As if $4 million in budget cuts didn't create enough drama in Norwalk... Yesterday, we learned that Al Sharpton will be attending the NAACP rally decrying the arrest of Tanya McDowell for sending her son to a Norwalk school and demanding equal education for all.
First the BOE:
I was surprised to see that BOE meeting is going to take place in the Concert Hall. I haven't heard much rallying about getting parents to "come out". What I have heard is a lot of confusion.
First, there was Marks' initial list (swim, hockey teams, school to career, band transportation). After the public hearings, Marks put forth a second list with some items taken off and new items (librarians, planetarium, central office specialists) put on. Most recently, the Finance Committee meeting discussed an "uber list " combining both lists. At this point the unions got involved again adding their input. It seemed at that meeting that we were starting from the beginning. The finance committee agreed on about $2 million in cuts (we need $4.6). Of course, they don't have the final say.
Okay, so now it's June and we're supposed to reconcile this budget by the end of the month presumably. On Tuesday's agenda it says "Discussion and Possible Action 2011-12 Budget Reconciliation" and the June 21st meeting may be canceled due to graduation. So are we to assume that everything is going to be discussed maybe even voted on Tuesday when there is already a packed agenda?
From Day 1 of the budget process, I have been waiting to hear robust discussion by the ENTIRE board and the superintendent about budget plans and proposed cuts. We've had public hearings, slide shows, written question/answers which few people probably read, but I don't recall one meeting when the entire board sat and discussed in depth the proposed budgets cuts.
Public hearings are good, they allow the public to air their thoughts, but they are not a back and forth. Last year, there were some very useful PTO Parent Budget Workshops for parents to ask Central Office administrators questions. The finance committee meetings are open but few parents attend. They are useful for getting into more detail on budget line items, but they shouldn't replace budget discussions by the entire board as they seem to have this year. Nothing should replace the work of our elected officials as an entire group reviewing the superintendent's budget and making sure that it promotes the goals of the district, as best it can.
Tight budgets and and substantial cuts are anxiety provoking, too be sure, even in best of circumstances. But unfortunately I don't think they are going away. Good budget processes and predictability can help lessen the anxiety, I think.
I hope after the budget reconciliation is done, the Board can have a post mortem discussion about the process: what was done well, and what can be improved. I think this idea was mentioned by Susan Wallerstein.
Also on the agenda is the hiring of an interim Director of HR, constructions plans for Rowayton and Naramake. Click here for the agenda and actions.
Here's my post from TheDailyNorwalk.com on Sharpton:
Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton will attend a rally Tuesday in support of a Bridgeport woman who was arrested for sending her son to a Norwalk elementary school. The rally, organized by the state and Norwalk chapters of the NAACP, will be held at Brookside Elementary School from 6 to 8 p.m.
Also Tuesday, Tanya McDowell is scheduled to appear again in state Superior Court in Norwalk for proceedings related to the larceny charges filed against her in the school case. As part of her case, McDowell also faces separate narcotics and breach of peace offences.
A postcard advertising the rally was distributed last week calling for participants to “rally to fix the broken educational system – because no child should live in fear that their parent will be arrested for trying to get them a decent education.”
Organizers are hiring buses to transport participants coming from New Haven, Waterbury, Hartford, Bridgeport, Meriden, New Britain and Stamford.“It’s about equal education,” said Bobbi Brown, youth council president for the NAACP of Bridgeport. “We’re going to get a lot of young people to come out and make some noise. Having Al Sharpton there will shine some light on the situation.”
Monday, June 6, 2011
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Regarding the budget, true leadership is lacking.
ReplyDeleteNow it really feels like Tawana Brawley. They lied about the way she was treated by police and they left out that she was dealing drugs. Perfect fodder for Al who besmirched the name of an honest DA with the lies of Tawana, was proven wrong in court, never apologized, and never payed his settlement. What glorious light will he bring to this case?
ReplyDeleteI want to know why they aren't marching in Bridgeport for better education for ALL children in that city. Just more circus sideshows.
ReplyDeleteDon't we understand, rich or poor, black white brown red green or red we are all in this boat together.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere down the road the judge that signed this warrant will have some splaining to do, so does the mayor.
This issue is bigger than one small minded mayor, its bigger than Norwalk, bigger than Connecticut.
Equal Access to Quality Education is a civil right. Its a civil right left undone.
We should be focused like a laser on the real core issues, issues like;
How do we educate? What curriculum's do we need to get to the students?
What are the most effective mediums? How do we integrate fast changing technologies?
The training required for educators and appropriate evaluations for all and fair compensations and most importantly
the financing and structure. Its unfair and the entire design is dated and is in real and present danger of collapsing.
If we keep erecting barriers, keep stomping on the ones that are already down, will that really protect the status quo?
Ask Mubarak?
Bring it on Al, and bring the Freedom Riders and Writers with you.
This is not about just one defendant and her hard times, its about all of us.
Its about whats right and what is so wrong.
Its about righting wrongs.
Its about who we are, what we are about and the America we have a duty to move forward for our forefathers that gave their lives for this ideal.
To strive to be better, to progress, to hold that Lantern of Equality, Justice, Freedom high for the world to see the way.
Just following the local comments, it is apparent there is much bitterness and prejudice and yes ignorance here.
This is the perfect place and the prefect time and the perfect example of justice gone amuck and a clear and compelling civil rights issue..
Would be great to see Highland Avenue packed with sat trucks and busses, certainly worthy cause and of all efforts.
March to City Hall. To The Capitol. To The White House.
It will only get worse, until we make it better.
NO ONE gets a pass on this issue.
A child's future is in everyones interests.
Get UP.
Get MAD.
Get MOTIVATED.
They are picking on helpless children.
What greater motivation is there?
Norwalk is this generations Woolworths Lunch Counters for Education, for Equality, for Justice.
Ring that bell. Ring it LOUD, so all can hear, so all will listen and begin to pay attention.
Ring That Bell, Ring That Bell, Ring That Bell, for whats right.
The blathering of 4:30 p.m. misses the mark.
ReplyDeleteNo helpless children were picked on. The mother removed her child from Brookside voluntarily--- coincidentally after her drug bust, but not because any one from the school department told her to.
As for the sit-in that 4:30 wants us to stage-- where do we go? To the Bridgeport schools that are hopelessly squandering our state tax dollars? To the homes of the majority party reps in the General Assembly who don't demand accountablity for all the buckets of money they send to Bridgeport and Hartford and New Haven?
I want my children to go to school in Westport or New Canaan. How do I sign up? Should I lie? Find someone to sign a bogus affidavit?
ReplyDeleteStaples High School looks pretty good. My kids have a right to go there - never mind where they live.
Mr 4:30 I don't even have the patience to read beyond your first paragraph - No one is picking on helpless children except the mother. If equal access to quality education is a rational explanation for her bahavior, then I have a right to send my child to Weston, where the schools rank highest... all while I live in Norwalk. This woman is making Norwalk look worse than it should, and you should be worried about the rally and the negative publicity it will bring.
ReplyDeleteThe BOE meeting is taking place in the Concert Hall because there is a problem with the air conditioning in the BOE room. It has been working very sporadically and the Concert Hall was the only available room.
ReplyDeleteThe recommendations of the Finance Committee were put on the same spreadsheet as the consensus picks for cuts chosen by the Budget Committee. That information is available on line-- go to the school department website and click under the Finance Department tabs, where you'll find the links to that document.
I agree that we need a lot of truly open discussion about our priorities as a district that involve the entire BOE and the public. That's why the Finance Committee believed that we had taken the process as far as we could-- by getting a handle on what constituted the same-services budget, examining how our projections were being constructed and then making some reasonable suggestions for reductions that were in keeping with our community's priorities.
I firmly believe that Norwalk supports classroom education and that, therefore, we need to look more closely at administrative posts, operating expenses and materials. The initial budget (sent to the BOE by the Superintendent in December) and the first round of recommended cuts did not, in my own opinion, advance our community goals.
There is educational inequality in Connecticut. But, as long as the state gives more money to Bridgeport than the entire amount of our BOE budget for Norwalk, there will be a need for these types of close examinations of every line of every budget and an annual discussion of our community’s educational goals.
Thank you, Steve. I agree with your conclusions 100%. The priority should be the classrooms. I am delighted with your conclusions. Unfortunately the superintendent does not seem to agree with our community's educational goals. I thought 'children first' was understood by all.
ReplyDeleteCase dismissed? I have friends who live in NC, Wilton, Weston and Westport. I think I'll sign my kid up at their schools. I'm not even asking for bussing or free lunch.
ReplyDeleteMr. 4:30, quality education is here in Norwalk. Perhaps you are unaware of the hard working teachers who are very well trained and give their best to all students. I would bet the Weston teachers could not do a better job here in Norwalk. Let the teachers trade jobs, Weston and Norwalk, for a year and see what happens. My money says the Weston teachers wouldn't last a week. Norwalk teachers would feel like they were in a country club...
ReplyDeleteSorry, 4:30, many children in Norwalk come in with no language experience and no discipline. Children in Weston come in with all kinds of experiences and a rich language background. It's not color. It's socioeconomic status. It's not the lack of expertise of the teachers, it's the prior knowledge of the children. Think about it!
HAS THE BOE SCHEDULED A MEETING TO VOTE ON THE BUDGET YET?
ReplyDeleteThere's no way that they'd vote on it tonight, is there?
Dear Steve,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your explanation. I agree to start with admin. positions. We cannot afford to pay an unqualified Director of Human Relations.Time to go...
Thank you, thank you, thank you, 10:41. Our Norwalk teachers work so hard against huge odds. I would like to see New Canaan or Weston teachers trade places, just for a week. Let's see what happens.
ReplyDeleteYes, while I am at it, I am going to enroll my children at Wilton High. I will just claim it as my right to a good education for them.
Do you think anyone will champion my cause? Nope. I am the wrong color.
To 4:30 p.m.
ReplyDeleteSomewhere down the road the judge that signed this warrant will have some splaining to do, so does the mayor.
This issue is bigger than one small minded mayor, its bigger than Norwalk, bigger than Connecticut.
First of all, let's clarify some points - the Mayor had nothing to do with this arrest, neither did the Superintendent of Schools or the Board of Education. The agency involved was the Norwalk Housing Authority.
Secondly, this is not the only case where an out of town child has been enrolled in a system. Usually, the District investigates and the parents/guardians are contacted, resulting in the child be removed by the parent and enrolled in whatever appropriate school where their residence is. It happens here, it happens all over the country.
Thirdly - Equal Education - exactly what does that mean? Thomas Sowell wrote a book some years ago about matching the college with the student's abilities, which means that not every student enrolled in UCLA will do well. Some would have done better at a smaller campus like UC-Davis, but people want to be able to say, "Oh, when I was at UCLA..." That's one aspect. Then there is the question of how to equalize the schools. Should all Connecticut schools be required to meet Bridgeport standards because there isn't enough money in the State to upgrade them to New Canaan or Weston? Just a thought.
If Sharpton is for "equal education", then he should say so and work for the School Voucher program or School choice program.
Exactly 10:41...if parents want a better education for their child, they can start be reading to their children and developing rich vocabularies for themselves, teaching them the alphabet and letter sounds, numbers and early childhood skills to prepare their children for kindergarten. That's the difference between children in New Canaan, Darien, Weston, and Norwalk - they enter school with the literacy and numeracy skills - they are ready to learn. Education starts at home, long before children enter kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to provide an equal education to all is to remove all babies at birth from parents and provide each baby with the same experiences. Each baby will be given opportunities to experience multiple activities to include: travel, rich language conversations, exposure to books and to being read aloud to, to numeracy lessons....get the picture? Not many parents I know would be willing to do this. But only then will the playing field be leveled. This is NOT NOT NOT about race. This is all about the first 5 or 6 years of a child's life. Playing catch-up later means a child without these rich experiences is already behind by 5-6 years.
ReplyDeletePerhaps if we were to look at two different surgeons, one having a patient with an extremely advanced cancer, the other with a mild case of cancer. One has a much better chance for survival. I think we would all agree with that. That's what it is all about. Come to get diagnosed early on and your chances in life are much better.
Well, similarly, parents who expose their children to all the experiences will help children be prepared for school have a much better chance at doing well in school.
No excuses for bad teachers, but there are teachers trying their hardest. Give them a hand at home and prepare your children. Help your children once they are in school too. Make sure homework gets done. Expose them to all the riches of the world. Go to libraries and museums.
Enough said!
Why has this become a race issue? Al Sharpton has no business getting involved in this matter. Things are worse than they were in the '60s. Stick to the facts. Out of district children (no matter what race) cannot be supported by the local community. End of story.
ReplyDeleteOn another note. Kudos to Dr. Marks. Budget cuts are never easy. But we cannot continue to educate on borrowed money.
Kudos to Dr. Marks? Every superintendent has had to make budget cuts. Are you that unaware of Norwalk's history? And no, they are not easy and have never been easy for any superintendent.
ReplyDeleteThe country may live on borrowed money, but the BOE budget is not borrowing from China.....
Strange comment!
So everyone here wants to enroll their children in surrounding communities. Wealthy WHITE communities. Well why don't they move there if they think NPS is such a poor educational experience for their children? People, this has nothing to do with teachers. We have some outstanding staff in district but doesn't say there is no room for improvement. there is a reason NPS is on the states watch list of districts at risk. Socioeconomic factors do have significant role, white black or brown.And no one is arguing that children learn at different paces and have different challenges. Under the current structure that puts unreasonable expectations on teachers. Yes we need a better way to properly prepare teachers. yes we need a better way to evaluate and compensate. But we do also need to factor in the current designs in which we educate. Anyone who berates another for raising concerns or communicating their personal experiences, good and horrible, maybe should take a step back, get a clearer picture of what is going on and educate oneself on the challenges to bring quality education to every child regardless, in fact in defiance of socio economic status. In defense of our district, we have come a very long way in a very short time. there are some fantastically hard working truly dedicated professionals in district now. Its unfortunate that there is not the awareness needed to raise the roof in Hartford to get the resources are district needs. the numbers, coming out on the new state to local real estate transaction tax conveyance, are something like Greenwich gets 16 million and Norwalk 4. People there is the major issue we are stuck on. Wealthy folks contribute to campaigns and vote. Poor folks are to busy trying to just survive day to day. have no money to contribute, have little time to bring themselves up to speed and far too may have given up completely and don't even vote at all.
ReplyDeleteIts not that we have mean or ignorant leaders. We have a majorly flawed election system that does not reflect the checks and balances in the heart and foundation of our Constitution.
Until we seriously address campaign financing and lobbying, its probably going to get worse before it gets better. More and more children will continue to slip through the grand canyon of class disparity and into the abyss. We don't need a revolution in America, we just need to wake up pay attention and get our acts together. Picking on anyone at the bottom,just trying to bring some semblance of stability to a child, when the ones at the top are the real modern day bandits. Well, honestly, can anyone say we have our priority's due north? Its not about this lady or her individual challenges, its about children all children.Its about getting the political clout to get resources where they are needed and belong.
Hartford just rushed nearly a hundred bills through.Malloy promised to level the field and address the states E.C.S. funding. Parents, teachers, administrators, taxpayers and yes elected and appointed officials; Hold him to his word. We need to stop stripping the remaining bark off the tree, where is that logic from? If we want the tree to bear bountiful harvest, we should be planting seeds and nourishing the growth. Food for thought for those that think.
So now McDowell was arrested, once again, for drug dealing. Perhaps this is what the arrest for theft of services was about: an attempt to get a drug dealing bank robber off the streets. Unfortunately, the NAACP chose to hold her up as a downtrodden poster child. If she wants a better life for her poor little boy, perhaps she might start by cleaning up her act.
ReplyDeleteHey Al Sharpton, How do you like Tayna now?
ReplyDeleteFunny, everyone is very quiet now, aren't they? Reminiscent of the whole Tawana Brawley debacle....
ReplyDeleteWhat we should all worry about is getting that poor little boy into a good home with someone to take care of him. Imagine his living environment with a crack dealing, pimping bank robber for a mother.
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ReplyDeleteThe last anonymous- you should not post under another persons name. The owner of this blog should take this comment down because it was not posted by the Watts campaign.
ReplyDelete