New Changes for the 2013-14 School Year

School starts on Thursday, August 29th, and several changes are underway for the 2013-14 school year.  The most obvious change is the new start time (8:50 am) for the elementary schools.  School doors will open at 8:45 am and students arriving after 8:55 am will be marked tardy.

Breakfast in the Classroom is another new program aimed at providing every student the opportunity for a healthy breakfast each morning. Students will pick up their breakfast as they enter the classroom and eat it as the academic day begins.  Students qualifying for free or reduced lunch will also qualify for reduced fee or no fee breakfast.  A reduced fee breakfast will cost $.30 and a full priced breakfast will cost $1.00.  Macdonough, Bielefield, Wesley, Lawrence, and Farm Hill Schools will start the program on September 3rd.  Moody and Snow Schools will start November 4th, and Spencer School will start in January 2014.

Read Superintendent Charles' August 6th letter to Middletown families here for a complete explanation.

If you haven't read Middletown's Safe School Climate Plan (approved by the BOE on April 17, 2012), you can access that here.

Finally, if you have questions about the Common Core State Standards Initiative, specific information by grade level is available here.

Board of Ed Approves Possible Change to School Calendar

At tonight's Board of Education regular meeting, Superintendent Pat Charles asked the Board to approve a possible change to the 2012-13 school calendar.  With tomorrow's snow day, the last day of school is Friday, June 21st.  Thursday will be a snow day as well, so according to the policy listed on the calendar, one day of April vacation will have to be used to make up the missing day.

Dr. Charles asked the BOE to let her pursue a survey of Middletown teachers to see how many could teach on Tuesday, February 19, in lieu of the first day of April vacation.  Monday, February 18th is President's Day, and Tuesday was the last day of February Break.  Charles argued that taking February 19th, if it could be done, would allow student families and teachers/staff to have a full vacation in April.  The Superintendent also told the BOE that she had spoken to all the Union Presidents, and there was no objection to her surveying the staff to see if they wanted to trade a day in February for a day in April.

BOE member Ryan Kennedy pointed out that school cannot continue into the week of June 24th because the Middletown Parks and Recreation programs start that day, and several of the school facilities are reserved for that purpose.  Additionally, since most of the school buildings are not air conditioned, keeping children in school past the 21st of June is counter-productive due to how hot the buildings get inside.

The BOE agreed, and Superintendent Charles will send a Honeywell alert tomorrow morning to all Middletown teachers and staff to ask them to take a short, two question survey from a link on the district's website.  Given a favorable reply (meaning most teachers can report to work and the cost for substitutes for those who can't isn't cost-prohibitive), Middletown schools will be in session on Tuesday, February 19th.  If this is the case, a Honeywell alert will be sent to all Middletown families, notifying them of the change in schedule.

For those who are worried about the snow load on school roofs, Director of Facilities, Ken Jackson, had this to say:  "We were very lucky that there was no snow on the roofs before the storm started, and we have actively worked since Monday to make sure that the roof drains were clear.  The high winds involved with this storm worked in our favor, and in many places, there were only 6-7 inches of snow on the roofs.  I am meeting with the City's building inspector tomorrow morning, and we will be inspecting all the school roofs to make sure our facilities are safe.  I am personally confident that there are no issues with our buildings."

More on the rest of the BOE meeting in a separate post.

Search for New Superintendent Intensifies

At this evening's Regular Board of Education Meeting, representatives from Cooperative Educational Service updated the board on the search for a new Superintendent. The search will proceed using a 4 phase process, with the first phase relying on community input to develop a list of desirable characteristics for the next Superintendent.

An online survey will be available from 26 April - 2 May for parents and community members to help identify those specific traits and skills desired (check the District website for this survey starting 26 April).

Parents and community members will also be able to participate in a Search Focus Group on Monday, April 30 from 6:30PM - 7:30PM. The location for this focus group is currently set for the Central Office, but may move across the street to Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

Once all community input has been collected, Cooperative Educational Service will put together an ideal candidate profile that it will use to recruit Superintendent candidates. All candidates will be ranked into a 3-tier system based on how their skills and traits compare to the "ideal" list. A Tier 1 ranking will mean a candidate is a very close match between ideal and actual skills. A Tier 2 ranking will mean the candidate has some desired traits, but not all, and Tier 3 candidates will be not recommended for hire. The BOE will then choose which candidates it wants to interview (from any tier), and CES will assist in the interview process.

The timeline for this process has been accelerated due to the fact that the BOE wants the new Superintendent to have input on other administrative hirings in the district: specifically, an Assistant Superintendent, a Principal, and other positions. CES acknowledged that it hoped to have the search finished by the end of June.

Board of Education Appoints Interim Superintendent

At tonight's regular Board of Education meeting, the BOE voted to appoint Dr. David H. Larson as Middletown's Interim Superintendent of Schools.

Dr. Larson was Middletown's Superintendent from 1992-2000, Southington's Asst. Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction from 1988 - 1992, and Ridgefield's Superintendent from 1987-1988. He started his teaching career in math at Trumbull High School in 1965.

After his retirement in 2000 from active school involvement, Dr. Larson was the Executive Director of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents Association in West Hartford until 2008. When he retired from that position in 2008, Larson went on to work as a Senior Educational Consultant with Futures Education as well as an Educational Consultant with the University of Connecticut CommPACT Schools Project.

Dr. Larson has lived in Middletown for 19 years, and he starts work tomorrow morning. BOE Chairman Dr. Gene Nocera commented, "We could not have found a more qualified candidate. David Larson brings instant credibility to our district, and he will be incredibly helpful in the day to day operations as well as helping to guide us in finding a new superintendent."

Just moments before confirming Dr. Larson as the Interim Superintendent, the BOE voted itself (the full board of education) to be the search committee for a new Superintendent. Dr. Nocera confirmed that the board will start meeting with search organizations next week as the national search for a new superintendent begins.

Dr. Larson believes his immediate job is "to make sure our children continue to get a quality education. This district has great staff, several principals that I hired back in the day, and we're going to work together for the next six months or so as the search begins for a new superintendent."

Dr. Larson will also shepherd the process to find a new Asst. Superintendent as the current Asst. Superintendent, Barbara Senges, is retiring at the end of the month.

Two Board members were missing from tonight's meeting: Ted Raczka is on vacation, and Attorney William G. Grady has resigned his position on the board (as the EYE reported last week). Dr. Nocera expects that by the next meeting, the vacant position will have been filled by a joint Mayoral/Common Council nomination and confirmation process. The new board member will have to be a Democrat as well.

"Insuracare" comes to Middletown: A Commentary on Bureaucracy and Public Education

One of my favorite movies of all times is Pixar's The Incredibles. I love everything about this movie, from its clever character creation (naming the superhero Mom Elastigirl) to its witty commentary on real life (the villain comments on his plan to sell his inventions so that everyone can be a superhero: "When everyone's super, no one will be.").

One of the most painful scenes in the movie, however, is the exchange between Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) and his boss at Insuracare: Bob gets called to the office because his boss is unhappy...

Boss: "Your customers make me unhappy."

Bob: "What? You've gotten complaints?"

Boss: "Complaints I can handle. What I can't handle is your customer's inexplicable knowledge of Insuracare's inner workings. They're experts. Experts, Bob! Exploiting every loophole, dodging every obstacle. They're penetrating the bureaucracy!"

Bob: "Did I do something illegal?"

Boss: (begrudgingly) "Noooo..."

Bob: "Are you saying we shouldn't help our customers?"

Boss: "The law requires that I answer no."

Bob: "We're supposed to help people."

Boss: "We're supposed to help OUR people, starting with our shareholders, Bob. Who's helping them out?"

You see, Bob has been secretly helping his customers navigate the corrupt company system, and he's forced to decide between his superhero principles of justice and his job. He sticks with his principles and loses the job (and this isn't the first time it has happened to him).

This scene is painful for me because I know it catches the evils of bureaucracy perfectly, just as it ignores the good that can come from an organized effort to make a difference. As Abraham Lincoln is thought to have said in 1854:

"The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities."

We need government involvement in the education process, unless of course we're all suddenly going to homeschool our children or privatize public education. I don't think my children would survive homeschooling, so I'm going to stick with the "go someplace else for school" model. It's an intriguing thought to consider privatizing public education, but I have no idea how that would work, and I'm not sure it would solve the evils of public education either. So...we need some government, and with it comes a bureaucracy. This does mean, though, that the individuals in government have to be working for the common good, not their own agenda or some other purpose at odds with the reason for any government at all.

Let's consider the following example of how bureaucracy in Public Education occurs in Middletown:

In October, the EYE reported on a dispute between parents and the BOE Transportation Committee over the bus stop at the intersection of Prout Hill Rd and Crystal Lake Rd (read the original post here). Last week, the EYE learned that one of the cases had been appealed to the State Board of Education, and an impartial hearing board remanded the case back to the Middletown BOE Transportation Committee because "The Appellant did not receive reasonable notice of the hearing before the Transportation Sub Committee." (Read the full decision here.)

The heart of the case is that the appellant received notice the day before the hearing was scheduled: while said notice was postmarked November 10th for a November 15th, 8:30am meeting, the appellant didn't get the notice until the 14th. When he called to ask for more time, he was informed that the hearing would go forward because the District's attorney was already on the way and couldn't reschedule. In fact, the appellant wasn't able to be at the meeting at all, and he was, in the words of the hearing board, "denied the opportunity to present a full case, cross exam witnesses or exam documentary evidence." Based on this, the hearing board concluded that:

The Transportation Sub Committee acted in an illegal, arbitrary, capricious or unreasonable manner. C.C.S. 10-186 contemplates a procedure for appeal, which includes a meaningful hearing before the local board of education....The hearing before the Transportation Subcommittee of the Middletown Board of Education was substantive but one-sided. To be meaningful the other party must be heard from and allowed the opportunity to present evidence, call witnesses, cross examine witnesses - in other words to be seen and heard. A notice of one day and denial of a chance for a continuance short-circuited the meaningful hearing before the local board. Email cannot substitute for the physical presence of the parent. The Impartial Hearing Officer finds no fault with the substantive presentation of the Transportation Subcommittee. The Transportation Committee followed the policies of the Board of Education. The procedural issues denying the Appellant an opportunity to participate, however, prevail.

There it is...Insuracare has come to Middletown. Here's where it gets interesting. I emailed BOE Chairman Dr. Nocera to ask how a hearing could proceed if the person the hearing was for couldn't make it. I also couldn't figure out who was on the Transportation Committee because that committee isn't listed on the BOE website. Dr. Nocera forwarded my email to the members of the Transportation Committee (Bill Grady, chair, and Ryan Kennedy) as well as Facilities Director Ken Jackson, Business Manager Nancy Haynes, and Superintendent Michael Frechette for a response.

I first heard from Nancy Haynes, who said the new hearing is set for February 24th. She also commented, "Because this matter involves student records, we are unable to speak about any other details, and the hearings are conducted in Executive Sessions because of student confidentiality laws." When I asked what part of an educational record could possibly be revealed in a bus stop hearing, Haynes replied, "We can't predict in advance what a parent is going to say....sometimes the reason for change request is because of another student, and so we have to protect that student's confidentiality."

I also asked a BOE member who sets hearing dates and times, and I learned that the central office does the scheduling. In particular, Nancy Haynes is responsible for scheduling hearings. When I asked Haynes how the scheduling takes place, she replied, "After a request is received to hold a hearing, we review the state statute on time frames with the Committee Chair and BOE counsel and then post the meeting on behalf of the Committee." Haynes also commented that the State Statute requires that a hearing be held within 10 days of the request (not 10 days of notice for the hearing itself). This answer didn't make much sense to me (October 28 request for a November 15 hearing) until I looked at C.G.S. 10-186 (b) (1) to see that it actually indicates the board, subcommittee, or local impartial hearing board shall give the person a hearing within ten days after receipt of the written request. (This means the hearing just has to be scheduled within 10 days of the request.)

The parent in this case emailed Haynes on October 28, 2011, and notification of a hearing was dated November 10th. Technically, this would have been one day late except for the October Blizzard and lack of electricity and the week off school and so on. The other relevant factor in when the hearing was scheduled was the fact that an election had just taken place and the outgoing BOE members' terms expired on November 15th at noon. Ryan Kennedy, one of the Transportation Committee members, told me that the hearing had been scheduled for the morning of the 15th because "the past committee was very familiar with the issue, " and an entire new committee could have been named.

So what's the point? Well, in the movie, Bob Parr's clients paid for their insurance, but the company did whatever it could to not pay out any claims. Here, in Middletown, parents pay more than 1/2 the town's budget to the Board of Education, but there are multiple cases of parents frustrated at the bureaucracy they must navigate. Not only are you ignored (remember that this case first came to light because no one would schedule a Transportation Hearing), but then it also appears that the process is manipulated against you. I asked Nancy Haynes point blank how this case could go so wrong, and she replied, "I really don't know."

Please don't misunderstand. I know there are plenty of times when the front office gets it right. Middletown has seen an amazing change in CMT scores and overall student performance in the last few years. In fact, the parent involved in this case also blogged about why Middletown should care about the "scream rooms" incident, and he had this to say to the EYE about why he did it:

Regarding the contents of my blogpost: There has been no shortage of events in the recent years to tarnish the image of our schools, which directly effects the entire community in a negative manner as I stated in the blog. The public perception of our school system is poor, which is a shame. There are hundreds of teachers, lower level administrators (principals, vice principals, curriculum directors and department heads) and other employees that work hard every day to provide a safe environment for our children to learn in, and do a fantastic job of providing a top notch public education for our children. Unfortunately, the public image of the system is seen by the public from the top down, not the bottom up. It is my hope that the Middletown BOE as a whole will come to this same conclusion, and make the necessary positive changes in leadership required to correct the negative image so we can all move on from these past issues together, as a community, and change the perception of our schools and the city as a whole to what it should be: A great place to live and work.

I couldn't agree more. However, it takes something like 10 positive experiences to undo a negative one, and it's only been negative out of that part of town for some time. Furthermore, I don't think we have a common definition for the word "transparency" in this town. You don't walk up to a window and ask it what's on the other side: you just look through it. The window doesn't do anything different to be transparent, and it doesn't have to tell you specifically what's behind it. You can just see by virtue of how the window is.

No student confidentiality is compromised by a frank discussion of policy and procedure. Transparency is an attitude and an understanding of who your client is and how best to communicate with him or her. It's not enough to argue that "we're making the best decisions for the kids that we can," when, in practice, it's impossible for parents (the very people who know Middletown children the best) to know or to understand how and when decisions are made. For example: about 3 years ago, when the district cancelled a huge number of bus stops to save on fuel costs, the only indication parents got that something had changed was the bus number on the little card from DATTCO that arrived in the mail the week before school started. A huge uproar followed, and it could have been avoided in part if a letter had gone home much earlier in the summer explaining the changes and why they were happening. Since times and stop locations were now much different than before, parents had to make adjustments in work schedules and other care coordination, and who realistically could do this the week before school starts?

I'm not the only Elastigirl in town, and I do wish that the negative attention would go someplace else. Us "super parents" have to be able to trust the process that manages education in our town, but the last couple of years have been really scary. Furthermore, for any change to occur, it has to be organized and efficient to be effective and lasting, and it needs competent leadership and specific goals. So take a moment and consider one or two very specific and concrete things the BOE or the Central Office could do to communicate better or be more transparent. I don't mean for you to say "communicate better" or "be transparent." I mean something like "List the Transportation Committee on the BOE website and provide a link for requesting a transportation hearing."

Post a reply to this article, or email BOE Chairman Dr. Nocera (genenocera@gmail.com) with your specific suggestions. It follows that if parents expect transparency, government should be able to expect specific feedback on how that transparency is working.

On a happier note, I've heard great things about Farm Hill's interim principal, and I'm hoping to share those details in the next week. Rumor has it the mood has completely changed, and that would be some welcome, happy news that this town desperately needs!

Large Crowd Disappointed at Board of Ed Meeting

It was standing room only at Tuesday night's regular Board of Education meeting. Much of the standing was done by the five media camera crews and a handful of print journalists who also attended the meeting. The mood in the room was rather tense, and the crowd was prone to several instances of loudly spoken comments in response to something said by one of the board members.

The Superintendent's inability to answer any of the specific questions posed to him regarding the use of "time out" rooms at Farm Hill Elementary School seriously disappointed and/or angered the parents in the audience. The agenda was re-arranged to allow the Superintendent to present his report on Farm Hill immediately following the adoption of the agenda (view the report here, look for the Talking Points, Farm Hill School link). Most of the Superintendent's report contained information that had been shared with parents at the Farm Hill PTA meeting on January 12th (coverage of that meeting can be found here). Upon the conclusion of the update, BOE Chairman Gene Nocera commented that due to on-going investigations, the board's discussion of what was happening at Farm Hill would be limited to the Superintendent's Report. Nocera did promise, however, that a full public discussion would follow the conclusion of all investigations. [Author's note: this statement was not well received by the audience.]

"Time Out Rooms": Policy Is Changed

Thanks to Darrel Lucas for the video.

The Superintendent of Schools, Michael Frechette, announced at a press conference in District Headquarters that the Farm Hill rooms used to provide students with a time out will no longer be used for this purpose. He said, "A new suite area on the second floor of the building will be modified for use as a safe area by [these] students ... if necessary for their safety and the safety of other students and staff."

This occurs one week after he received a copy of a letter sent by Farm Hill PTA president Apryl Dudley to Mayor Dan Drew, protesting the use of rooms which she said children and parents referred to as "Scream Rooms".

Frechette further said that there would be no further use of time-out rooms for students who do not have a specialized learning plan, "I wanted to make clear that I have directed all administrative staff in the District to cease, immediately, using time out rooms for students who do not have specialized, legally created ... plans."

These "legally created" plans follow either the Americans With Disabilities Act (504 plans) or the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which mandates individualized education plans (IEP) for students with very specific mental or physical disabilities. See HERE for a brief discussion of 504 and IEP.

The press conference was short and seemed forced. Board of Education Chair Gene Nocera told the assembled media there would be no questions, and after being introduced, Frechette tersely read a 164 word statement.

After the conference, I asked Frechette to give his perspective on why so many parents were upset about the situation at Farm Hill. He declined, saying this was all discussed at the Farm Hill meeting last night.

Nocera told me that the Board will continue to monitor the situation, and will hear from the Superintendent at every Board meeting about the progress in resolving the issues.

April Dudley, the Farm Hill PTA president, was deluged with cameras after the meeting. She said that the changes proposed by the administration were good ones, calling it a win-win solution for everybody, "I think we need to move on."

Dudley also said that the concerns of the parents were not about the teachers, "We thank the teachers at our school for doing an outstanding job with our children despite the issues going on."

Superintendent Outlines Farm Hill Support Plan

An addition to the agenda at Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting allowed Superintendent Michael Frechette to update the board on the resources being put into play at Farm Hill Elementary School to address "behavioral issues" in the school.

Frechette had originally planned to meet with the Farm Hill PTA and faculty and staff first before updating the board, but the media frenzy and BOE member interest caused the front office to "drop everything and prepare this report for tonight's meeting." Click here to be linked to the report posted on the Superintendent's website (it's called Farm Hill Support Plan).

The plan outlines the additional staff Farm Hill will be receiving as well as the creation of a Climate Committee "to facilitate and establish [an] action plan to address building needs." The plan also outlines specific action steps, identifies who is responsible for those steps, and what student groups those action steps apply to. For example, the immediate response to inappropriate language and physical aggression will be an In School Suspension and it will be implemented by the Building Sub/Student Manager Coordinator.

Dr. Donn Sottolano, Director of the ACES Behavior Services Center (ACES stands for Area Cooperative Educational Services and exists "to improve public education through high quality, cost-effective programs and services"), was also scheduled today to meet with the Farm Hill grade levels for "collaborative conversations with regard to children at risk." One could speculate that this meeting might be one way the school tries to identify why there are "issues" and how they can be properly addressed.

The Farm Hill PTA meeting this evening is a regularly scheduled PTA meeting that just happened to be planned for this week. It was not called specially for the purpose of discussing a new support plan, and PTA officers plan to have a normal meeting with normal business on the agenda. "This meeting has been planned since the beginning of the year, and we usually have about ten people at each meeting, so that's what we would regularly expect, " commented one PTA officer.

Superintendent Frechette told the BOE that he plans to meet with Farm Hill's faculty and staff tomorrow. When asked by BOE member Ed McKeon for a "history of this issue without confidential specifics," Frechette answered that he had been working with the Farm Hill principal for almost two years now, through the re-districting process, and more specifically at the beginning of this year as new staff was added. Dr. Frechette went on to add that plan had been finalized even before Christmas, and that the coordination of additional state and other agency involvement had taken time to come together.

Several board members asked if re-districting was a root cause of Farm Hill's immediate issues, and Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges replied that if the implication was that moving a special needs program to Farm Hill was the problem, then no, it wasn't re-districting that's at fault. "Frankly, the majority of the behavioral problems at Farm Hill aren't kids in the special needs program," Senges explained.

Board of Ed Meeting Begins With Moment of Silence

Last night's regular Board of Education meeting began with a moment of silence for MHS Class of '06 alum Nora Miller. BOE Chairman Ted Raczka praised Miller's contributions as a student during her years at MHS and offered his deepest condolences to the family during this tragic time.

Once the public session opened, however, the meeting's somber tone turned to one of parental anger and frustration over the taser incident at MHS. Rebecca Johnson, Middletown resident and mother of two, stated that she was very new to the school system and "profoundly disappointed" with the incidents over the last ten days: "it's not OK to subject children to electrocution...may God strike me down dead the day I decide that the appropriate discipline for stealing...is an electric device." She went on to point out that the student in question is a child in the eyes of the law and that the school district has "sunk to an all time low in condoning this police conduct."

Another parent, Donna Gagnon-Smith, urged the board to learn from this incident, to review its policies and to be accountable to the public for its [the board's] decisions. She also encouraged Middletown parents to vocalize their concerns to the BOE: "we will not tolerate this...we give you our kids during the day and you are supposed to take care of them."

Quentin Phipps (D), Chair of Middletown's Planning and Zoning Commission, commented that schools are supposed to be "institutions of education, not correctional facilities." Professing his shock and anger over the incident (while also admitting he wasn't condoning the student's behavior), Phipps pointed out that this could have been a teaching moment for the child: "We could have taught this child about patience and compassion, but instead, what have we learned as a community? That you shouldn't do anything wrong because you might get tasered?" Phipps went on to say that the Student Resource Model is a great one for Middletown Schools, but that it wasn't used as it was intended: "I want to adamantly express that the use of a taser in a school is wrong, and I look forward to considering clear rules and regulations for the future."

The only other public comments to the board came from Macdonough parent Ed McKeon and Middletown Schools Association President Stephanie Alderman. Mckeon asked the BOE to provide a public report on redistricting, especially as it relates to possible overcrowding and racial imbalance at Macdonough. Alderman informed the board that the Middletown Schools Association (MSA) was reconstituted by the eleven Middletown PTAs, and she invited board members to attend MSA meetings as well as their local PTA meetings. [author's note: more information on MSA's purpose and goals will be available in a future posting. For now, MSA details are available here.]

After the public session, the board attended to a few business items and then went into Executive Session. Five extended MHS Field trips were approved: FFA to its National Convention, BlueTube Television Club to FL, Blue Prints Conference to NY, a Drama Club Festival and the World Language group to Spain. Several board members expressed concern initially for what happens to the students who DON'T go on the trip (i.e. if the teacher is gone, what is the quality of the education for those students left behind?), but they were reassured that field trips aren't even approved internally at MHS unless the faculty member can articulate how the trip aligns with his or her curriculum and how student learning is impacted.

Superintendent Michael Frechette reported that opening day went well, and that a commission from the State Department of Education visited last week. It met with several principals and teachers, and Frechette told the board that the recommendations taken back to the State BOE after its time in Middletown could change the future of education in CT.

There were no committee reports because most committees start meeting this week or next. The action items concerning the Personnel and Feasibility committees were tabled until the October meeting so the BOE has time to discuss relevant issues pertaining to these committees at its upcoming workshop on September 28th.

Before going into Executive Session, Board Chairman Ted Raczka justified the session as follows: "The taser incident is of great concern to the board. We're going to think it through long and hard...violence in our schools is not to be taken lightly and we deplore it." Raczka also stated his specific reasons: "first, we're going to be discussing a student's name and we have to protect his right to privacy, and second, there is a clear chance of litigation in this matter."

The next regular Board of Education meeting is Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 7pm in the Council Chambers, Middletown Municipal Building, 245 deKoven Drive.

Rumors: Part 2

The Middletown EYE previously investigated a rumor circling the school district about the availability of paper for copying (see previous article). After a number of comments posted to that article, I spoke again with Superintendent Michael Frechette, via phone interview this morning, about allegations that Lawrence and Farm Hill Elementary Schools (in particular) are out of paper.

According to Dr. Frechette, a paper shortage "is not an issue." The Superintendent confirmed that he has checked with several principals and the district's business manager, and he could not find any evidence of teachers having to buy their own paper to make copies.

Frechette did say that Middletown schools do encourage donations of various supplies, but not because the school's basic needs aren't meet. He also said that the schools are trying to be more conscious of WHAT is being copied so paper isn't wasted. In the end, the Superintendent commented that he "just doesn't know where this information is coming from" because he can't find a problem anywhere.

From my own personal viewpoint, I suppose it's possible that the administrative effort to make better choices about what gets copied was interpreted as a ban on copying, but then again, I'm not a teacher or a principal and I can't say for sure who said what to whom.

I did ask Dr. Frechette specifically about the two parents who reported that they received a letters stating that homework was affected by the paper shortage, but he had no knowledge of such a letter. This of course doesn't mean said letter doesn't exist, but without a copy of it myself, I can't do much more than accept what he's said.

There is a regular Board of Education meeting tonight at 7pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The public is allowed 3 minutes per person to speak to the Board on matters concerning education in Middletown, so feel free to present contradictory evidence if you have it. Yours truly will be there to cover the meeting for the EYE, and I'd love to see the mystery homework letter if a copy of it exists...

Rumor Has It...

that there's a paper shortage in Middletown schools, and I even heard that homework has been canceled because of it. Of course, I didn't catch WHICH school has this problem, so I went straight to the top to sort it out.

Business Manager Nancy Haynes confirmed on 1/28/10 to Superintendent Michael Frechette that she knows of no paper shortage at any of the schools. Furthermore, she had just signed a purchase order for three schools to buy paper.

So, if anyone has confirmed instances of a school not having enough paper, please post a comment with your specifics. Otherwise, I'm happy to report that it was just a nasty rumor, although I'm sure there are many kids out there who'd love to have homework canceled because of budget shortfalls!

Board of Education Approves 2010-2011 Budget

In a record-setting fifteen minute meeting (including public comment time), the Board of Education unanimously approved a $68,033,807 budget for 2010-2011. This budget represents a 1.28% increase over the 2009-2010 Budget. (You can view the budget here)

• Both teachers and administrators will not receive a salary increase under the approved budget, nor will any new staff be added (5 retirements are anticipated).
• There will be a zero increase in insurance costs for BOE members, but City Employees working for the BOE have a 15% increase in insurance costs (health insurance is negotiated separately for town employees and school district employees, thus the difference in cost).
• Classified salaries will increase by 2.5% due to contractual obligations (clerical, custodians, aids, etc.), but the Local 466 contract expires on 6/30/10.
• No field trips are funded, professional development funds were cut by more than 50%, funding for textbooks and library and media materials are at or below the 2009-2010 level of funding, and student activities funds for the middle schools and MHS were cut by 50%.
• Note: Middletown spends MORE than the state average per pupil, but when transportation and facility maintenance costs are subtracted out, Middletown spends LESS than the state average per pupil on educational materials.

The District hopes to save roughly $25,000 on sewer and water costs and $90,000 in electrical costs thanks to savings realized through the Honeywell Energy Performance Contract as well as lower long terms rates. The District also expects to save on fuel oil and diesel fuel costs by participating in the Capital Region Purchasing Council consortium to get the best price. Middletown has also applied for a Race to the Top grant that may bring in $600,000 over four years, but those funds are highly restricted for specific use.

BOE Chairman Ted Raczka commented that this budget "is a reality we have to accept grudgingly." When asked what his top priorities would be if he had more money, Raczka replied that he would push for an expanded preschool program, a foreign language program for the elementary schools, and more support for women's athletics: "I think we're really falling behind in women's athletics in Middletown, but I've been told we don't stand a chance at putting more money into our programs."

Superintendent Michael Frechette noted that no teacher jobs will be lost if this budget is fully funded by the Town Council, but that a $4 million gap will open up by the 2012-13 budget cycle as the Federal Stimulus funds run out. Middletown received$2,375,713 in Education Cost Sharing Funds and $1,413,912 (over two years) for District Funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These funds come straight to the BOE from the State, so the Common Council just reduced the BOE's appropriation for the 2009-2010 school year (and will do so for the 2010-2011 school year) by that same amount. In fact, 14% of the State's Education Cost Sharing requirements were paid by Federal Funds instead of State funds, so Middletown won't be the only town to face a horrible budget reality in the next two years (not that sharing the pain makes it any easier for anyone...)

The Superintendent has his own wish list for Middletown schools should more funds become available at a later date: the full list is available here, but the top of list includes a full-day preschool for all students, an increase in the school day AND school year (so longer days and more days in school), and expanded before and after school programs. BOE Chairman Ted Raczka confirmed that all players in the district have agreed to a longer school day (it's already in teacher contracts). However, the BOE hasn't been able to fund a longer day, and it's not looking possible anytime soon given the state of the economy and the funding levels that are likely to come back from the Common Council.

Speaking of the Common Council, we should all pay particular attention to the language used during this upcoming budget cycle. The Council used reserve funds and funds not yet received from the sale of Cucia Park to the Army to close this year's budget gap, so where will the money come from to close the gap once Federal Stimulus funds dry up? And what will happen once Aetna is moved back to Hartford and we've lost that tax revenue? The school budget is roughly half the town budget, and if the town budget is in crisis, the school budget is not far behind. Both the Superintendent and the BOE Chairman have publicly stated that Middletown's curriculum isn't challenging enough and that we should be doing more for our students. We can't afford to let the Common Council dig any more holes with this year's budget process!

Superintendent Interested in Federal "Race To The Top" Grant

School Superintendent Michael Frechette asked the Board of Education last night for permission to "find out more information" about a new federal grant that would provide "significant dollars, significant exposure, and a change to how we do business." Acknowledging that the Mayor would also have the sign the letter of interest that Middletown wants to send to the State, Frechette commented that "the whole city has to commit" to the requirements of the grant.

The July 29, 2009 Federal Register listed the official announcement of this grant program (click here to see the full article). From that announcement, here's a brief explanation of the grant and its purpose:

Purpose of Program: The Race to the Top Fund, authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), provides approximately $4.3 billion (emphasis added by the EYE) for competitive grants to States to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform; implementing ambitious plans in the four education reform areas described in the ARRA; and achieving significant improvement in student outcomes, including making substantial gains in student achievement, closing achievement gaps, improving high school graduation rates, and ensuring student preparation for success in college and careers.

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the ARRA, historic legislation designed to stimulate the economy, support job creation, and invest in critical sectors, including education. The ARRA lays the foundation for education reform by supporting investments in innovative strategies that are most likely to lead to improved results for students, long-term gains in school and school system capacity, and increased productivity and effectiveness. The ARRA provides $4.3 billion for the Race to the Top Fund (referred to in the statute as the State Incentive Grant Fund). This is a competitive grant program designed to encourage and reward States that are implementing significant education reforms across four "assurance'' areas. Specifically, section 14006(a)(2) of the ARRA requires States to have made significant progress in the following four education reform areas in order to receive a grant: implementing standards and assessments, improving teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution, improving collection and use of data, and supporting struggling schools. In addition, as required by section 14006(c) of the ARRA, States that receive a Race to the Top grant must use at least 50 percent of the award to provide subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), including public charter schools identified as LEAs under State law, based upon LEAs' relative shares of funding under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA). LEAs that choose to participate in their State's Race to the Top proposal must agree to fully implement the State's proposed plan and to use their funding under this grant in support of that plan.

Before the Board of Education would agree to let the Superintendent to investigate this grant, several members expressed concern over what the "strings" would look like. Frechette commented at one point that "we're already doing many of the things the grant is looking for, so we might as well try to get federal funding for it." BOE member Corinne Gill's motion to approve the Superintendent's actions included the requirement that he update the board monthly on the status of the grant as well as provide an assessment of how this grant would impact teacher workloads.

Interestingly, Governor Rell will have to apply for this grant for the state, so the state as a whole will be evaluated under the four reform areas mentioned above. It is still unclear what that will mean for individual towns that agree to be included in the state's grant application. Stay tuned for future updates...

Moody School to get some staffing relief for 2009-2010

At Tuesday night's Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges told board members that a meeting with Moody Principal Yolande Eldridge has produced the following changes to ease Moody's overcrowding concerns for next year:

• Two teachers who taught 1/2 time this year (job-sharing) will move to full-time next year to help out with the anticipated 4 first grade classes. This means each first grade will have a 2nd teacher for 1/2 the day each day.


• In Special Education, a full time teacher will be added, bring the staff total to three teachers.


• An additional four duty aides will be added, for a total of ten.


• The cafeteria workers will pick up additional hours.


• During inclement weather, students will go to their classrooms instead of the gym or the cafeteria.


• The part-time secretary will continue to assist the full-time secretary.


• A Head Teacher (stipend position) will be added to assist the Principal with supervisory duties.

Board Member Ryan Kennedy asked Senges how she was going to pay for the staffing additions, and she deferred to Superintendent Michael Frechette: "Our budget can absorb these additions...we'll make it work...our budget is a living document and it will change from moment to moment," he said. "But we passed the budget LAST week," Kennedy replied, "and we asked you if you needed money for Moody, and you said no. Now you say you'll 'make it work' and I think we're doing things backwards here."

In other BOE news, Middletown has applied for $2 million in Federal stimulus funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The use of these funds is extremely restricted, and is intended to help build a district's capacity in a specific way. There may be additional funds available, but the state and federal governments are still deciding how to allocate such funds (competitively or by entitlement). In any case, the funds Frechette hopes to receive are tied to specific District Improvement Plans.

During the Public Session, City Councilman David Bauer (speaking as a member of the Board of Health) mentioned a field mouse issue in the kitchen at Keigwin and another rodent problem at Middletown High School: both had been identified as a result of improper food handling, and he wanted to know when the BOE was going to address/discuss those problems. Facilities Director Ken Jackson said the Keigwin issue is being addressed and that he didn't know anything about MHS (but he'd find out).

Brandon Downer, a freshman at MHS, addressed the BOE on the subject of fights and the new policy of locking the bathrooms (students have to ask to have the bathrooms unlocked to use them). "You just can't help it - there is a lot of violence in our school. But, there is a security system in place and they do a good job." Downer also commented that he understands why the bathrooms are now locked: "Just last week I personally saw 12 kids skip class and lock themselves in the bathroom...you can't do anything else about it." Later, in a personal interview with yours truly, Downer said he feels safe when he's in school, but that "kids are going to be kids, and parents, teachers, and rules aren't going to change that...my generation is rebellious and you can't change that." Downer stated that he believes there is a lot of gang violence at MHS, and while there are some very rude teachers, the kids are rude in class first, and that provokes a teacher's response. (author's note: I had to leave before the end of the meeting, so I did not have a chance to get MHS Principal Robert Fontaine's response to these comments.)

Finally, the Naming Committee presented its report to the BOE. Charged with the responsibility "to address naming issues for the new high school and middle school," the Committee recommended that "any name associated with a facility at either the old middle school or the old high school should be moved to a facility at the new middle school or high school....In particular, if a coach were a Woodrow Wilson High School coach, that person's name should continue to be associated with the high school and not the middle school even though the middle school now uses the name Woodrow Wilson." A quick summary of the recommended names is as follows:

• Gallitto-Montanile Sports Arena (over the west entrance to the athletic facilities at the HS)
• LaBella-Sullivan Gymnasium
• Baldwin-Parmelee Pool
• Miller-Fillback Sports Complex (displayed outside toward the stadium area or on it)
• Rosek-Skubel Stadium (displayed inside the stadium)
• Greco's Grill (name of the concession stand at the new HS)
• Denunzio Field (displayed on the baseball field)
• Hiller Field (displayed on the softball field)
• Virginia Gilbert Memorial Library
• A Wall of Honor/Walk of Honor is also recommended to recognize individuals who distinguish themselves at MHS and for whom a facility is not named: including but not limited to teachers, librarians, administrators, custodians, etc.
• Collins Field (displayed at the middle school football stadium and track)
• A Wall of Honor is also recommended for WWMS to honor teachers, librarians, administrators, custodians, etc., who have played a prominent role and for whom a facility is not named.

JCJ Architecture has been hired by the Superintendent to design signage to implement the naming recommendations, and the Naming Committee also recommended the city change the through-way in front of Woodrow Wilson Middle School to a city street and readdress the school 1 Wilderman's Way.

I had to leave before the meeting finished, so I did not get to see what else happened under Action Items. The Superintendent's Evaluation was scheduled for an Executive Session. I will say that I was sadly disappointed by the Superintendent's Moody update. The staffing changes are only band-aids at this point, and I fear a tourniquet is probably needed. Late last December and into January, Moody PTA President Susan Courchesne called for a cap on Moody's enrollment. The Westfield Residents Association (WRA) joined Courchesne's call in a letter to the Superintendent dated January 6, 2009. After a second letter dated February 10, 2009, Dr. Frechette had not specifically addressed the issue of capping Moody's enrollment. JCJ Architecture mentioned as late as May that perhaps Moody's enrollment issues would be self-correcting: 5th grade would leave and not as many kindergartners would register.

That remains to be seen. The Kindergarten registration numbers are not known yet, but the November 2008 Enrollment Report by Peter M. Prowda, PhD, projects a decreasing District enrollment over the next 10 years, with Middletown's K-5 enrollment essentially staying flat (.5% decrease). This projection comes despite the fact that Middletown's enrollment growth (6.5%) exceeded both that of the state (4.1%) and similarly-sized towns for the past 10 years. I have to speculate that this report is responsible for the Administration's less than enthusiastic response to Moody parents and the overcrowding issue. That JCJ Architecture had no "save the day" recommendation, and that BOE talk has now shifted to the planned redistricting for next year fortifies my suspicions further.

One parent pointed out during a recent public session that last year's projection for Moody's Kindergarten enrollment was off 117% (3 classes were planned for, there ended up being 5 classes in 2008-2009), and he wondered out loud what would happen if the projection was off again for the 2009-2010 school year. That's a great question, given the fact that the Superintendent's office seems content with adding a few staff members here and there. Given JCJ Architecture's assessment that the Middletown school system has enough seats for all the students currently in the district (just not in the right place at this exact moment), the projected decrease in total Middletown students over the next 10 years, and the planned redistricting for next year, I believe the Administration thinks the "Moody problem" will just evaporate over time.

Superintendent Receives Contract Approval, Salary Increase

By the way, during today's Eye on the Air (the Middletown Eye's radio edition, Fridays 1-2 on WESU, 88.1FM), David Bauer reported that the Board of Education voted Tuesday night to give Superintendent Frechette a three year contract, with a salary of $154,000 per year, a $2,000 supplement for his degree, and a $6,000 per year allowance for using his own car for transportation. From the June 6, 2006, BOE minutes, Frechette's last 3-year contract was : "
Vote taken to increase the Superintendent’s annual salary to $141,428, continue the TSA, $2,285, Ph.D. stipend, $2,000, retroactive Ph.D. for the 2005-2006 school year, $2,000, and continue his contract for one more year (for a total of three years) passed with a motion by Ms. Weiss and a second by Mr. Boyd – unanimous vote."

Obviously, despite the terrible economy, massive lay-offs, the need for a Federal stimulus package, a cut in the overall school budget, and the Administration's own confession that "our middle schools are struggling" and "Middletown doesn't have a challenging enough curriculum," the Superintendent is still entitled to a 3% raise for the next three years. At least we know what our priorities are.

Board of Education Recognizes DECA Student Achievement

At last night’s regular Board of Education meeting, seventeen DECA students were recognized for their outstanding performance at the 57th Connecticut State Leadership Conference on March 10th. Competing against over 1,000 other business education students from more than 40 Connecticut schools, 17 of 45 Middletown students were winners in their respective events. Fifteen of those students did well enough to advance to the upcoming international competition in Anaheim, CA. The Board of Education warmly congratulated these students, and Superintendent Michael Frechette was presented with a signed group photograph.

The Board also recognized Steven Benavides for his accomplishments as the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Northern Connecticut Chapter Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Benavides received this award for excelling in academics, leadership and football playing ability.

In the public session, the Board heard from two retiring teachers who are part of the group not offered the Board’s new incentive for retirement. Apparently, these teachers received verification that their retirement had been accepted as the Board was voting on a new incentive package to encourage more retirements in an effort to bring budget costs down. Both teachers expressed frustration and disappointment that after decades of service, there would be a group of teachers left out of the incentive process. Both asked the Board to reconsider its decision.

The Board also heard from a parent, Amanda Sickel-Smith, and NEAT Director Izzie Greenberg on the subject of JCJ Architecture’s community outreach on the District Utilization Study. Both urged the Board to consider carefully how children will be affected if students have to change schools to solve overcrowding and racial imbalance issues. Greenberg told the Board outright that no child should have to move twice (once for a short term fix and then again for redistricting), that solving Moody’s overcrowding problems should not then result in Macdonough being overcrowded, and that parents must be informed and involved at all stages of the decision-making process. Greenberg also commented that it would not be acceptable to break up the Macdonough community just to solve the city’s racial imbalance problems, especially given the dramatic improvements the school has seen as a result of outstanding leadership and dedication from the principal and teachers. “Whatever is decided for September,” Greenberg finished, “moving no students is better than making a bad choice and having to fix it by moving students again.”

Superintendent Michael Frechette reported that Middletown has been notified that Macdonough Elementary School is racially imbalanced (it is more than 25% over the average at the other schools). The District has 120 days to tell the state how it plans to address this problem. Frechette noted that JCJ Architecture had already been told this issue might arise, and he stated that JCJ was already working on a solution. Board member Corinne Gill asked if the state would grant an extension since JCJ’s report wouldn’t be done in time to have an approved plan to give the state. Frechette said that wouldn’t be necessary because the District can simply tell the state that there’s an on-going study in place to resolve the issue.

Director of Facilities Ken Jackson reported on the MHS building project. There are one or two minor roof leaks in the auditorium, which Jackson stated was “normal for a new roof installation.” There was also some discussion regarding the retaining wall on the south side of the parking lot: last month the wall started to fail and it is now a safety hazard. BOE Chair Ted Raczka asked if a sidewalk could be installed at the same time the wall is being fixed to get students off Newfield Street as they walk to school, but it appears that the extreme slope of that area would not allow a sidewalk. Board member Bill Boyd was concerned about the shape of the desks in MHS classrooms (they’re pie-shaped to give teachers more flexibility) since the classrooms seem to be very crowded with 25 desks in them. Principal Fontaine commented that the original design called for classrooms to be about 300 square feet larger than they actually are. Subsequently, some furniture is too big for some places. However, teachers have not complained about the desks, and some have even stated that the close quarters have been beneficial for the learning environment. Fontaine also pointed out the construction in one of the cafeteria corners: Seasons Federal Credit Union is opening a branch to help train business education students. The Bank is covering all costs and both students and faculty will be able to bank at the branch.

The Board voted to allow the Ultimate Frisbee Team to travel to Ohio to compete over the weekend of May 8th. The team has raised $3500 of the needed $6100 to cover bus costs, but it is still waiting to hear how many students will be allowed to compete.

Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges asked the Board to consider approving early release days for elementary teachers for every month in 2009-2010 except the months with scheduled professional development days (August, November and January). Senges reported that teacher feedback from this year was overwhelmingly positive, and that she wanted parents to know now, way in advance of the next school year, what those days would be so they could make childcare arrangements. The expanded number of early release days would also allow for additional use of those days for professional development and cross-district meetings. The middle schools have asked for delayed openings in a similar fashion, and Senges confirmed that the busing schedule would not be harmed by these release days. The Board asked Senges to propose a calendar at the May meeting.

Finally, the Naming Committee will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, May 6 at 6:30pm in the Keigwin auditorium. The Committee is seeking public comment on how the facilities at Woodrow Wilson Middle School and Middletown High School should be named. For example, the current names from the old facilities could simply be transferred to the new facilities, or new names could be given to some of the facilities in general (“The (name) Sports Complex”), but not specifically to the pool or the gym or the football field, etc. Or, none of the facilities would be named other than “Middletown High School Gym,” and so on. The Committee wants to hear from the public, and will host a fact-finding/Q&A session so it can get a sense of what people want. Suggestions could also be emailed to Board member Bill Boyd at boydb@mps1.org.

Mayor blames Board of Education for wasteful spending

At last night’s budget roundtable at the Third Congregational Church in Westfield, Mayor Giuliano was critical of the Board of Education’s proposed 2009-2010 budget. In particular, the school district duplicates many services the town already operates such as buildings and grounds maintenance, payroll, insurance and snow removal. Mayor Giuliano is proposing that the city take over these “non-education functions” of the BOE to save significantly on the school district’s operating costs.

Currently, because the school budget is a single line item in the town’s budget ($69,408,000 or 53% of the 2008-2009 budget), the town has no say in how the BOE spends those funds once they are transferred to the school district’s control. State law currently allows the BOE full discretion of how funds are spent, and monies can be transferred between any of the line items in the school budget as the BOE sees fit and when the BOE sees fit (the town is specifically prohibited from doing so in its own budget). So, in the case of the above mentioned “non-education functions,” the BOE can allocate money in those areas, but then use it for something else later in the year if it wants to.

Additionally, the Middletown School District receives some $7 million in grant funding each year, but the budget cycle for those monies is different that the town budgeting cycle, and so those funds are not accounted for in the budget the BOE submits to the town. Grant money is also able to be rolled from one year into the next, so the BOE has the capacity to spend the town’s (i.e. the taxpayer’s money) FIRST and COMPLETELY before it spends grant money.

Councilman David Bauer referred to the school district as a “giant slushing of funds from one place to another,” and stated that there’s always money available “if the BOE wants to find it and spend it.”

Councilman Phil Pessina then decried the BOE’s recent cutting of 13 teaching positions and the resulting increase in elementary school class sizes as a nasty trick to inflame public opinion and to make the Common Council look responsible for cutting those positions by not fully funding the proposed school budget.

Many members of the public (including yours truly) told the Mayor and both Common Council members present that the Superintendent and BOE’s refusal to protect jobs and class sizes in this difficult economy was totally unacceptable. Almost every day, the Hartford Courant reports on other school districts, and almost without exception, you hear other Superintendents say as West Hartford Superintendent David P. Sklarz did: “under no scenarios would he recommend increasing class sizes” (Hartford Courant, March 4, 2009).

Even if the town cuts its 2009-2010 budget by 3% from last year, property taxes still have to increase to compensate for the lost in revenue the town expects during the budget cycle starting July 1, 2009. As previously reported, it looks like a minimum of about $224 for the average home valued at $200,000 (assessed value of $140,000). Wouldn’t it be better to close the estimated $5,794,941 gap in the city’s budget by trimming wasteful spending FIRST and then adjusting the mil rate AFTER all fat has been trimmed? Would you pay multiple contractors to duplicate work on your home?

I don’t think so…Middletown residents shouldn’t have the patience or the pockets to accept this kind of budgeting any longer. It’s time the Board of Education does its budgeting in the light of day, and stands accountable for what it’s spending where. Most importantly, if we have a Superintendent and a Board who are willing to use our children as political pawns to AVOID responsible budgeting, what else are they doing (or not doing) that we don’t know about?

Public to Board of Education: Are you serious?

Public tells Board of Ed that class sizes matter: Board ignores public and eliminates 13 elementary teachers.

The public session during last night’s Board of Education meeting lasted 49 minutes. Approximately 70 members of the public gathered to watch the proceedings. In general, the comments were made either in support of specific programs or in support of teacher retention and small class sizes.

Several individuals spoke on behalf of the Upward Bound program, which had not been targeted for elimination. Roberta Avery, a Farm Hill Teacher responsible for the Probe Program, confirmed her retirement and argued that the Board should NOT eliminate the other Probe position (Probe is Middletown’s gifted education program). She urged the Board not to lose sight of the high-end learner because they can be at risk too.

Mr. James Gaudreau, the Snow School Principal, stated that research has definitively proven the value of small elementary class sizes in supporting early literacy development. Specifically, class sizes of 16-18 students give teachers the ability to differentiate their instruction methods to accommodate their students’ different learning styles. Class sizes upwards of 22-25 students means teachers don’t have this time, and at-risk children run the risk of falling in between the cracks. Small class sizes are especially critical now that there have been enormous gains on recent CMTs for elementary reading: it would be a crime to stop those positive gains now. Mr. Gaudreau also stated that while he and the other elementary school principals support the Probe Program, there may be ways to restructure the program or to brainstorm about how to make the program even better.

Elizabeth Nocera, grants coordinator, spoke on behalf of the 21st Century Program: the $30,000 Board of Education support allows a much larger program to leverage a number of grants. Of the 197 students attending for more than 30 days, there was significant data to support the program’s positive impact on participants’ homework completion, skill base, and motivation to do well in school. Parents were also survey regarding this program (with an 80% return rate on the survey), and 100% replied that the 21st Century program supported their ability to stay employed without worry for their children’s safety.

The remaining comments focused on the importance of small class sizes, the value of protecting our investment in our teachers, and the importance of the Board having established funding priorities to guide what cuts had to be made. One parent, recently relocated from California, spoke of the struggle there to REDUCE class sizes, and how she couldn’t understand why we’d want to give up something we already have. She stated that Middletown’s current small class sizes are a huge advantage, and that we risk traveling down a slippery slope if we start to chip away at those class sizes. Others challenged the Board to cut from the top down (meaning front office salaries and other “top heavy” budget items) to protect the children at all costs.

From my own perspective as a parent of a 3rd grader and a kindergartener, I could not believe I heard Superintendent Michael Frechette say that there was no educational philosophy behind his budget: he was told to cut $2.5 million dollars out of the budget, so that’s what he did. Let me clean my ears out and listen to that again…yep, our Superintendent, the man with the Phd in whatever he has a Phd in, flatly admitted that he just cut the budget without thought to what he was doing to the basic structure of our school system. Never mind all the money the District just spent on training curriculum supervisors (those positions were cut), or that the Board just hired JCJ Architecture to do a Feasibility Study to solve several problems, including the overcrowding at Moody School, but then didn’t leave any physical room in class sizes to accommodate any recommended changes (cutting 13 elementary teachers and consolidating classrooms now forces overcrowding issues on EVERY elementary school instead of just Moody and Laurence and Spencer).

In all fairness, when pressed on his priorities, Frechette stated that he didn’t want any of the cuts, but that he was told to cut $2.5 million, so he did. That’s where my sympathy for this whole process ends. There was no leadership demonstrated last night from either the Superintendent or the Chairman of the Board of Education. Apparently the $2,000-$3,000 stipends paid Assistant Athletic Coaches are more important than the jobs of 13 elementary teachers and small class sizes at the elementary level. Despite comment after comment last night in SUPPORT of the known value of small class sizes and Middletown’s own CMT scores to prove the same, the BOE mechanically voted to support the Superintendent’s budget with minor exceptions (detailed coverage below).

Pardon me, but what on earth are we doing here (cursing omitted out of respect for readers’ delicate sensibilities…)? If I were REALLY cynical, I might be tempted to think that there’s a nefarious plan afoot to force the Common Council to give the Board more than a 2% increase budget increase (remember that 5.61% is needed for funding at the same level as this year) by using parental sensitivity to teachers and class sizes as bait. If that were true, last night was just a huge waste of everyone’s time because the real budget won’t come together until the very last minute when the town, state and federal funding levels are known.

I cannot understand how this method of governing is acceptable to anyone. Never mind President Obama’s challenge to his OWN party to be more transparent, efficient, and responsible, or his goal to increase the number of children attending college by 2020. Last night’s meeting was about political posturing, and not about our children or what’s most important for the school system as a whole. When given the opportunity, our Superintendent didn’t stand up and say this is what we need to give our children the best with what we have: instead, he hid behind the Board’s mandate to cut the budget and passed responsibility to someone else. The Chairman of the Board didn’t stand up and say that what Frechette proposed was philosophically unacceptable – go back and do it again…Mr. Chairman ALSO passed the responsibility off to someone else. Now, the Common Council is put in the position of allocating funding for a budget can’t actually control.

Where is the leadership we’re paying for (the Superintendent’s nice fat salary) or the leadership we’ve elected (the Board of Education)? It’s our money and children these people are casually playing with, and shame on us for letting it happen this way. Could you as a parent cut your grocery bill to force your employer to give you a raise? No – you have to live within your means (or you’re supposed to anyway, don’t let the possibility of credit card debt wreck my analysis here…).

The Middletown Schools Mission Statement reads:

The mission of the Middletown Public Schools is to enable all students to achieve at their highest potential by challenging them through a system structured around a common core of knowledge, skills, values, and a variety of educational experiences. Through partnerships with family and community, our schools will promote the pursuit of lifelong learning, responsible citizenship and decision making in a culturally diverse world.

Three lonely Republicans, and every now and then one Democrat, tried during last night’s budget discussions to uphold the philosophy represented in this mission statement. Funny, though, there’s nothing in the mission that says anything about politics. In fact, this mission statement HAS to be apolitical because we’re supposed to be modeling the behavior we are trying to teach our children. Why then, should we even bother putting this statement on the bottom of the agenda if the adults in the room aren’t going to follow it? What responsible citizenship and decision making was demonstrated last night? If we don’t do it, how can we expect our children to learn it?

President Lincoln once commented: “In times like the present men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity.” That we have a Superintendent and a Board of Education Chairman who, in a time of extreme budget conditions, would willingly put 13 elementary teachers’ jobs on the line (and thus the very foundation of education in our town), makes me doubt very seriously the value of those individuals in their present jobs.

Our children are counting on us to do better than this.

Board of Ed Votes on Budget

Budget Will Cut 13 Elementary School Teachers

Faced with the task of approving next year's school budget before the Mayor's deadline, the Board of Education held a public hearing and a vigorous debate on Tuesday night. Ultimately, they voted along party lines for a 2% increase over the current year's budget. Due to contracted increases, this means a $2.5 million cut in services.

The budget on the table was the one drafted by Superintendent Michael Frechette on February 17th. At Tuesday's meeting, the Republicans made an effort to change the direction of the budget from one which cuts 13 elementary teachers to one that would spread the pain in other ways.

They were unsuccessful, with a few small exceptions.

The Republicans — Sheila Daniels, Corinne Gill and Ryan Kennedy — came up with a list of cuts and put-backs that totaled up to the same 2% increase as the Superintendent's budget, but showed different priorities. Line by line, they tried to convince their colleagues that there were savings to be found
•in transportation costs by swapping kids at Moody, Macdonough and Spencer;
•in cutting stipends for assistant coaches in high school sports;
•in cutting travel, association dues, and miscellaneous other small costs.

On one item, they were successful: the proposal to lower thermostats in the winter and raise them in the summer (by 2 degrees) was accepted and is projected to save the district about $50,000 in fuel costs.

The Republicans wanted several items restored to the budget as well, such as the pre-K to 12th grade supervisors (3.5 jobs) who were to play a role in implementing the just-approved District Improvement Plan.

Throughout the meeting, the Republicans waved the banner of keeping class sizes small in the elementary level. They were particularly irked that athletics were not cut at all in the Superintendent's budget, while teaching positions were eliminated. This sentiment was shared by Democrat Renee Johnson-Thornton, who noted that volunteers might be sought to help with some of the sports programs and that even teachers themselves might volunteer, a suggestion that was shot down as being a violation of the union contract.

Although the majority denied most of the requests to restore items to the budget, there were two additions. The Board agreed to restore the funding for the 21st Century program. This afterschool program is a joint effort between the schools, Wesleyan University, the YMCA and Oddfellows to help the neediest kids at Bielefield, Snow and Macdonough schools. It was recognized that the $30,000 line item is only a portion of the actual costs of running the program. This cost was offset by the savings in fuel costs.

The Board also put about $20,000 back into the salary line item to make the budget balance at a 2% increase.

Some hightlights of the school budget:
•cuts 13 teaching positions at the elementary level
•replaces 11 retiring teachers with (presumably) lower cost, less experienced teachers
•trades 3.5 supervisors who serve Pre-K through 12th grade for 2 instructional support teachers in the middle schools.
•eliminates one PROBE teacher and one assistant superintendent, and a few other non-classroom positions.
•trims the edges off various items such as instructional supplies
•bets on lower prices for heating oil and replacement maintenance costs.

Although the budget doesn't actually crunch the numbers, it looks to me like the elementary class size will rise from an average of 18.23 students per class to 20.07 students per class (that's based on this February's enrollment - 2589 students in 142 classrooms). Note that the current class sizes actually range from 13 to 25 children per room. That's just for K through 5, and does not count the preschool classrooms, which are much smaller.

One topic that recieved a lot of attention at the meeting was the PROBE program for gifted and talented 4th and 5th graders. In this budget, the program will be cut in half, leaving only one teaching position. Since both of the two long-time PROBE teachers have announced their retirement, Jay Keiser proposed that this was a good time to review the program and perhaps alter the way it is structured. Jim Gaudreau, the principal of Snow School, also suggested that even though they didn't want to see it cut, the principals would like the system to consider changing the program to reach more students.

The final vote on the 2% budget was five in favor (Ted Raczka, Jay Keiser, Bill Boyd, Renee Johnson-Thornton and Sally Boske) and three against (Corinne Gill, Sheila Daniels and Ryan Kennedy.) Although she did cast a vote, throughout the meeting member Sally Boske maintained that she would not be voting on the budget. Her position was that it would be better to wait to approve a budget, since the schools will know by mid-March which teachers will be accepting an early retirement package. (my apologies for an earlier version of this report which listed her as abstaining)

Now the Mayor and the Common Council will consider the amount of funding that the school district has requested. The 2009-2010 budget is not final until it receives Common Council approval later this Spring.

Christmas in February for School Board

Although there hasn't yet been time to digest all the implications of Governor Rell's proposed state budget for 2009-2011, there is one item that undoubtedly has them popping champagne corks over at the Board Of Education offices on Hunting Hill Avenue. Non-alcoholic champagne, of course.

According to the Hartford Courant, it was announced today that Governor Rell will propose a budget that includes the same level of state funding for education in Middletown. Until now, Superintendent Michael Frechette has been cautioning the Board of Ed to expect at least $2 million less in state funding than we received this year.

State funding makes up nearly a quarter of this year's school budget of $69,350,000. Less funding from the state would have meant either budget cuts or local tax increases.

On February 10th, the school board is expected to vote on a budget for 2009-2010, which will then go to the Common Council for their approval (or their rejection). Even with the good news that the state will not cut Middletown's share of education funding, there is still a gap of nearly $4 million between the budget for the current year and what it would take to keep the same level of services for next year. The school board has the option to ask the City for an additional 5.61 % in funding to close that gap, or propose cuts in current services.

Stay tuned -- and if you care about local education services, take a moment to celebrate!

Teachers and parents express concerns to Board of Education

The last school board meeting, on November 18th, drew over 150 teachers and parents, and the next meeting, this Tuesday evening, may bring even more.  Most of those who attended last month came to protest the demands being placed on teachers by the District Improvement Plan (DIP). The DIP is a three year plan to improve the achievement of students in the Middletown Public Schools, it was approved by the State Board of Education on November 5th.

Teachers have expressed numerous frustrations about the DIP. First, they are upset at being asked to do a large amount of additional work without being given any extra time to do it. This includes meetings with new 'data teams' to evaluate student performance, and mandatory reviews of lesson plans. Second, many teachers view reviews of lesson plans by principals and the central office as equivalent to a vote of no confidence in the teachers. There is a feeling among many teachers that the central office administration is looking down at the teachers. Clearly, teachers are feeling great stress at the increased work load and insufficient time and respect.  

In recognition of the extra demands that they were placing on teachers, the Board voted last month to give elementary school teachers release time for professional development and collaborative planning.  Because there is  no money available to extend teacher's working hours, students will be dismissed at 1:05 on one Wednesday every month from January through May.  Information about these early dismissals was sent home with elementary school children last Friday.  

Another topic of concern at last month's Board meeting was overcrowding at Moody School, and the lack of resources that are being devoted to addressing the immense strain on the teachers and the students that the overcrowding causes.  As of December 1st, Moody has a total of 452 students, with 13 of the 22 different classrooms having 20 or more students; each of the four 4th grade and three 3rd grade classes has over 22 students (in comparison, Snow school has 357 students with no class of more than 18 students).  Moody's new principal, Yolande Eldridge, has been unable to secure additional staff, and in some cases has been unable to provide even some necessary supplies for teaching.   Joe Rosenblum, parent of both a kindergartner and a 4th grader at Moody, said to me, "Why does Moody School have new office furniture but one of the Kindergarten classrooms has no supplies?"

The next meeting of the Board of Education is on Tuesday, December 9th, 7:00 PM, at Middletown High School. Items on the agenda include the Enrollment Report, which projects enrollments in the Public Schools to 2018, a Transportation Report, and a report on Middletown High School construction. The Public Session, when any member of the public can speak for 5 minutes, is at the beginning of the meeting.  Teachers and parents are again expected to turn out in large numbers to express their concerns about the DIP and the stresses and strains on schools and teachers.