Superintendent Susan Marks told the district's PTO Council that she expects a "bare bones" operating budget for the 2011-12 school year even though spending is expected to increase.
Marks told the council at a meeting Monday night that she has met with Tom Hamilton, city director of finance, who indicated the school board should expect a 2.5 percent to 3 percent increase over last year's $150 million budget. Last year, the city gave the schools a zero percent increase.
"We plan to present a budget that is frugal, with no extras, but that meets our needs," said Marks, who didn't rule out cuts. "We may need to cut people or programs."
Marks said employee benefits and negotiated salary increases eat up most of that increase. She also noted that this year the district is losing $2.8 million in federal stimulus funds. In addition, Marks predicts a loss of $1.4 million in state funding.
But Marks hopes to have $500,000 carried over from a jobs bill passed by Congress in September to save teaching jobs, and she's also seeking grants.
For the past five weeks, a budget committee has been meeting and "going over each line and scrubbing the budget," Marks said. Bruce Mellion, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers, attended Monday's meeting. "This is the first time such a committee has met. We are all involved from Day 1," said Mellion, who sits on the committee, with administrators, union representatives and parents.
Marks and Mellion emphasized the need for parents to advocate for the schools before city officials who determine the budget. Kerry O'Neill, PTOC vice president, pointed to a perceived "lack of trust" among the school board, the city and parents.
"We've been through this before," she said. Marks said she hopes to rebuild that trust.
The draft budget will be presented to the school board early next month. On Dec. 13, the PTOC will discuss it.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
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In light of the report card, which I read in the previous article, perhaps some changes are needed. The district should consider whether all the money being spent on assistants in the elementary schools has proven results. In this tight budget,perhaps the money should be utilized on more teachers. It appears that the high schools could use more resources.
ReplyDeleteWow-- completely unsubstantiated connection.
ReplyDeleteWhy spend more resources on the high schools this year when the CAP Tests were awful and when Norwalk High teachers only work 4-5 periods a day?
If we are going to shift resources, it should be to put a preschool in every school where there's room.
How about looking at the crazy raises given to central office people?
I, for one, will be yelling and screaming the minute I hear the first scare tactic-- too many years fighting for my kids have made me way too jaded to tolerate those stunts again.
The Norwalk High School staffing issue has been raised several times on this site, but it continues. If there are teachers who are not teaching the appropriate number of classes, that is an additional problem, but the schedule itself is an issue because by its very nature, it requires a greater number of teachers than does a more traditional schedule. Look at the staffing at NHS and compare it to that of BMHS (including its CGS), a school that has about 200 more students, and you will see that NHS is more generously staffed. If the NHS schedule is right for kids, it should be offered to both schools. If it is a luxury whose cost results in a shortage of badly needed resources in the other 18 schools, then someone needs to eliminate it.
ReplyDeletegreat points 11/24 @ 5:30.
ReplyDeleteI never understood why the two largest high schools have different schedules so that staff can't be shared between the buildings.
When you look at all the kids in study halls at NHS, you have to ask how does the 8-period schedule really offer kids so much more?
A couple of things.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if both high schools had the 8 period day - so that that our children can take advantage of as many electives as possible. Please remember that there are strongly motivated students at the high school - not everyone is bribing the guards with coffee break runs - something that should be looked at. Are kids taking study halls because we can't manage to schedule properly?
What does the previous blogger mean by shifting available resources to pre-school programs? Our current high schoolers were involved in the same preschool/family resource programs that exist today. What happened in the subseqent 9+ years that now results in our high schools being graded a "F"? Let's fix the high schools and make them accountable.
And yes, there are some great teachers at both the high schools who hold our kids to high standards. Thank you for your dedication, patience and persistance.
My kids are still in elementary school where I think that there are enough resources for them to be given a good education.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the elementary schools can afford cuts. Our asst. principal does an awful lot-- running data teams, helping to evaluate some teachers and doing a lot of work with special ed families. So, I don't see how those Asst. principals can be reduced.
What do the previous posters think is missing at the two largest high schools?
Well, regardless to what is missing in the high schools - the budget will not make things any better. The focus, although it should be, is not about making this better but rather maintaining what we have right now. While there is focus on 'maintaining what we have', we should be focusing on re-evaluating and making a more effective use to what exist - restructuring is not such a bad idea. Maybe the 'High Schools' is a good start. But don't count on the budget to make things any better for our schools.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most intelligent comments I have heard on this site is the need for Preschool at every building! Elementary teachers need students who are ready to learn and that is not the case in all buildings in our district. Sadly, as we have seen in the past, there will not be money for such an initiative. Every one has their special interests...but the bottom line should be saving programs and services that directly impact our students at all levels.
ReplyDeleteWhy are there assistant principals in the ELEMENTARY schools? WASTE of tax $$$.
ReplyDelete