Norwalk parents and the Board of Education have some homework over the holiday break, courtesy of Schools Superintendent Susan Marks. On Wednesday, Marks released her recommended budget for the 2011-12 school year. It is available for download on the district's website.
The proposed $155.3 million budget reflects a 3.3 percent increase over this year's budget. At a news conference at her City Hall office, Marks told reporters that to maintain the same level of staffing and programs, she would have needed an increase of 6 percent. Consequently, the school board will have to make $4 million in cuts to balance the books.
Marks said more money is needed to cover salaries, employee health benefits and resources to support special education. "In order to send the Board of Education a budget that is fiscally responsible, this budget represents staff and program reductions at all levels of the school system: elementary, middle and high school as well as the central office," said Marks.
Most of the cuts would be in staffing. Below is a list of proposed staffing cuts from pages 8-9 of her budget book.
• High school staff cuts: One Housemaster at each high school, one security position at each high school, one Brien McMahon librarian, one school-to-career staff member at each high school.
• Middle school staffing reductions: One assistant principal at Ponus and West Rocks, 0.5 guidance counselor at Ponus and West Rocks, 0.5 guitar teacher at Ponus and West Rocks.
• Elementary school staff reductions: Two assistant principals (schools not yet determined), all Grade 1 instructional aides, intervention aides, three Columbus aides, one strings teacher (strings to start in Grade 4).
• Central office cuts: IT staff developer, full-time IT specialist becomes part time, 1.5 literacy coaches, two numeracy coaches, four reserve teachers for increased enrollment.
The budget also would cut the co-op swimming and hockey teams, as well as $20,000 from each of the high school bands.
Marks, who moved from Montgomery County, Md., to Norwalk in July, said, "I came to Norwalk to bring what I learned from my experience in a diverse school district. I came to raise the rigor and put in place programs. I'm disappointed. These are very difficult times," she said.
"As the economic situation improves, Norwalk must consider reinvesting considerably in our school system in order for our students to be competitive in the 21st century and ready for college," she wrote in the budget's introduction.
However, Marks said she was pleased the budget was created collaboratively, with input from union leaders, central office administrators and parents. "We are beginning to establish some good processes here." She also said the committee worked to make the budget document easily understandable for parents and community members.
Here are meetings you can attend to learn more about the budget or to voice your opinions:
• Jan. 3: School board finance committee to review, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 4: School board meeting to discuss the budget, 7:45 p.m.
• Jan. 6: School board budget work session, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 11: Special school board meeting to vote on budget, 7:45p.m.
What do you think of this budget proposal? What are your concerns?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
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Cut the Director of Elementary Education. Is she in the schools? What does she do? She doesn't even have elementary experience.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need to cut more from central office.......donot take away from tehe kids--ask more of people who work with our kids.
ReplyDeleteWhy cut first grade aides? They are grant funded. If something from the local budget gets transferred to a grant, I have heard it is illegal. Those who want more information on that can call the State Department of Education, grants department.
ReplyDeleteFirst grade aides get paid from priority school grants-- that monehy can be moved around to other things and it's not illegal. Of course, I think it's nuts to cut first grade aides regardless of how they're paid.
ReplyDelete11:52, it is illegal if Priority School grant funds will now used to fund something that is in the local budget. It is called supplanting. Call the State Department of Education. They will tell you.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really interesting is that Norwalk's only charter school, Side by Side is actually putting MORE aides in the classrooms and MORE technology is being provided their students. All 6th through 8th graders got their own laptops and mp3 players this year. They had Smartboards in ALL their classrooms years ago. We need to learn from how this school is operating. Their middle school was recently ranked 7th in the state.
ReplyDeleteFirst grade class sizes are small so cutting aids is a good option. Norwalk needs to realize there are many people out of work and the budget needs to be trimmed. We don't need intervention aids either since every school has a vice principal and social worker. Downtown staff also needs reductions. How many secretaries do they really need downtown? The Norwalk budget has been bloated for a long time with no results to show. Time to change course.
ReplyDelete3:50
ReplyDeleteMany classrooms have smart boards that sit and collect dust. I doubt that newer computers and MP3 players will increase student performance. Norwalk has too many aids. They do not increase student performance either. Spending money is not the answer. We are in a recession and the people cannot afford the taxes.
Job descriptions at CO need to be reviewed. Are all those positions necessary for student success?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Director of Elementary Ed should be cut. Ask the principals.
ReplyDeleteFay Ruotolo needs to go. She is paid too much and has proven herself incapable of doing the job. Her poor job performance has hurt the district and cost us much in lawsuits. Fay represents the old way of doing that has failed.
ReplyDeleteWhy does the special education department need 5 administrators?
ReplyDeleteCut ALL elementary Vice Principals, 3 of the 5 special ed administrators and get rid of principals who can't do their job. If they get the work done they should be rewarded. The placement of all the elementary vice principals was the answer to quiet the discontent voiced about principals who were not up to the task of running a school. Is anyone else at Central Office taking a pay cut/or freeze?
ReplyDeleteFirst Grade classrooms are small???? Are you out of your mind? Some schools have over 20 students. Within those schools half of those students are identified. Maybe the district should look into redistricting if other schools have such low numbers.
ReplyDeletesome folks need to get facts straight.
ReplyDeletethere a a few disgruntled folks who continue to go after the wrong issues, don't have the facts, and for some reason attack folks that are actually doing their jobs. there are many difficult decisions to make and the superintendent is doing all that she possibly can with the resources she has. so instead of attacking individuals, making judgements, why not get the appropriate information, attend meetings, listen to what is going on, and get behind the supt., and her staff--instead of blindly attacking! enough already!!
6:35...attacking who?? people can say anything at meetins--let's see what each person is actually doing , them make appropriate cuts!
ReplyDelete6:35, from what I have read, the people who have commented are knowledgeable. The cuts offered here, the Special Education Dept., the Director of Elementary Education, and most of the Assistant Principals are not necessary. I do have knowledge, and I am simply here to support what I have read.
ReplyDeleteLet's get back to the central issue of how the district can possibly make $4 million in cuts. Dr. Marks is at a significant disadvantage because her predecessor would find 11th hour solutions to the budget crises he predicted, leaving most people wondering if the crises were real in the first place. This time, I think it is a real crisis, and it is going to take everyone to think about where he/or she, not the other person, would be willing to cut from his/her own budget. Pointing the finger at others isn't the solution. Let each person ask, "What can I cut to help?"
ReplyDeleteFirst grade classes may be small in some buildings but are much larger in others. And as the 1:36 poster above stated, many students are identified as below level just as they are learning to read. These students need as much support as they can get. Classes will NEVER be equalized across Norwalk because re-districting is a dirty word and no one wants to go there. APs are with kids every day and are vital to running a successful building in many ways. And intervention aides are also crucial in assisting classroom teachers so that they can actually TEACH and not just monitor behaviors. Plus they don't cost as much as CO administrators do. Cuts or freezes at CO
ReplyDeletecould certainly make an impact. Ask a classroom teacher what support or communication they have received from AS or director of Elem Ed...and see what they say. People, you need to attend the BOE meetings and make your voices heard! Happy New Year to all.
I agree with 8:35--and will venture to say that an intervention aide is more valuable also than a AP as they are in the classrooms on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteWho is going to pay for all these extra's like intervention aides and 1st grade para's? If you look at class sizes in other towns you will see that Norwalk is lower than many towns and cities. You can't make the argument that 1st grade papa's help student success. When you look at the CMT scores it is obvious it is not helping.
ReplyDeleteThe administrators running these failing schools need to be replaced. In the corporate world they would be fired. In Norwalk they get a raise.
Intervention Aides and paraprofessionals are not "extras".
ReplyDeleteThey support classrooms on a day to day basis so teachers can do the job they were hired to do. FYI- class sizes are negotiated into the teacher's contract and will not change. Look into the administrator's salaries and what they actually do to benefit students/teachers. I would think there could be some trimming there rather than always looking to the paras who are the people in the district who make the least amount of money and always need to worry about being cut!!
I hope that we can all agree that we want the cuts that will least impact the kids. If two CO administrators are cut we can keep staff that works directly with kids. The special education department keeps four administrators and the Director of elementary ed is position that the district has only had for a short amount of time.
ReplyDeletewell said 3:55--to add to that--each elementary school does not need a principal, AP, and literacy coach--cut the APs!! Combine the literacy coach and AP job description. It makes sense and Norwalk should have done that long alog.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious there are plenty of CO positions that can be cut. Can all those employed at CO justify their positions? It would be a good idea to let go as many aides, intervention specialists, and vice principals as possible and use the savings to hire a few more certified staff. What about non certified librarians? Does the district really need those positions? I'm sure there are plenty of parent volunteers that could help out in the library. This is a school district not an employment agency. Marks needs to get the spending under control. All these extra positions do nothing to help students. Norwalk has too many principals just sitting in their office collecting a paycheck. How about some accountability? Some of these schools have been failing year after year and have the same administrators kicking back doing nothing. Why should the taxpayers be paying all this money with no results? We need more fiscal responsibility and we are counting on the new board of education to deliver.
ReplyDeletelet's get rid of the front office and librarian at Marvin. Crazy unfriendly, they don't answer phones and coffee klatch. Lots of parents would volunteer there if the front end wasn't so scary.
ReplyDelete40% of the education budget is spent on Central Orifice--THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
ReplyDelete7:28--it is crazy to think that schools have 2 sec but no one answers the phones......
ReplyDeleteCombining the AP and literacy specialist positions would not work. They are 2 very different jobs! Literacy specialists are teachers altho from what I have heard some think they are administrators. Literacy spec should be spending their time with at-risk students supporting their progress as well as supporting classroom teachers. Contrary to what some say here, APs are very important, should not be shared between buildings and wear many hats ranging from supervision of staff to discipline of students. Taking any of these away will impact a school greatly. Consider cuts at CO where students are not directly affected rather than at building level.
ReplyDeleteStart cutting secretaries at central office, aids who wander the schools without a job description, pseudo secretaries for special education teachers, administrators who can't get the job done and who are not respected, "intervention" aids, CO staff who nobody can figure out what their purpose is. Enough of administrators protecting their errand boys positions. This is about educating children not serving administrators. Lets get some reading consultants in these schools who actually WORK WITH OUR CHILDREN.
ReplyDelete3:54--In theory, I agree with you....BUT I hate to tell you but since I work in a school and my child goes to a different elementary school in Norwalk--the literacy coach does not do what you think they should. From what I see, APs also do not do what you think.
ReplyDeleteHere's an idea--survery teachers and parents--what do you think. CO positions--be it sec't and/or admin need to be cut without a doubt!!
Aides in our school system are critical--not all aides do nothing as people think. They wear many hats--including lunch duty, covering classes, and working with disruptive kids who are not disciplined in school. They work harder than people think.
ReplyDeleteCut the 40% of school spending in ADMINISTRATION---why is this so difficult to comprehend?
ReplyDeleteMake everyone at CO re-apply for their jobs!
ReplyDeleteCut the Director of Elementary Education.
ReplyDeleteI firmly believe that the AP and Intervention Aide are critical to the day to day functioning of an elementary school. The AP is involved in evaluation,curriculum implementation,literacy and behavioral issues.Among other things these positions ensure that students are given a space away from classrooms as necessary so that the rest of the students and teacher have an appropriate learning environment without disruptive behaviors.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand when was the last time a CO Administrator was in the building, sent an email or collaborated on anything? The cuts need to start where student learning isn't impacted-CO!
Lets hope that the Board of Ed members understand that cuts need to be made where they will not impact student learning. Unfortunately every superintendent in Norwalk the last few years protects CO positions.
ReplyDeleteGood thinking 1:03. Agreed! BOE members and administrators from CO
ReplyDeletereally should visit the buildings to know what goes on day to day because quite honestly I don't think they have a clue about what happens day in and day out building level. They really need to know how their decisions will impact Norwalk's students and staff.The cuts are going to hurt everyone.Let the cuts have least impact on students and staff and let the administrators feel some pain for a change!
In my day, children worked and brought home a wage. Now we pay real good money to baby sit.
ReplyDeleteAh, the good ole days, when we worked the children and made a buck off them, instead of paying to teach them, something.
Well at least there are a few still making a good buck on them.
Marks needs to stop protecting some CO people who are not well regarded by the schools. Start with the elementary unnecessary CO Director.
ReplyDeleteMany of the CO and AP jobs have been handed over to former retired employees. If they had hired newer staffers who would come in at a lower salary and be more ready to make a good impression then we might be fighting for some of these positions. The Para's in 1st grade are needed and far more important than most of the over paid CO and AP's I have met.
ReplyDeleteHow about freezing salaries for all NPS employees who earn $70K or above (both the merit and the COLA)? What would the savings be? We always here that Norwalk pays the most competitive salaries around. There seems to be little give among the unions - may be an insurance carrier change - give us a break.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletePlease attend these meetings and share your concerns and suggestions in public -
* January 4 – Board of Education meeting in the Common Council Chambers at 7:45. I will be formally presenting the budget to the Board of Education.
* January 6 – Finance Committee meeting will occur first and then the community will have an opportunity to engage with the full board about the budget. This meeting begins at 7:00 and is in the concert hall.
January 11 – Special Meeting of the Board of Education at 7:45 in Room 300A. n addition, Dr. marks I will be attending a PTOC meeting on Wednesday night, January 5 where the PTO leadership will hear from me, Tom Hamilton and Fred Wilms.
As long as the unions continue to hold the BOE and the city hostage, there will be few logical budget cuts. None of it makes sense. Secretaries don't even answer the phones. Why have so many of them at the schools? Time for the BOE to take take their spine back (maybe they never had one?) and not cave in to the demands. What a bunch of pansies the BOE is. How freegin lucky to have a job... and a raise...and benefits.... maybe we should be school employees or city managers next time around.
ReplyDelete