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
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Mr. Ditrio was the math supervisor!!! One would think he would not make a mistake like this. It's certainly his second mistake. The first was the no confidence vote from the union that really did not represent his members. When will people learn??? Steve, are you sure you want Mr. Ditrio's help in the future?
ReplyDeleteMath and accounting are two different things. Ditrio never claimed that he was an auditor. Math has little to do with creating a budget.
ReplyDelete11:39, who are you kidding? An accountant has to be good at math. Budgets are math, adding and subtracting...not high level math! Ditrio double counted $1.1+ million. Anyone who majored in math should be able to check his work and find an error like that quite easily. He was presenting this budget to the BOE! That's too unbelievable, for a math major, to be true.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor should demand a forensic audit of the BOE. Mr.Ditrio and his team worked very hard on this and we all know the shredders were runnig hard on Wednesday. The money is there and they know it,and hiding it is getting harder and harder to do.
ReplyDeleteAnd you people trust Dan Cook? That's kind of funny...
ReplyDeleteSteve Colorassi, please tell me how a principal of a school is allowed to work on budgets, e-mail his membership and do other union work during school hours (not only during his lunch time)? Are you condoning this behavior? Who is running the school?
ReplyDeleteYes it's would be interesting to have the school's budget audited by a neutral third party. That way we could figure out exactly what is going on.
ReplyDeleteHow does anyone know when Mr. Ditrio did this work?
ReplyDelete5:21, ask when the membership received their e-mails for a start.
ReplyDeleteWould someone please get Mr. Ditrio an editor who knows how to fix grammatical errors! Not only does he make mathematical errors, but his word usage is incorrect!
ReplyDeleteHe's a math teacher. Not an English teacher. Then again you wonder why Norwalk students can't perform well on the CMTs when even their teachers can't express themselves properly. It's an embaressment.
ReplyDeleteNorwalk needs something like the Congressional Budget office that provides an independent non-partisan assessment of financial matters. I really don't know who is telling the truth here.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon 12:34 p.m. - Regarding your comment about the Mayor demanding a forensic accounting...I don't think the State law allows the Mayor or any city employee to demand a forensic accounting from NPS. If one was done at all, it would have to be done with the cooperation of the District. However, between the Joint BET/BOE study group and the intense BOE Financial Committee work that has been happening lately, a forensic accounting could very well be pointless. Questions are being asked about issues and practices that have not been asked in a very, very long time - and answers are being given.
ReplyDeleteWere there problems in the past? Yes.
Are they being examined and discussed? Yes. Are corrective measures being put into place? Yes.
What else would the detailed accounting tell you that isn't already being put on the table? Because if there is something, you need to post it so the BOE Finance Committee members can become aware of it and ask the appropriate questions.
I can't believe what I am reading....Norwalk is going downhill and fast!!
ReplyDeleteThe question is what is the union really up to?? I don't think this was a mistake.
ReplyDelete5:46, IMHO, the union, meaning Ditrio, is up to gaining even more power. It seems that Ditrio is extremely power hungry. If Steve and the others want to give it to him, good luck to Norwalk.
ReplyDeleteI am terribly perplexed by this rampant concern that somehow listening to the proposals offered by a member of the public (whether a parent, principal or other stakeholder) is tantamount to giving that person "control" over decisions.
ReplyDeletePeople with narrow-minded political agendas, who perhaps don't have a clear understanding of the scope of the financial problems confronting us as a city, and specifically as a school department, can gleefully be myopic in their outlook.
However, our children, our families and our taxpayers deserve to know that the people who will be approving a final school department budget have examined every possible source of savings, every conceivable means of improving efficiency and every suggestion offered by those within and without the system.
Certainly, being open-minded means not deferring to old budget assumptions and to projections based merely upon the "way it's always been done", but rather discerning if there isn't a better way to fund a school system while respecting the experience and integrity of the dedicated professionals involved in the process. I wasn’t elected to simply impose my will upon the budget process, but rather to give voice to the thousands of taxpayers who wanted a change in the way the school budget was formulated, evaluated, modified and approved. And, the best way to achieve these much-needed changes is to listen to all who bring ideas and concerns to the table.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteIf you see it that way, fine. There's much more to it than that, however. I agree that there should be input in the budget process, but the way that Ditrio operates is quite different from most input that has been given. A standing ovation for his input? Can't you see beyond this? Ditrio is looking for that top position in finance, I would guess. Are you going to allow that too? Are you a parent being naive or a politician at work now????????
This whole thing is just plain stupid. Instead of working with each other management (cook) and the unions (ditrio) are taking pot shots at each other. Isn't there a better way?
ReplyDeleteI try not to get too peeved, but, darn it if 10:53 and scattershot DaVinci Code-like conspiracy theories doesn't just tork me right off.
ReplyDelete10:53-- Just so we can all get this straight, you critique the BOE member who treats everyone who comes before his budget committee with respect, responds to our questions on this blog and answers his emails as being a "politician"?
By what stretch of your furtive imagination do you think Colarossi gave Ditrio a standing ovation? Or was it just a secret sign?
Why do you think there is some secret plan to depose Dr. Cook (who I know Colarossi gets along very well with) to impose Ditrio?
What's next 10:53, is there some hidden message in the murals in City Hall that conveys the location of the secret millions hidden by Ditrio?
So now what---cut everything out for our kids? Why can't we just get more money put into education?????
ReplyDelete3:09, I didn't say Colarossi gave Ditrio a standing ovation. I stand by my post. This is about power. Don't dismiss what was said. Give it time to play out. If I'm wrong, I'll say it.
ReplyDeleteAnd Marks is signing on at $230,000?
ReplyDeleteWe are spending a million a year for
how many positions in the south wing?
3- 4? Sure getting our moneys worth, aren't we?
And we are giving raises to these people?
Nast is correct, Marks cant handle this, the state needs to step in here. While supposed educated adults bicker about money we are losing kids, forever. Are we that greedy? That selfish? That short sighted? That out of touch?
A earlier poster quetioned whether we are perhaps looking at this just one way. Reducing when we should be increasing. Slash teachers, classes but we have money to tear down the old P.D. and hire yet more consultants on the fire station and for the city to install lighting on the beach. What is wrong with this picture? And we saved what 7 9 million on refinacing bonds? Yes, perhaps we are looking at the crystal ball from the wrong angle. Who the heck is worth a quarter million a year in our city government?
Lets try and put this into perspective.
Families of (four) living below the poverty line in Norwalk without regular employment live on less than 9,000 a year. One salary in central could feed and house 250 families for a year.
Chew on that bacon bit see if it doesn't leave a bitter after taste.
Again Steve--why are we not looking at slashing more admin positions downtown instead we hire more. Very disappointed in the BOE--forget the parents not policitians slogan--you acted like politians not parents. You don't seem to have the kids best interest at heart.
ReplyDelete3:29- what's up with the attack?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't look like you want Steve to answer any specifics-- or else maybe you'd have given a few.
I don't follow all the school board votes that close, but I don't think he's voted to increase central office positions, do you? Can you tell us what they were?
Enough of the personal attacks! Mr. Ditrio has been involved with the schools for many years, long before many of those in Central Office arrived. He appears to be very dedicated to the students and teachers.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent who attended the budget meeting and heard him speak I feel he presented some good solutions. Let him participate in the process without so much negativity.
3:12, negativity? Have you read today's Norwalk Hour? It appears that there is paranoia running rampant in Norwalk!
ReplyDelete