A version of this story appears in TheDailyNorwalk.com
Classes may be out, but school board elections went into high gear Thursday night. Republicans nominated both familiar and lesser known candidates for Board of Education at their nominating convention at the Norwalk Inn.
Current Board of Education Chairman Jack Chiaramonte, District D (Cranbury,Silvermine, West Rocks), will run for a second term. Michael Lyons will run representing District C (East Norwalk), taking the seat of Board of Education member Glenn Iannacone who is stepping down this fall. Robert Mecurio was nominated by District A (Central Norwalk) and Geoff Kieburtz will run representing District E (West Norwalk and Rowayton). District B (South Norwalk) did not field any candidates for the school board.
Lyons has been a member of the Board of Estimation and Taxation for the past six years. Before that, he sat on the city's Common Council for four years and the Zoning Commission.
As a Board of Education member, Lyons said he will focus on the fiscal reform and disciple. "I'm hoping to revamp the financial system. We need more financial controls, especially in these lean economic times." In addition, he hopes to improve methods of teaching and curriculum. In the 1990s, Lyons said that he chaired a Marvin Elementary School council- a group of parents, teachers and administrators-- that used a Stanford University based model for accelerated school reform. "With parent and teacher involvement we brainstormed new methods for teaching and wired the school for the Internet," said Lyons noting that test scores improved dramatically because of the program.
As a BET member, Lyons considers himself a "consensus builder" who has considerable experience working with the city's department heads. His initial impression of Superintendent is positive. "She is a breath of fresh air. I can work with her."
Lyons, a corporate attorney for Covidien, is a native Norwalker who went through the Norwalk Public Schools. He has three children who also attended Norwalk Public Schools--James, 22, graduated from George Washington University in 2010 and is training to become a Navy fighter pilot. Claire, 19, is studying to become a veterinarian at Johns Hopkins University. Krystina, 15, is a sophomore at Norwalk High school.
Neither Chiaramonte nor Mecurio, a supervisor for the Water Dept. and Republican stalwart, were present at the nominating convention.
Keiburtz was present at the meeting, but left early. According to his profile onLinkedIn, Keiburtz is Director of Energy Research at Weeden & Co., a brokerage firm. Kieburtz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in management from the Yale School of Management. In April, he wrote an article about education on the local blog yourct.com. He writes, "Reform is urgently needed in the way we educate our children, and everyone has a stake in better education."
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What bothers me about Lyons is that he sees the superintendent as 'a breath of fresh air.' I don't get it. During budget cuts she wanted to cut from classrooms, and she was pushing hard for those cuts instead of the ones made. If that's a 'breath of fresh air' and 'someone I can work with' I think we are in trouble. I will keep an open mind only because he said that this was his initial impression.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness Mr. Lyons sees Dr. Marks as a breath of fresh air. It was wonderful to read his statements. It was also nice to see him speak so clearly in that regard.
ReplyDelete11:40, please clarify. You thought the cuts in the classroom, cuts that directly affect children, were justified? I'm not sure I understand why.
ReplyDeleteMy reading of 11:40 comments was relief to see a board candidate ready to roll up his sleeves and work with the new super. The budget is over, move on.
ReplyDeleteI agree; it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I am sure that Dr. Marks didn't want to cut in the classroom, but there is a limited amount of money.
ReplyDeleteShe was sold a real bill of goods when she came to work here. If she was told that she could implement change and move the district (and most importantly, our students) forward, she was misled.
The guys in the old boys' network want to consolidate power and run NPS. It certainly looks like they will have their way.
Anyone who thinks that there is a lot of fat at central office is delusional. We needed someone to oversee 12 elementary schools. Unfortunately, there are a few people (three, and they are very powerful and vindictive) with a mean spirited and personal agenda who have shot down this position, and seem to be hell bent on destroying someone's career.
As for the posters here, 7:36 and 12:08, be glad that it isn't your livelihood in their gun sights. On second thought, maybe you are one of them or their crew.
@1:09, looks like someone at central office is crying over a lost job. That's not what this topic is about. So far you have turned every topic on this blog to a topic about you, and have clearly shown YOUR vindictive nature. Get over it.
ReplyDeleteI am keeping an open mind about Mr. Lyons. I hope he works very successfully with this superintendent. He certainly has an impressive background. I like his comment about being a consensus builder. He is intelligent and has real possibilities.
I agree with what you say about Mr. Lyons, Anonymous 1:09. It would behoove most to keep an open mind re: his candidacy. Anyone who knows Mike personally or who has worked with him on various boards or agencies knows what he has to offer. In addition, his wife, Liz, served Norwalk's BOE well before she decided to direct her efforts elsewhere. We are fortunate to have Mr. Lyons enter the race this election. Best of luck in District C!
ReplyDeleteVery impressed with the quality of the candidates, good to see. Mr. Lyon has been involved in schools for as long as I can remember, he's smart and hardworking and Mr. Keiburtz's article in www.yourct.com about education was excellent.
ReplyDeleteI respect the idea that people want to move beyond a budget which is settled and done. But in the frontlines, it will be a herculean task to "get over it" in our daily work with such limited resources. Literacy has been decimated this year. The BOE voted to cut the 1.5 coaches who were assigned to Central Office in service to the schools and the district. But it goes deeper than that. Internally (outside of the public budget process), the principals were given the option to make additional cuts to the literacy coaches. The end result is that we are poised to open school this year with only 6 lit specialists to serve all 12 of our elementary schools.
ReplyDeleteOver the past 3 years, the successive cuts to literacy have resulted in a loss of 66% our staff of lit coaches. That equates to a loss of 12 positions from our team of 18 lit coaches in such a short time period. In the past we've been able to make gains in spite of these cuts, but this year is going to be bare bones and our greatest challenge yet.
sounds like we need more of mr. lyons.
ReplyDeletetime to step up step in and step forward.
go mr. lyons. when you begin to ask questions and realize that the district is run by individuals who do not put children first. what they do is worry about themselves.
this supt. is trying, but with a board who does not see the value in her experience, vision, and have rendered her powerless to to what she needs to...clean house of poison, backbiting, and some that should not be in education.
I'm disappointed in at least one board member who I thought would be a welcome addition, but who now seems to be more concerned with micromanagement. I can't prove it, but my best guess is that NASA, the NFT and at least one central office administrator are doing their best to influence this board member's thinking because the superintendent's downfall would solidify the power bases of these individuals.
ReplyDeleteLook at the history over the past 15 years:
Dr. Sloan was a very well respected member of the community, but he was eventually undermined by a board of education that lacked the courage to support him when he had to make a difficult decision about tranferring five elementary principals.
Victor Herbert and the board of education were involved in an embarrassingly public battle, much of it in the newspaper, for most of Herbert's brief tenure. There was grievous damage caused by this administration, including a couple of lawsuits that cost the district yet more money.
Salvatore Corda - Possibly because the board was embarrassed by the experience with Victor Herbert, and possibly because the board was afraid it wouldn't be able to find another superintendent, it gave Corda free reign for a very long time, despite plummeting staff morale and a number of embarrassments because of the arrogance of the man. Eventually, the board pulled the rug from beneath Corda,leading to yet a couple of more interim superintendents.
What will be the story about Susan Marks? Will it be yet another board that undermined a superintendent, or will it be a board that catches itself before it makes a serious mistake? Here is a superintendent who is intelligent, who isn't crazy and who isn't arrogant, but she needs support. It's almost impossible to fight against the many issues an urban district faces when the superintendent also has to watch her back because of board of education members and staff who are salivating over the prospects of her failure.
Norwalk is moving in a very bad direction, but it isn't too late to change it. This board needs to get its act together.
agreed 9:58. Pay close attention to the Board elections.
ReplyDelete@9:58, This superintendent isn't arrogant, but not very smart about wanting to budget for all the help necessary in the classrooms. She is also not aware of who deserves befriending in central office. Her willingness to save one particular position and to throw away classroom help to save that position was not a wise move. She may show herself to be wonderful to the public, but a huge percentage of her staff does not have confidence in her decision making. Most staff with whom I have spoken feel that she is worse than Corda and Herbert put together. I have to ask myself what piece of the puzzle is missing here? It is very confusing to hear parents state one thing (on this blog) and the staff say something so completely different...unless the parents are her loyal groupie apples.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the republicans in this article throw their support behind the superintendent and my hope is that the democrats do that too. Whoever wins we need to unite and move forward as enough with the unsubstantiated rumors.
ReplyDeleteYou wish they were unsubstantiated rumors. Yes, the apples are united. They are happy to have the power provided by the current superintendent. It has gone to their heads and they are making it seem that they are qualified to make decisions. Unfortunately the school system is their playground but they have no background in education. Would you trust your child's future to apples?
ReplyDeleteOne rotten apple spoils the bunch. I can name one who poses a threat to the bunch. The apples need to learn to temper their bravado. They do not speak for all of us parents though they seem to believe that they do. I hope Dr. Marks is savvy enough to see that the loudest do not necessarily speak for the majority. Dr. Marks needs to do her homework better to get her finger on the pulse of the all members of the parent community.
ReplyDeleteIf Michael Lyons' constant political rants in The Hour editorial page are any indication of his leadership qualities then I am certainly not impressed. His blame laced letters exude anger, partisan proselytizing and righteousness all in an argumentative manner. We have enough conflict on the BOE already so let's not add fuel to this fire with his presence.
ReplyDelete4:08 - So often I hear friends, relatives, and acquaintances rant about national and state politics regardless of their own political persuasion. Michael Lyons has his conservative viewpoints and he is entitled to them. Makes for a good BET member, actually, when holding the reign on our city's purse strings. When it comes to local issues, I think we all want the same thing, especially for our children. I know I can trust Michael Lyons to do the best thing possible for Norwalk's kids. As a parent who could have chosen private school, he chose public school for his own children and was actively involved in the process of making Marvin School better. I remember those days. Trust me when I say that Mr. Lyons was as humble in as much as he was a driving force on the parent steering committee. When Mike says he believes in building consensus when working with others, his employment speaks volumes about how he is capable of doing just that on the job. While we are on this topic of exchanging with others at the table, we have seen individuals on the common council this past term vote together in stark and consistent opposition to the other party. I simply cannot respect blatant opposition for the sake of stonewalling productivity so the current mayor cannot claim a positive move for Norwalk. All you have to do is watch channel 79 to see some of the worst partisan stonewalling imaginable. It is downright horrifying that people of different parties cannot work together for the betterment of their hometown. After a while, you have to wonder who is pulling their strings. On the other hand, you have two BOE members, Haynie and Colarossi, both of the same party, who agree to disagree. That shows right there that the local Republican party does not put a muzzle on its candidates. I can respect that. As much as many are commenting that the discourse between Colarossi and Haynie is not a good thing, it may prove healthier than the particular situation with those who just agree blindly with their political party, even perhaps without doing their homework. That said, I could give two hoots about one's national/state political leanings. Nor could I care about what political party a local candidate hails from. Give me a candidate who can work with others regardless of party. Give me an intelligent mind with an impressive resume who has proven him/herself in the work place and who is willing to donate his/her time and energies to making Norwalk a better place to live. Thanks, Mike! We are fortunate to have you toss your hat in the ring!
ReplyDeleteThe current team members aren't working out. Time to get a new lineup!
ReplyDeleteHow far is Norwalk from having to do what Bridgeport's board of ed did?
ReplyDeleteabout as close as you can get and if the board continues to behave in the manner it does and not support leadership and fight among one another--it is closer than you think.
ReplyDeletethe state has its pulse on this.
The State is delighted with the progress Norwalk is making. 5:07, you are way off. The CMT test results have been positive, and that's what the state looks at. The fact that Steve has the intelligence to look at what is right for Norwalk is a good thing. Let's all try to remember that he thinks for himself and makes his own decisions based on what he sees. That's what we want on the BOE.
ReplyDeletecorrection 10:38 Mr. Colarossi is an Independent, not a Republican.
ReplyDeleteNo board member in any district has enough information to make decisions without input from people involved in the operations of the school system. It is the source(s) of this information that concern me because there are some self-serving individuals who would promote their own agendas, while wearing masks that make them look like caring employees.
ReplyDelete6;37 what we don't need on the board of education is someone who cares more about what the unions want than the kids, the unions are fine on their own.
ReplyDeleteOf course we want board members who put the students first. BUT we also want board members to the superintendent for who she is. She clearly put her pet administrator first, not students. She went to all lengths to see that her favorite administrator could keep her job. Thankfully the board did not back her. Thankfully the board knew there were much better places to spend that money IN THE CLASSROOM. Keep up the good work, BOE.
ReplyDelete10:28 - Your posting (and you have probably written several other postings) suggest who informs your decisions. Your comments have the same whiny tone that a certain administrator uses when complaining about people -- as this person so often does.
ReplyDeleteI have no particular allegiance to the person you refer to as the "pet administrator," but I know that there are other considerations behind the superintendent's efforts to save the position in question. I very much doubt that that superintendent and the person you refer to as "the pet" share any friendship.
Is that why the superintendent and the 'pet' have been seen sharing meals together outside of the office? No special friendship? You see, you don't know the truth!
ReplyDeleteWhiny tone? You are really reaching now!
The two of your go to your rooms. Moina, can you close this post?
ReplyDeleteCan't take the truth?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know the identity of self-appointed arbitor who continues to ask Moina to "close the post" everytime he or she does not like to see people ask hard questions that conflict with his/her personal views. I believe that this is the 3rd thread now that has fallen victim to this person's censorship. Frankly, it is getting old. If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen! Pretty good that this person feels free to espouse his/her views, but whines to shut down a thread when facing opposition.
ReplyDeleteI concur with the 6:43 post. There truly is a dark side to what happens within the ranks of the NPS, and it needs to be uncovered. While this blog isn't intended to be used for destructive purposes, it isn't suppose to be used solely for happy talk either.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your support, 4:44 and 6:43. I, too, believe the truth needs to be uncovered. That's why I post.
ReplyDeleteI just noticed my error in the last line of the 4:44 posting. I wrote "suppose," but I meant "supposed."
ReplyDeleteI see comments about the Director of Elementary ed position that was cut. What happened to the person in that position?
ReplyDeleteSTATES CURB DOUBLE DIPPING
ReplyDeletehttp://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/07/13/36doubledip_ep.h30.html?tkn=ZPRFLot13%2F9NlxQieIx7B8MP9%2FrkfpKn1mIw&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
This post is not intended to be teacher bashing. There are excellent teachers out there and we know who they are. This is an all-in-one to political candidates (particularly those in charge of political appointments and/or hiring for very crucial positions as there are too many immature, selfish people being appointed) to stop the double-dipping in all areas. Most retirees who were professionals during their career should be drawing from their retirement plans. Give non-retirees a shot. Grow the economy!
With all this back and forth about education, how on earth are we to implement anything with no money to fund the bright ideas?
"THE AMERICAN TEACHER" (A Film)
ReplyDeletehttp://fest11.sffs.org/films/film_details.php
Again, my post above was honestly not intended to bash. We just need to get a handle on things maturely. It would be interesting to compare and contrast the films "Race to Nowhere" and "The American Teacher" "The American Teacher" makes the claim that American teachers are grossly underpaid. This is not the case in Norwalk. Is it?
Norwalk has the highest paid teachers in Connecticut 2nd sometimes to Greenwich. Average teacher salary in Norwalk is over $80,000 a year for 10 months.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we call the above comments if not teacher bashing....complimenting teachers?
ReplyDeleteThe 'average' Norwalk teacher doesn't deserve $80,000 as a professional? What does any other professional with a bachelor's and master's degree make? Shall we compare? Teachers may only work 10 months, but most work into the evenings during those months and spend their own money for many supplies. They also might work summers in summer school for another few thousand dollars. I don't know where teachers can make more money, considering they are only available during the summer, and not even until Labor Day.
Amazing that everyone is not banging down the doors to be a Norwalk teacher given these extraordinary salaries! I wonder why so many choose other professions?
The article cited by 6:08 has to do with rehiring retirees while they are collecting pensions, and Norwalk has a number of them, especially among administrators. Some of them have been doing it for quite a few years, working just until they reach the maximum allowed by the retirement system. A couple of them even have spouses who have also returned after retiring, making them families of "double-double-dippers."
ReplyDeleteDuring the first couple of years, they can work full-time for the entire school year(s) and collect their full pensions. After that, they can work for almost half of the school year every year for as many years as they want, and some have done that. At an administrator's salary, that is a very substantial amount of money, and some of these have quite literally made hundreds (yes, I meant that to be plural) of thousands of dollars as working retirees.
I don't know how they are chosen, but some of the same individuals are chosen time after time, and surely they aren't the only retirees who are available. Does anyone know who determines who will get these cushy deals?
Our superintendent is getting that deal, I believe. She has retired from her old job and is collecting the pension there and is working at full salary in Norwalk. Isn't that right?
ReplyDeleteHmmmm.... 5:19's comment sounds like a certain 3rd floor administrator's whining....
ReplyDelete10:16, give it a rest. It's not a person who happens to be somewhere in Europe right now. Unless you are thinking of the former Director of Elementary Education?
ReplyDelete@10:16, STOP WHINING! You are becoming obnoxious and a whiner yourself!
ReplyDeleteBeen following this thread since it started and I'm shocked that we have to endure more of the central office soap opera. Enought-- we (parents and taxpayers) don't care who's sour grapes and who's vindicative. We just want candidates who will be sensible and debate the issues. We don't need anyone pledging blind loyalty to the rookie.
ReplyDeleteMike Lyons says that the BOE needs "more financial controls".
That seems to be support for what one member has been fighting for since he got elected.
I'm sick and tired that every post lately attacks Steve Colarossi.
ReplyDeleteHe fought for our kids and he won. I think he fights for kids because he's a dad.
Can anyone tell me one vote Steve took that wasn't in the best interests of our students? How come Supt. Marks' fanclub rationalizes all her cuts, but attacks Steve C. for coming up with alternatives?
Now for my next rant- why do posters think any of us care about the personality conflicts in the central office? If it's that dysfunctional, let's encourge the superintendent to do something about it-- after all, she is the boss.
Count me as another vote for Steve C.
ReplyDeleteHe's doing a fantastic job of keeping the best interest of the students up front!
Lisa: Who is attacking Steve. The poster before you seemed to agree that his is doing a good job?
ReplyDeleteHEADS UP Republicans and Democrats:
ReplyDeleteI am repeating this posting because of its importance to both parties. Please look at the August 2nd Board Packet. Under the Information packet, after the long Food Services information, is a request for a new, yes NEW, director's position. It is simply a rewrite of the grant's position, which was a 10 month administrator's job, to a DIRECTOR's position. It adds overseeing the Academically Talented dept. and a few other odds and ends, but eliminates the elementary principal evaluations. Guess who this has been written for? Pay attention! This should be a 10 month position. In the past there were supervisor's positions, not Directors' positions that had more responsibility. Someone is trying to sneak this one in!
Re: Mike Lyons, this is for those who have not been around long enough to remember his vile partisanship while continually attempting to sabotage former Mayor Collins. My best memory is when he and his father had Mayor Collins brought before the Ethics Committee on a trumped up charge. They did not hold the hearing in a large enough room for all the Dems AND Republicans who came out to support Collins and revile the Lyons. They sneaked out the back door rather than taking the heat.
ReplyDeleteI hope that whomever gets the grant position actually applies for some grants!
ReplyDeleteIt is not written up as a position for a person who applies for grants. It's a position for someone who accepts the entitlements already coming to Norwalk. The grants themselves are monitored by a bookkeeper and given to the principals. It is basically a position that does nothing. There aren't even any evaluations of principals.
ReplyDelete8:09 - If there is history, you need to provide the full account or none at all. Your synopsis is much too brief and biased to be accurate. Most of us agree that politics with its partisan antics is distasteful. Politics is rearing its ugly head right now with your comment. Besides, we are referring to the one and the same Mike Lyons who has proven himself as an active, involved parent and citizen of Norwalk? Why would the past overrule his performance on the BET where he sits right now? Is Mike Lyons that much of a threat to your own party's candidate?
ReplyDelete1. The Dems have to know that Pouraban isn't a serious candidate for the BOE-- he's just a wannabe looking for any office to fill.
ReplyDelete2. The R's can't be happy that Jack C. has a real candidate to run against him. My hunch- it will be tough for the blunt t-shirt wearing teacher bashing Marks fan to win against Burnett. Dont get me wrong- 2 nice guys, but the edge has to go to the guy who seems a lot more professional and a lot less angry.
3. In E, will anyone care that Barbis is the RedApples candidate? That group was against the capital plan for Rowayton School, so I cant see anyone south of Highland Ave voting for him. I know for me, that's enough to vote for Geoff.
9:37's posting raises a question. This may not be the thread topic and I apologize for that, but can someone please enlighten me about the Red Apples? I would like to know who their organizers are, what their purpose is, and whether or not they are increasing in active membership. I read words like "grassroots," "reform," and "organization" but it would be helpful to understand the RA's mission, and if they actually function as a valid powerbase in Norwalk. Thank you, Norwalk Netters!
ReplyDelete