Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Reader Commentary: Children in a Divorce?

A reader commentary submitted by Eye reader Jane Majewski

CHILDREN IN A DIVORCE ?


Watching the leaders of our town debate the responsibility of the budget between the BOE and City feels akin to a child living in divorce proceedings. The two parents divorcing, the Board of Education Administration and the old city leadership have been publicly fighting and blaming the other side in ways that I believe are destructive to the core structure of our educational system in town. Two sides spending almost a million dollars of money that was earmarked for special education without communicating to each other has been described as a married couple not communicating how much each is spending from a bank account and drawing a negative balance.

I get this. I just don't get why. I don't get how leaders on both sides of this issue are able to disagree to a level of non communicating about a million dollars. I don't like showing up at BOE meetings to watch those sides attack each other personally. What ever happened to disagreeing with each other but respecting the other side?

The public sits and watches as two parents divorcing are yelling at each other about finances, about who is to blame for the breakdown of the "marriage". As children (and yes, they're adults but for the sake of the story I call them children) stand at the microphone and also attack people; they're rebuked by the same parents who are doing the same thing to each other.

The public, like children in a divorce, listens to both sides. Many have aligned themselves with the "parent" that they most agree with based on their relationships with each side. I watched the Union leader of the Administration read a heartfelt letter about the wonderful things our administration has done in spite of the bad press as of late. I agree. Our administration and teachers have done some amazing things. Then I watch parents stand and angrily scream out like children having been tossed to the side over issues that are painfully real to their experiences. I agree with them also.

I myself feel like I am tossed in a storm on the sea. Perhaps I would be called the middle child? I am a parent who feels she has unresolved issues with the administration regarding simple safety issues for a child with special needs. I am also a parent of a child who has flourished academically and socially at the hands of wonderful staff in her school. I can see both sides.

What I can't see is why is the divide this toxic? Why are the leaders of our educational system hanging onto "who is right" more than focusing on making the educational system a better one for all involved?

Did I mention that there is a new wife in this story? Yes, the Board of Ed has a new wife, the mayor (symbolically). The step mother and father have made a decision about how to resolve the million dollar problem while the first wife (the old BOE leaders) have not felt like they have a say in the matter.
Dad and his new wife have decided that the old wife was wrong in spending the money and will pay him and his new wife back.

The problem as I see it is this....the money wasn't Dad's, his wife or his ex-wives to spend. The money was given from outside the city and earmarked for special education. So, as the middle child, I have to ask...... "this child support if its for educating our children, why is Dad's new wife getting to spend it?"

Let me interpret. State money to reimburse special ed services came to the town. The town spent it. The BoE spent it. The new leadership has decided that the BOE should not have spent it and will now pay it back. Where will this money come from? Could it be reducing special education supports? Could that have been why DEAL was closed to begin with? Will they cut academic programs? teachers salaries? athletic programs? A million dollars is a lot to pay back even in a payment plan. The children and their teachers will pay the price.

I am thinking that both sides may need intervention much like divorcing parents are required to go through family relations. I think they need someone who is not politically aligned to help them work through their differences in a productive way. Me? I think I'll move to grandma's house until they all figure out what they're doing.........

12 comments:

cybermom said...

"Superintendent Michael Frechette said the district's accounting practices are not in question, and said that both the city's finances and the school district's finances were balanced at the end of the fiscal year. The deficit is due to a "philosophical difference" in accounting practices, he said."


Accounting is math. Philosophy doesn't belong in this subject.
It really is a very bad excuse for not doing a job well. I wish someone could tell me and the community how the Superintendent can get away with this terrible excuse for doing a very bad job of running the school system.

Anonymous said...

brilliant. my parents divorced when i was about 8 yrs old, and this is the first commentary I have ever been able to follow and understand about the adversarial relationship btwn the BOE and City.

Jane said...

* since writing this, it's been explained to me that special Ed funds have not been spent by the city. Staff on both political sides have stated this.

Anonymous said...

Jane,

You are correct, the money is for special education, not for the former city administration to make their books balance. As for who's going to pay for it? The current proposal of the BOE paying, will be the regular education kids in Middletown. Special education costs continually rise year after year and they have to be paid. So when the BOE has to come up with money......it comes from textbooks, technology, etc. the same items that get cut year after year to pay for other mandates or fixed costs. The city should be responsible for this, period. They took money that wasn't for them. Perhaps the city fund balance could be used.......and don't ever let it happen again! The hope of a second marriage is not repeating the errors made in the first one!

Anonymous said...

Great analogy. Sometimes I feel like the step-child, totally ignored.

Jane said...

"special education costs" may not be fixed if children are not being properly identified.

There are parents in our town with documented evaluations of children with disabilities that are not getting IEPs. Pupil services has blocked those Evals and fought parents on getting services.

I propose that part of the behavior crises we see in the regular education classes are the direct result of under identification of special Ed children in an attempt to reduce cost.

I am not arguing with the previous poster- I agree that cuts will come else where also, but just pointing out another perspective. The special Ed teachers are not getting the infrastructure that they need, the para professionals work hard at a low salary- and one of my sons para's works over her schedule without being paid.

That's why I wonder why administrators got raises when budget is in crises. I wonder iwht gas reimbursements are reportedly around 6k.

There are lots of questions and layers of issues.

Anonymous said...

Jane

Excellent analogy.

It looks like the daddy anxious to spend the money on the pretty new wife in the big house with the shiny new car while his kids from the 1st marriage live in a 1 bedroom apartment, eat cereal for dinner, take the local bus and are without new winter coats.

Jam (Jennifer Mahr) said...

What a wonderful analogy! Thank you for the time and thought you put into this piece!

Anonymous said...

The city did not spend the funds, they have no access to the BOE money or books whatsoever. This info is false.

Anonymous said...

The City cannot spend BOE money- the funds are separate- the City can't even see the BOE pay role never mind the budget- does anyone care that Frechette got 6k in mileage?? Why are Haynes and Frechette still employed??

Jane said...

If you read through the comment section, I stated this. The problem with the way things are being communicated to us is that it is hard for the public to know the truth. When I listen to the old administration talk, they cited documents that make it sound line the city is spending the same money. It's very confusing.

When I wrote this, I was contacted afterwards by people in both sides of the politics who state the money was not spent by the city-

They say the BOE over spent- that the money for special Ed is a fraction of a reimbursement of that over spending.

What I find to be telling- is it appears that mayor drew agrees with the past mayor- that the old BOE is responsible-

It would seem to me that if the old administration was not responsible- a new mayor on the opposite political side of the previous mayor would not be in agreement- yet they are?

So I'll change my analogy?
Mom is a bit bipolar and went on a spending spree (the old BOE) When she was told to stop spending she put "ignore" on her emails and didn't answer her phones.....

So now dad and his new wife are trying to fix the financial mess of her mental illness?


Regardless - someone needs to take control of this in a peaceful way and begin rebuilding our educational system. Personally, I think dr. Nocera is perfect for the job. But if you have two opposing sides fighting this strongly, nothing will get accomplished.

Anonymous said...

Have people watched the last BOE meeting? Can you see how difficult it is to figure out the truth?

Time to get an outside person to figure our what is the truth.