiteracy coaches don't imact kids....they help the pricipals and AP's. They hardly ever work with a child one on one.
ReplyDeleteThose math coaches...never see them working in the classroom--they are a no brainer to eliminate.
The literacy coach at Brookside is excellent. She works directly with the teachers and students. She also runs our after school reading program, and hosts many evening workshops for students and parents. If her position were cut it would be a huge loss to the school.
ReplyDeleteBut can't the AP or pricipal run the afterschool program and evening workshops? Do we need to spend so much money on "jobs" that could be part of someone else's job description?
ReplyDeleteIs that one custodian for $196,000.00?
ReplyDeleteMy child goes to Brookside and has never had the literacy coach work with her directly and she has a reading plan/student plan. She did do some lessons to the whole class last year--we have only interacted with her at the workshops and for the after school program. Honestly, has she made an impact on her educationand reading improvement? Not directly. She is a super nice person and I do like her and feel I can easily go to her to ask any questions. As a parent with a child is behind in reading I can say that there has been no impact by the literacy teacher.
ReplyDeleteI'll add in that Brookside can definitely do without 3rd grade strings because we basically did since they took our awesome strings teacher away and have us sharing with the high school a brand new teacher. He waited until November to first meet with our 3rd graders and they didn't even start until December. My older daughter also had an awful 3rd grade strings teacher, learned little (they plucked their spring concert, never even touched a bow) and then when a new good teacher came in in 4th grade he made huge progress with them in just one year. I'd rather see them cut 3rd grade strings and give us stronger strings teachers who really make an impact on them in 4th and 5th grade.
ReplyDeleteI do also think our Literacy Specialist is very good, she runs our workshops and I've seen her working one on one with students.
Seriously though I'd hate to see us lose anything, we already need to have more aides not less!
8:23 -- I have to say that sounds like you got a bad deal! My child (a third grader) has been playing the viola since October and wow--it sounds pretty good right now! They only meet for one block once a week and I am so impreesed. Don't elimintae a program because of examples of poor teachers. Sounds like that teacher needs to be supervised. Did yoiu ever talk to the principal? Honestly strings has been a very positive thing for my child.....not only the learning piece but the increase of self esteem!
ReplyDeleteI agree we have a horrible strings year at Brookside and one has said anything or done anything about it as we all hoped it would just get better and gave the teacher the benefit of the doubt. Too bad because last year my child loved strings and had a great year. Now in 4th grade there is no energy towards strings at all and no learning has occured.
ReplyDeleteBut all in all....would I elminate the 3rd grade program....no!! Last year was amazing! Just get a teacher in like we had last year.
The literacy coaches in a few of the schools are really good. Some of the others are horrible. The AP could easily take over the workshops and the other duties that the literacy coach does if the principal picks up some of the responsibilities that have been shifted to the AP and should really be principal responsibilities. Literacy coaches taking one on one students is not very cost effective. The Reading Recovery teachers were eliminated because of that! We can't afford one on one. Not only that, but test scores show that the extra help in reading doesn't sustain itself through the upper grades.
ReplyDeleteThe answer shouldn't be based upon the quality (or lack thereof) of any school's literacy or numeracy coach. Rather, it should be based upon what a literacy or numeracy coach ought to be doing. Armed with that information, people should demand that the people responsible for evaluating the coaches hold them accountable. I know it is a long road to firing a tenured teacher, but most people will respond to pressure because it is easier to do the job than it is to have an administrator monitoring closely. If administrators do their jobs well, poor teachers can be made better -- or they can be fired. Contrary to what people think, a tenured teacher can be fired for poor performance when the administrator does everything he/she is supposed to do. Too often, the administrator doesn't do it.
ReplyDeleteTo say that Norwalk schools don't need coaches because some principals have used them for the wrong purposes or because the coaches don't do their jobs is doing a disservice to students who can benefit from good coaches.
I agree--so let's start to make everyone acountable. I believe that if we look at the strings program as well we can save it for grade three....it's a matter of being more effient! Great thigs are happening by great strings teachers in Norwalk. Don't let a rotten apple spoil the program.
ReplyDeleteI agree--it's time we ask Mayor Mocchia to add more moeny to the school budget. I keep hearing about more being saved for the city--give those savings to the kids of Norwalk. Save the strings program.
ReplyDeleteAt Marvin, third grade meets 2 times every six day cycle. Once for third grade orchestra (all of the third grade) and once for indivdula instruments. My daughter plays the violin so she meets with all the violin students from her class one dya nd the other day is for all the thrid grade instruments players. She has learned so much and loves it! I would be so disappointed to see the program be cut as I have a younger child who I think should have the same opportunity.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Ms. Defranco is super. Maybe they can combine some kids from the other classes so the teacher ha afew more kidsin her class and this might help?? In all honesty, I don't see how saving one teacher will help the huge money gap that exists. I would rather see strings for grade 3 stay then artistically talented.
Three items of importance to discuss:
ReplyDelete1. BIG NEWS! It seems that the union budget that was proposed at the meeting got a standing ovation was short 1.1 million dollars. Someone in the union double counted the 1.1 million. (Watch out for the math that comes from these unions.) Wasn't it the administrator's union who wrote that no confidence letter not so long ago... and then a large percentage of the members signed a letter saying he did not speak for them? Well, here we go again.
2. What's the word on Susan Mark's contract? Why is it the best kept secret in the universe? Does anyone know what is going on?
3. The union suggestion was to combine the grants' position with the director of elem. ed. position. It's still not reasonable. The grants' position comes from the grant. Eliminate the director of elem. ed., let the woman who got the job go back to grants and save the money from the local budget by eliminating the locally funded director of elem. ed. She is not needed just to evaluate 12 people.
Moina,
ReplyDeleteCould you look into the 1.1 million mistake for us?
Is that all she does....evaluate 12 people? Can someone clarify that too......
ReplyDeleteAs I had reviewed the budget proposal put forward by Tony Ditrio who is the president of the administrators union ("NASA"), it appeared that his group was suggesting some interesting places to make cuts and offering to consider some significant cost savings (such as postponing contractual raises and switching health carriers).
ReplyDeleteSo items that they had included in their cuts had already been proposed for cutting by Supt. Nast.
Unfortunately, there has been a moment of "gotcha" politics being played that has taken time away from the very serious issues that confront us. For my thinking, if you want to talk about hundreds of thousands of dollars of givebacks, I'll cut you some slack on your budget slip-ups.
Even without the NASA double-counting, we were still over $500,000 over-budget (assuming that we wanted to save middle school academically talented). Of course, without the NASA concessions, getting to that number is even more difficult.
There will be a Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night when we will review the cut areas proposed by NASA and whether those cuts will be detrimental to our children’s educations.
Steve--I guess I have to ask....Why won't the city give more money to education?? Especially when there has been so much in the paper the past few weeks about areas where the city has been saving money or earning more than they anticipated. Please clarify. Should we start some petition to the mayor? Or who makes that decision??
ReplyDeleteSteve, why are you cutting Ditrio some slack. Are you really working with the unions that closely? Giving Ditrio such enormous power is very dangerous. As I have read in these comments, it's his way or no way...
ReplyDelete