Board of Ed Redistricts to Solve Macdonough's Overcrowding

The Board of Education voted this evening, 5-1, to redistrict 10 streets from Macdonough Elementary School to Snow and Farm Hill Elementary Schools.  The move would reduce the number of classrooms at Macdonough from 14 to 12 this fall.  Superintendent Charles explained the move as the only option to relieve the overcrowded conditions at Macdonough, where specials teachers do not have a dedicated space to teach in.  As an example, Art and Music share the same room, and both teachers have to undo and re-stage the room each time they teach.  Macdonough Principal Jon Romeo called it a "work climate space issue" his teachers have to face that no other school in the district does.

BOE member Ryan Kennedy raised many concerns about the move, including the rather painful observation that these 10 streets had been moved to Macdonough just 3 years ago to help solve the racial imbalance issues the school faces.  At that time, many parents begged to be left at the schools they loved, and BOE member Sheila Daniels reminded the board of that fact.  When asked specifically, both Dr. Charles and Principal Romeo admitted that this redistricting would only solve overcrowding for now, and it would work against solving the racial imbalance issues.  Specifically, Macdonough is only allowed to be 25% above the district's minority population average, and it was at 24.9% in October when school populations are measured by the state.  Principal Romeo commented, "We think this move will change racial imbalance by about 1.5%, which is not significant....We're hoping the state will be lenient about being 2 or 3 students over since we're not asking to be like 10-15% out of balance."

The move will affect about 30 students, mostly those starting kindergarten, first and second grade in the fall.  Only a handful of third and fourth graders are affected, and only because they are the older siblings of the younger children being moved.  Macdonough currently has 3 kindergarten and 3 first grade classes, and the move would reduce those two grades to 2 classes each.  The families have not yet been notified as the Superintendent needed the Board's approval before she could move forward.

The Board was missing three members this evening, including Ed McKeon, who is the Chair of the Feasibility community.  Cheryl McClellan commented that the committee had discussed all of Ryan Kennedy's objections, but had decided that this move was the only option to solve the most pressing concern of overcrowding.  In the final vote, Ryan voted against redistricting.

In other BOE news, seven Keigwin Middle School students helped Principal Silvia Mayo Molina present their school to the board.  Their combined presence and polished public speaking skills made a huge impression on the board and the audience.  The students spoke about their individual Student Success Plans (SSP), their involvement in extra-curricular activities, and their pursuit of personal goals. All were dressed to impress - great job!

From back left to right: Ramo Bajraktarevic, Sara Canfield, Khaliesha Ellison, and Makayah Joseph
From front left to right: Rose Romano, Anthony Vidot, and Bianca Labella

Finally, as the Superintendent prepares to present her budget to the City Council next Tuesday night (April 16), she was able to report that the district has erased the $1.2 million deficit it faced at the beginning of the school year.  This is very good news, especially given the fact that the budget Dr. Charles is asking for represents a 7.1% increase over last year's budget.  While this seems like a huge jump, the BOE budget has been flat for 5 years, which actually means the budget was cut each year when contractual price increases such as salary raises or contracted services price increases are taken into consideration.

Charles also reported that she is counting on receiving $1.6 million from the Governor's new budget, but that the district will not receive funds that were sequestered from the Federal Government.  She admitted to some preliminary discussions about what would be cut if her budget is not fully funded, but she did not hint at what the cuts would be.

Schools PTAs Urge Parents to Support School Budget

The Board of Education goes before the Common Council this evening at 7pm to make its case for the 2012-2013 School Budget.  Mayor Drew said he would flat fund the educational budget on April 3rd, which would mean cuts of almost $3.5 million to amount the BOE has asked for.

School PTAs are urging parents to attend tonight's meeting to show support for the budget as proposed.  Interim Superintendent Dr. David Larson is expected to comment on at least the following arguments in support of a fully funded budget:

·         A 0% increase is less than a current services budget because of salary and benefit contracted increases.
·         78% of the education budget goes to instruction
·         75% of the budget is for salaries and insurance benefits
·         Maintain class size
·         Need for school librarians/media specialists to support the implementation of the common core – new national standards for education.
·         Need for interventionists to support our required SRBI (Scientifically Researched Based Intervention) implementation and the Common Core.
·         Update of our Student Information System to Power School to improve communication with parents and students as well as organization and access of student data (i.e. grades, enrollment, attendance…).

On April 17th, former BOE Chairman Ted Raczka, now the Budget Committee Chair, commented on what the loss of millions would do to the school budget:  "Extra-curricular activities will start to go, and if we're short millions, we will have to look at staffing levels.  Most of our retirements were done last year, and so it's not a good picture."  Raczka went on to say, "The reason I'm sitting over here at the end of the table [referring to where he sits at BOE meetings] is because I want to see money spent in classrooms.  I don't care about politics.  If you look at our funding compared to other communities, we're not getting it, and we're going to suffer because of that."


Raczka mentioned that he thought the Common Council would put some of the money back, but in the end, Middletown as a whole has to be serious about funding a quality education.


{Author's Note:  If you don't know what Common Core refers to, it's the new national standards for education coming out of DC.  Connecticut adopted the standards on July 7, 2010.  Click here for more information.}

Board of Ed Passes 2011-2012 School Budget

The Board of Education voted 7-1 last night to accept Superintendent Michael Frechette's proposed 2011-2012 budget of $71, 952, 813. Board Member Corinne Gill was not present and Board Member Ryan Kennedy was the dissenting vote.

BOE Chairman Ted Raczka introduced the budget vote by saying, "I know these numbers are daunting...they are significant. But education is just very expensive. We really have to recognize that this budget represents a promise our community has made to our children for hundreds of years...supporting this budget is the only way to guarantee the success and prosperity of our community."

Board Member Sally Boske thanked the administration, teachers, staff, and especially Asst. Superintendent Barbara Senges for the hard work done on contract negotiations to keep costs down. Boske commented on how important it was for everyone to see "we're all a team together. Our bottom line is making sure students get the best education."

The 2011-12 Budget, depending on how you look at it and what Education Cost Sharing (ECS) actually comes from the state, is either a 7.11% increase or a 3.45% increase from last year's budget. The $2.4 million in federal stimulus funds Middletown received had to be spent on staff retention (to save jobs), so that money was used to pay the 45 lowest salary teachers. If the state doesn't assume responsibility for this funding, those 45 teaching jobs will have to be cut. Or, more generically, $2.4 million worth of salary is lost. This factor explains the possible 7.11% increase in funding that the BOE is asking the Common Council for. If the State steps in and covers this funding, then the BOE is only asking for a 3.45% increase.

For those of you who can't understand why the BOE would even ask for an increase in its budget in these economic times, consider the following: even though the budget is more actual dollars than last year's budget, it is technically a zero-increase budget when you consider that no services or programs were added. The increase in requested funds covers only those contractual cost increases the BOE must honor. So, for example, Classified Salaries such as clerical, custodians, maintenance staff, and nurses get an estimated 2% raise for FY 2011-2012 as outlined in their contract. To achieve a zero-dollar-increase budget, the BOE would have to make cuts in other areas equal to the amount needed for contractual increases.

On the subject of cuts, Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges pointed out that nearly 90% of the budget is fixed labor costs. "We have already cut just about everything that can be cut, so the only thing left is programs and the staff associated with those programs." Senges went on to say that the school budget has had no increase in supplies or materials in the last 3 years, that administrators have been cut in every possible place (so there is only a principal at each elementary school, for example), and she personally has taken on the work of five other positions in addition to her own. As far as supplies and materials go, this author has heard first-hand accounts of one Middletown elementary school where the principal personally hands out staples and other basic office necessities to control supply levels.

So in summary, this budget is not any different than the budget the Superintendent has submitted for the last two years. The only dollar difference is due to contractual increases, and even in that case, negotiations during last year's budget cycle resulted in a wage freeze in some instances. Now contrast this "bare-bones" budget with the Superintendent's "Wish List" for Middletown Public Schools, outlined in a memo to the Board of Ed dated January 5, 2011:

• Full-day, high quality preschoool for all students
• Increase length of school day
• Increase school year days
• Expand before and after school programs
• Literacy and numeracy libraries for all students
• Increase staff and materials for delivering Tier III SRBI
• Expand parent training and programs
• Expand Family Resource Centers and Family School Connect Programs (includes home visiting and parent education)
• Family Liaison positions at every school (includes Welcoming Schools and Parent Engagement/Leadership)
• Elementary world languages to elementary level

There are actually 33 items on the wish list...the above list was just the first 10 items. Clearly, there is much more the Superintendent would do if funding was available, but the top priority at the moment is just to cover the expenses he currently has, and without replacement of the federal funds and coverage for contractual increases, Middletown is facing a $5 million hole in its educational budget.

Author's commentary:

After the BOE meeting adjourned, I asked BOE Member Ryan Kennedy why he voted against the budget. Kennedy replied, "it's just not realistic. I think the administration did a good job to roll over the budget from last year, but we're still $5 million short, and the board has to take responsibility for that." Kennedy went on to say that the BOE won't look at the budget again until the middle of May or beginning of June, and he expressed much frustration with the budget process in general. "The board is approaching this budget the same way it always does budgets, and I think that's wrong." Since Kennedy is on the budget committee, I asked him why he doesn't do something different if he's frustrated with the process, and he replied, "when you have 2/3 of the vote, you can do what you want. I can yell as much as I want, but I can't force the majority to do something it doesn't want to do."

Kennedy is of course referring to the political split of the BOE: 6 Democrats and 3 Republicans. As a Republican, Kennedy seems to be taking a "worst-case" scenario, and he wants to work now on the plan for how the BOE will find $5 million in cuts if no state ECS is forthcoming and the Common Council doesn't authorize a 7.11% funding increase. Chairman Ted Raczka, on the other hand, said exactly the opposite in his comments before the budget vote. I quoted him earlier, and it bears repeating: "...supporting this budget is the only way to guarantee the success and prosperity of our community."

From my perspective, it looks like a game of pass the blame...the BOE says to the Common Council, "you have to give us the funds because that's what the Superintendent says he needs." Kennedy even said of the budget process, "the attitude here is let's see how much we can get and then we'll see what happens and worry about it later." If the Common Council doesn't provide the funding, then the BOE has a scapegoat for why it didn't provide a fully funded budget.

Maybe that attitude works when we're talking about a $500,000 budget difference, but not for a $5,000,000 one. Forty-five teaching positions represent a huge hole in the quality of the education provided by this town. While the number of retirements this year is yet unknown (and could ultimately make some difference in the number of positions that would have to be cut because higher paid teachers could be replaced with more lower paid teachers), it's not going to be a significant factor in filling a $5 million dollar hole. The timing of the hole couldn't be much worse either as Middletown finally is achieving adequate yearly progress (AYP) on the CMTs in Math and Reading for the first time since 2001-2002.

It's not like the BOE didn't know this was coming either. To his credit, the Superintendent has been saying for the last 2 years that this "cliff" was coming, and that someone should be thinking about what was going to happen when we got here. Well, we're here now, and it's unrealistic to dump the whole problem in the Common Council's lap (and all the taxpayers by extension). Yes, education is expensive, and yes, our community should value it. But we've elected the Board of Education to make the hard decisions that we the taxpayers can't do by virtue of how the system works. Now more than ever, leadership and innovative thinking are required, and it cannot be a "pass-the-blame" moment. Our kids' future depends on the decisions we make right now, and for their sake, we can't take the path of least resistance.

So let's get creative, and let's encourage our electived officials to do the same. What if we had a year-long school schedule, but students rotated their vacation time? Could we do with less teachers in that scenario while still preserving class sizes? Or, if we had to consider closing an elementary school, could we have "shifts" at other schools? Could some students go from 7-1 and others from 1-7 at the same school? Or what about parent volunteers? Let's be honest about how much they currently do to keep the system afloat, and then let's lay our cards on the table and ask what else parents would be willing to do to fill in the holes. Maybe we could save significantly on transportation costs just by asking parents to volunteer to drive their kids. It's not ideal, but then again, there's nothing ideal about the situation we're in.

That leads me to my final point: we have until the end of June to come up with a plan. There is plenty of time for the BOE to reach out to parents and have an honest conversation about where we're at and what can be done. It doesn't have to be an angry, defensive or divisive process. It shouldn't matter if we're Democrats or Republicans, and we should be having this conversation anyway, no matter what level of funding the State or the Common Council provides. This is our town and our children and our problem. There is no "them" to take the blame or to solve all our problems in one magic moment. So don't wait. Take a few minutes to send an email to the BOE with your thoughts and concerns. Attend a budget committee meeting. Attend a regular BOE meeting and use your 3 minutes to tell the board what your priorities are for your child's education. Go to your school's PTA meeting and brainstorm what parents can to do to be involved in the process.

One last thought...the loss of Aetna as a revenue source for the city isn't even a part of this discussion at this point, but it will be relevant at some point in the future. If the city is struggling now to fund the BOE budget, that struggle will only get worse in the future when Aetna is off the tax-rolls. If we don't do some hard work now, we are headed for real disaster in the not-to-distant future.

No Fireworks Tonight: BOE Regular Meeting Lasts 45 minutes

It's 8:58 pm as I'm writing this, and since the Board of Education meeting started at 7pm, I had time to go to the meeting, go to the grocery store for one item, go to Dairy Queen, eat my Dairy Queen, get gas in my car, drive across town back to my house, chat with my husband, laugh at Ed's article on Izzi's email plight, print out the registration form for the circus for my soon-to-be-ten-year-old, and finally get started on my very short meeting summary. (I had to make the intro lengthy because there isn't much BOE business to talk about...)

Five of nine BOE members were present tonight, so the meeting was pretty short. Elizabeth Nocera (Director of Grant Services) introduced Comer Hobbs, Jr. (DATTCO's Director of Commercial Bus Sales) to the board as part of a presentation on the hybrid school bus Middletown is trying to acquire. The bus costs $187,000 and New Britain is currently the only town in Connecticut to have such a bus. Middletown has applied for a grant to purchase the IC Bus CE plug-in hybrid electric school bus, and if the grant is approved, the district would own the bus with a DATTCO buy-back at the end of the bus's service life.

The IC Bus advertising flyer states that the average school bus uses over 1,700 gallons of fuel annually, with the average IC Bus using only about 600 gallons. It also states that IC Buses reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 39%. There are zero particulate emissions when idling, and as DATTCO VP Phil Johnson commented, "you could wipe the tailpipe with a white glove and it would be wet, not black." More information is available at ICBus.com.

The "success" of a hybrid bus depends on the driver and the bus route. Under 35 mph, the diesel engine doesn't engage, so this bus needs a route with lots of starts and stops. (I would recommend the route with the most kindergartners on it so they can be picked up in front of their homes like they used to be...) DATTCO also has to provide special training for police and firefighters in Middletown since a hybrid bus accident has to be handled differently than a regular bus would be. Specifically, first responders SHOULD NOT cut the battery cables on a hybrid bus because there's enough voltage in the system "to really cook the first responder." The bus should run all day on its charge (it will only be charged at night), and if the battery should run out while the bus is still operating, the diesel engine will just take over.

BOE Chairman Ted Raczka commented that "we have to take chances and try something new" in order to protect the environment and to set an example for being responsible, so that's why he's pursuing a grant for a hybrid bus. Raczka thanked Jack Piper (New Britain's Purchase Order Director) for showing him the paperwork and suggesting that Middletown get a hybrid bus.

During the public comment session, Kevin Smith asked the Board to support the MHS Girls Soccer team's extended field trip to Vermont for the State Tournament. This trip was approved, and the team will travel in late August or early September.

Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges talked about the Summer Reading Program (The Chronicle had a big article on this program just recently) and the efforts to standardize the forms that each school uses. The Kindergarten Registration process was redone (new forms, easier process, etc.) and the Kindergarten Orientation was May 25th.

There was a moment of feather ruffling when the Perkins Grant was discussed: BOE member Corinne Gill was very upset to learn that the grant proposal was written to include a staff position in the technology department that would have been cut otherwise. While Bill Boyd thought it was great to get someone else to pay for a staff position, Gill wanted to talk about how to cut $800,000 from the budget before agreeing to spend grant money on a staff position: "I'm very distressed to hear this now...we didn't get the full story when you were talking about the budget. Maybe the board didn't want to spend money this way, but you didn't give us the chance to even know what you were doing." She was outvoted, 3 to 2, and the BOE approved the grant as written.

Superintendent Michael Frechette updated the board on the redistricting process: only 15 fourth-graders asked to be "grandfathered" to stay at their current schools, and the approval letters for these requests were mailed on May 26. There was no pattern to these requests, so there was no impact on class sizes/planning for the new school year. Frechette also reported that the district is within its budget for teachers and classes for next year, so "we're right on track for what we need to do."

Ken Jackson (Facilities Director) reported that the stage floor at MHS will be removed and replaced. The new type of flooring will resolve the structural issues the stage was having (this is part of closing out the construction process for the high school).

BOE member Bill Boyd said the Curriculum Committee is working on a proposal to increase the number of credit hours required for high school graduation from 21 to 22 hours. That proposal should be ready for the next BOE meeting. Boyd told this reporter after the meeting that most MHS students average 23-24 credits by graduation, so this increase won't cause sudden hardship for next year's graduating class.

The BOE meeting then closed to the public and went into Executive Session.

Commentary:

In case you're wondering about the $800,000 budget gap, the Common Council voted to give the BOE the same budget as last year instead of the 1.28% increase the BOE asked for. Budget Committee Chairman Jay Keiser wasn't present at tonight's meeting, so there was no budget discussion. The next budget committee meeting is Monday, June 14 at 4pm at the District Office. The next BOE regular meeting is Tuesday, June 15 at 7pm in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall. The 2010-2011 Budget starts July 1st, so there's very little time left to cut $800,000. Other than Corinne Gill's comments about the Perkins Grant, there was no evidence of a looming budget deadline and no money to fill the gap. I admit that I'm more than curious about how this will play out...stay tuned!

Board of Ed to Vote on New Moody Playscape

The Board of Education meets tomorrow night at 7pm in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall. Several items of interest are on the action agenda (meaning the BOE is voting on something specifically), including the Ad Hoc Feasibility Committee, authorization to spend Capital Preventative Maintenance funds on a new Moody Playscape, a Spencer School naming request and the second phase of the Race to the Top Grant.

Just last week, the General Assembly approved an educational reform bill that was specifically designed to make CT more competitive to receive federal stimulus funds from the $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition. More information on this subject is available in a May 6, 2010 article in the CT Mirror. The deadline for the second round of competition applications is June 1, 2010.

The vote on the new Moody Playscape is particularly important because the old playscape has already been removed. Only the BOE can spend Capital Preventative Maintenance Funds, so it takes a specific vote to release this money.

The district's financial statement will also be of interest given the fact that the proposed BOE share of the city's 2010-2011 budget is $200,000 less than last year's budget. There will have to be some discussion (I would think) about how to readjust spending priorities if this budget passes.

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!

Board of Education passes superintendent's budget

The Board of Education last night voted to approve a schools budget of $69,550,000, which will increase class sizes in the elementary schools, by eliminating 6 elementary school positions. Superintendent Barbara Senges informed the Board that the collapse in the number of classes will be done mostly in grades 3, 4 and 5, and that "No teacher is losing their job." The collapse of 6 classes is fewer than many parents had feared in March, when the Board voted to eliminate 13 elementary school teachers.

Michael Frechette told The Eye that the budget situation was less dire now than it seemed to be in early March, when the Board approved a $70.7M budget. The two major changes from the March budget are a nearly $1M decrease (23%) in the CIGNA health insurance for classified staff and paraprofessionals, and the retirement of 24 teachers instead of the 11 which were planned for in March. In addition, in this budget there are reductions in the tuition charged by the TEMS magnet school, savings in transportation, the cutting of a second PROBE gifted program teacher, and other relatively smaller cost savings.

The board spent about 30 minutes debating an amendment proposed by Ryan Kennedy. Kennedy proposed restoring the 6 cut elementary teachers, pointing out that the initial report of a consultant hired by the Board of Ed said that 97% of the people at their schools outreach meetings had ranked class size as one of the top 3 most important features of schools. To fund these teachers, Kennedy proposed cutting one of the "Middle School Instructional Support

Teacher" (each MIST costs $86,196), and 5-10% cuts in Stipends, Purchased Services, and other services and supplies.

Senges spoke at length about the value of MIST to the schools, saying that a cut in MIST would not be good for the middle schools, "Our middle schools are struggling, ... I would hate to see the MISTs go." The amendment was defeated along party lines, with only the Republicans, Kennedy, Corinne Gill, and Sheila Daniels voting for it.

Board Member Renee Johnson-Thornton expressed her concerns about the reduction in teaching staff and asked the board to consider postponing a decision on the budget until a later meeting, "We need some time to do this right, to find a way to keep our teachers." Board Members Bill Boyd and Chairman Ted Raczka both vigorously objected to this idea. Boyd said, "We can't put this off, in my opinion, any longer." He also questioned whether a "citizen's panel" could possibly come up with a better budget than the superintendent of schools (Dr. Michael Frechette), "To tamper with this is to scoff at the team of experts." Raczka clearly shared Boyd's opinion, saying in exasperation, "We've been looking at this since December."

The budget was passed along party lines, receiving yes votes from Democrats Johnson-Thornton, Raczka, Boyd, Sally Boske and Jay Keiser.

Senges said that the budget's impact on class sizes would be minimal, that the collapsing of classes might mean that instead of 45 students being split into 3 classes of 15 each, they would be put into 2 classes of 22 and 23 each. Dr. Frechette said that he was not sure which schools would see classes combined next year, "There are many considerations, I'm still gathering information and will be speaking with principals in the next two days."

In an exchange with Raczka after the meeting, I expressed the opinion that there had not been much opportunity for public input into the budget process (this budget was not available until minutes before this meeting and the vote on the budget occurred without any public comment period, see earlier Eye Piece). Clearly frustrated, Raczka angrily told me that nobody had any cause to question the opportunity for public input, that compared to other towns, Middletown's Board of Education was much more open. Unfortunately, he stormed to his car before we could continue the conversation.

Board of Education to Vote on Budget

The Board of Education will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at 6PM on Tuesday, June 9th, at the Schools Administration Building at 311 Hunting Hill Avenue. The only item on the agenda is "Adoption of the 2009-2010 Budget." The meeting is open to the public, but the Board has not scheduled any time on the agenda for the public to comment.

The School Board has struggled this year with the budget, because increases in salaries and benefits would have required a 5.6% increase just to avoid cutting any staff (Eye story). The most recently available budget came in with a 2% increase, but only by cutting 13 elementary school positions (March 3). Even that increase was unacceptable to both the Mayor and the Common Council, who ultimately determine the funding for the schools. In the budget that was passed last month, the Council cut the Board's request by $1.2M, providing only $69.5M.

Neither the superintendent nor the Board of Education has given any indication to the public what further cuts it will be making.

Editorial Comment:  This meeting is NOT a regularly scheduled meeting. It is a special meeting called specifically to vote the budget.  It is open to the public.  

Will there be more cuts to the school budget?

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano has proposed a budget for the July 2009-June 2010 fiscal year that funds the school system at exactly the same level as this year. That's $69.3 million for the school district, which is $3.9 million (5.61%) less than the School Board says they would need to avoid any cuts in salaries or services, because of contracted increases over the current year.

It's a quirk of our town's system that the Common Council and the Mayor set the bottom line for how much money the school system will get, but the Board of Education has the decision-making power on how to spend it. In this budget season, it's been clear that the schools would not have the full 5.61% increase that they would need to avoid cuts. In spite of the fact that it appears likely that the state will give Middletown the same educational funding as last year (remember that flat funding means cuts), the city expects to receive significantly less state funding for other areas of the town budget, and so it has to dig deeper in making cuts and raising revenue, just to provide the schools with funding that equals this year.

In recognition of the current fiscal mood, the School Board proposed just a 2% increase at their March meeting, finding savings primarily by cutting 13 elementary teaching positions. But now that a 0% increase is on the table, it seems likely that more will have to be cut - in the Mayor's budget, that cut would equal another $1.37 million beyond what's already been cut.

The Mayor's proposed budget is not the final word -- it's the Common Council that formally adopts the city budget, and the Mayor's power at that point is restricted to breaking a 6/6 tie, or vetoing items that can withstand any effort to override. But the Mayor's budget is a statement that he believes that the schools can find more savings, and that they should, based on the overall situation in the city. The Mayor has made it clear that he thinks the savings can be found by re-opening negotiations with the unions, including teachers, paraprofessionals and administrators. The unions have also suggested cuts that might be made, although some of those were already made to achieve the 2% increase in the last round, such as cutting four "Pre-K to 12th grade" supervisors.

So what happens next?

•The Common Council is in the process of reviewing the Mayor's proposed budget. They will have a hearing at City Hall with the Superintendent and Board of Education (typically represented by the Chair) on Monday, April 20th at 6 pm. That's the forum where Council members question the school district about how they justify their funding request and where they might make additional cuts. The hearing will be open to the public but will not have any opportunity for public comment. It will also be available for viewing on Comcast Channel 19.

•The Board of Ed has their regular meeting on the next day, Tuesday, April 21, at 7 pm. In a recent conversation with Superintendent Michael Frechette, I understood that the Board would not typically propose additional cuts at this point. Instead, they would wait until the final budget is voted by the Common Council, as the bottom line can easily go up or down from the Mayor's proposal. On my part, I would be surprised if there wasn't some discussion of the options, as it comes on the heels of the hearing with the Council.

•On April 28th, beginning at 7 pm, the general public will be able to comment to the Common Council on all aspects of the city budget (not just schools) at City Hall. The Council has the power to add additional public hearings if they think there is a need.

•By charter, the Common Council is required to pass the final budget for the city by May 15th. The Mayor then has 5 days to veto, followed by 10 days that the Council would have to override a veto with a 2/3 vote (9 of 12 members).

•After May 15th, the Board of Ed will have to adjust their spending plan to whatever amount the Common Council provides. If the Mayor's cut holds, the Board of Ed would then have to find an additional $1.37 million in cuts.

Late May should be a busy time for the Superintendent and the Board of Ed, since in addition to revising their budget, they expect to receive the recommendations from JCJ Architecture about any short-term need to move students between schools. Any plans to cut teachers and change overall class size should be part of that calculation.

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.

A first look at the school budget

At Tuesday's Board of Ed meeting (covered in detail here), Superintendent Michael Frechette released a revised school budget, showing only a 2% increase from the current year's expenses. Although the dollars go up, the new budget actually represents a cut from the current level of service, and this proposed budget is the first step to see where those cuts might be made.

If you'd like to view the proposed 2% budget in detail, it's available at the Board's webpage.

The proposed budget details $2.5 million less in funding than the "roll-over" budget that the Superintendent proposed last December. The cuts represent an actual drop in the following services:

Cuts in salaries ($1,457,145 less than if fully funded):
•11 retiring teaching positions would not be replaced and an additional 13 elementary teachers would be eliminated, with a rise in overall class size for that level (all the schools except Moody and Macdonough would see classrooms condensed.)
• The assistant superintendent for curriculum position would not be filled after John Hennelly's retirement. Also retiring but unfilled would be one PROBE teacher. Supervisors throughout the district would be cut (3.5 positions).
•various other positions including a custodian, a secretary, and 3 support teaching positions at Woodrow Wilson Middle School.
•savings from the approved union contract with Local 466 of a 2.25% increase, with no step increases.

Cuts in benefits ($719,864 less than if fully funded)
•various cuts and increases in insurance costs, as dictated by the City's Risk Manager.

Cuts in other services ($28,747 less than if fully funded):
•After-school programing in a few high-need schools would be eliminated
•There are various one-time savings, such as putting off purchasing GPS systems for school buses.

Cuts in supplies and materials ($268,530 less than if fully funded):
•$300,000 in savings are anticipated from lower fuel prices
•minor cuts in instructional and maintenance supplies

Cuts in capital preventative maintenance costs ($25,000 less than if fully funded)

It is still to be determined how many staff changes would be accomplished through retirements rather than layoffs.

As several Board members noted at the meeting, it is common for various proposals for cuts to be considered over the months of the budget process. Between now and July 1st, when the new budget takes effect, there will likely be many changes, depending on the amount that Middletown receives from the State and the amount that the City will commit to the schools.

The Mayor has asked the Board of Ed to submit a budget request by March 4th. The Board plans to vote on the proposed budget after hearing public comment at their March 3rd meeting.

School Improvement Plans presented at BOE Workshop

Tonight, the various Middletown schools met with the Board of Education to discuss their improvement plans. As a point of reference, in case you haven’t seen them, the District’s “SMART GOALS 2008-2011” are as follows:

 On the CMT in Math, Reading and Writing, the average grade-level gain in the number of students at or above proficiency over the three-year period of the District Improvement Plan will be at least 15 percentage points.
 On the Grade 10 CMT in Math, Reading, and Writing, the grade-level gain in the number of students at or above proficiency over the three-year period of the District Improvement Plan will be at least 15 percentage points.
 CMT and CAPT achievement gaps within all student subgroups in Math, Reading, and Writing will be reduced by at least 30 percent over the three-year period of the District Improvement Plan. In addition, all student subgroups will show growth in academic achievement in Math, Reading, and Writing.
 The number of overall suspensions and the number of students suspended in the District will decrease by at least 15 percent over the three-year period of the District Improvement Plan.
 The number of overall suspensions and the number of students suspended in targeted subgroups( (special education, and Hispanic and African-American males) will decrease by 25 percent over the three-year period of the District Improvement Plan.

The school improvement plans are directly linked to these goals in addition to the various issues each school faces. I didn’t make the meeting in time to hear the elementary schools present, but I did hear what Keigwin, Woodrow Wilson and the High School had to say.

One concern at Keigwin is about students’ transfer of knowledge. This refers to using skills in more than one place. For example, it shouldn’t be strange that a student would have to use math in science class, or write an essay in Social Studies (using proper grammar, etc.). Students are apparently not comprehending this fact of life (or resisting it because it makes them have to concentrate a bit more…).

Keigwin also mentioned coding books to match a specific reading level. That way a teacher or student would know that a book is or isn’t reading level appropriate. The thought is to move away from whole class novels toward individuals reading books at their specific reading comprehension level.

SRBI, or Scientific Research-Based Interventions, is CT’s new framework for school improvement. Learn more about this framework here.

Essentially, the Connecticut State Department of Education defines SRBI this way: “Scientific Research‐Based Interventions (SRBI) emphasize successful instruction for all students through high‐quality core general education practices, as well as targeted interventions for students experiencing learning, social‐emotional or behavioral difficulties. Core general education practices include comprehensive curriculums in key academic areas, effective instructional strategies, creation and maintenance of a positive and safe school climate, and a comprehensive system of social‐emotional learning and behavioral supports.”

This approach drives our school improvement process for the foreseeable future, and several buzz words like “best practice,” “data teams,” and “differentiated instruction” were mentioned again and again. Without having a specific definition of those teams, I surmised that they refer to teachers tailoring instruction to the specific student (how he or she learns, where he or she needs additional concentration, etc.). When students fail to do well, there will be a whole team of people ready to pounce in “scientific intervention” to get the student back on track.

Woodrow Wilson mentioned the “new” building as being a much better layout for a middle school than its previous location. The principal, Gene Nocera, was quick to point out that the myth that WW has tons of extra space is completely false. WW was originally built in 1958 for a high school population of 800, and the middle school currently has 740 students. Every classroom is used. The Co-Chair of the transition team mentioned that the building has several physical needs that need financial support – even though the budget is tough this year, these needs can’t be put off forever.

BOE member Sally Boske expressed concern over the transition students have to make from Keigwin to Woodrow Wilson, and there was much discussion about the drop in reading scores in 7th and 8th grade. Apparently 7th grade is the lowest performing grade nationwide, and Boske wanted to know what was happening during the summer to prevent this drop. There wasn’t a clear answer to her question other than the comment that as changes take root in the elementary schools, the improvement will flow upwards into higher grades. There was additional discussion about connecting core teachers to after school programs, focusing on creating a welcoming climate, and maintaining the social connection to kids and parents.

When pressed about the less than ideal reading scores for 10th graders, and what could happen during the summer to combat this decline, Middletown High School Principal Robert Fontaine said “I’m a big fan of summer vacation.” This response drew tons of laughter, but it did highlight an interesting distinction between the BOE and the Principal: school improvements depend on resources and staff to turn goals into measurable outcomes. With a budget meeting next on the agenda, and principals hanging on every word in case something is revealed, summer enrichment programs have to be at the bottom of the priority list! If our schools don’t have the basic tools they need DURING the school year, what students do with their summer vacations is the least of their worries!

Bill Boyd asked about the possibility of a program that lets students graduate high school in 3 years. Fontaine responded that most families are too traditional to be excited about such a thing. Even those students who have had the credits to graduate at 3 ½ years often don’t because they would have to give up their extra-curricular activities once they graduated.

There were other questions about the collaborative atmosphere and more specific teaching of study skills. The data teams meet once a week, but there isn’t time to get everything done. A Freshman orientation program hasn’t been possible because of staffing issues. Study skills are integrated into individual course curriculum because you can’t teach those skills in a vacuum. And, as study skills are now being taught at earlier grade levels, this area should improve.

Principal Fontaine said his biggest problem is kids who can’t read at the high school grade level. Too many Middletown High kids are reading at about the 5th grade level, which makes it impossible for them to excel at high school level courses. They can’t study when they can’t read or comprehend what they’re studying. In a private interview after his public comments, Fontaine had this advice for parents: “Be involved!” When pressed to define “involved, ” Fontaine said:

 Parents should attend the extra-curricular activities their kids are involved in. Go see them excel.
 Families should eat dinner together so kids have a chance to talk about their day and what they’re doing.
 For parents of younger children, reading out loud on a regular basis is crucial.

When asked what he’d do with a blank checkbook, Fontaine said he needs more staff in elective and support services. When the high school population swelled from 800-1350 a few years ago, the core class sizes were mandated to stay the same. This meant that teachers were pulled away from elective courses like music or art. Those areas are really suffering, but Fontaine doesn’t get to control what staff he gets. In Middletown, schools get an allocation per student that principals can decide how to spend on things like supplies, equipment, etc. However, staffing levels are determined by the BOE/Superintendent’s budget, and principals only have some control over the type of teacher. Basically, Fontaine has very little control over the budget other than during the final stages when something has to be cut and there’s a negotiation over what that it.

When to school improvement reports were finished, the BOE had a discussion about its priorities. However, there was confusion over whose priorities were being discussed, and the budget goals/objectives handed out by the Superintendent, Michael Freschette, were not what the agenda was talking about. BOE Member Corinne Gill clarified that the BOE was supposed to be examining itself to come up with a list of its own priorities - to set goals for itself for the year. This process was pushed off to a summer workshop.

After a short break, the BOE began a discussion of the budget. BOE member Jay Kaiser motioned to send the mayor only a dollar amount representing a 2% increase over last year’s budget, and not the specific line item budget. BOE members Sheila Daniels, Corinne Gill, Ryan Kennedy, and Bill Boyd argued forcefully against such action. Corinne Gill mentioned that the recent community discussions have specifically targeted the notion of transparency in government, so it would be wrong not to disclose the actual impact of a 2% budget (apparently a 5.6% (or so) increase would be holding even on the budget from last year plus contractual increases in salaries, etc.). Daniels, Kennedy and Boyd completely agreed, with Boyd saying it would be "totally inappropriate" to just send a number that doesn't demonstrate the board's funding priorities. Gill and Daniels were particularly upset about just sending a number because it wouldn't allow the public to comment on the budget while knowing what the money would actually be spent on.

The motion was eventually defeated. Please note that BOE Chair Ted Raczka and Judith Russo were not present at the meeting. For a meeting that was supposed to be a key step in finalizing the budget…

The BOE then voted to table the budget discussion until next week: there will be a special meeting, Tuesday, March 3rd at 7pm at the High School to consider the budget. The meeting will be televised and there will be a public comment session. There is a copy of the budget available but this link is to a budget representing a 5.61% increase over last year. The budget handed out at tonight’s meeting is just a 2% increase, which is actually a 3.61% cut from last year’s budget. The Superintendent should update his webpage shortly.

What no one is saying very loudly is that the proposed budget includes a loss of teachers (13 classes are to be consolidated) and an increase in class sizes. Granted, there is an early retirement package being offered, but the number of takers is not known yet. Field trips will not be funded, the 21st Century After School program has been eliminated (affects Bielefield, MacDonough and Snow Elementary Schools), and funding for instructional and maintenance supplies have been reduced. While the price of diesel is down, there has been no mention of whether or not this year’s bus route changes are permanent (If you remember, 300 stops were cut in August 2008 to save $50,000 in fuel costs.).

A few board members expressed concern over the budget, but nothing specific was mentioned. There was no evidence to indicate what board members felt was important to preserve even in difficult financial times. Next week’s meeting includes a public comment period, so in the absence of any obvious leadership from the BOE, please let your preferences be heard! The BOE email list is available and it only takes a minute or two to express your opinion. Or, come to the March 3rd meeting to deliver your comments in person. Essentially, the school budget is about $70 million in a $130 million city budget, and now more than ever we need to make sure it is spent wisely! The budget is due to the mayor in about 2 weeks, and it’s rather unbelievable that we still don’t know what it is exactly.

Now is not the time for political jockeying or any other nonsense. The BOE needs take responsibility for its actions, present a clear and well-thought out budget, and get on with it. The Mayor and Common Council have no control over how the money is spent, but they do have control over how much money is allocated to the school board. Without a complete and transparent discussion of how a 2% budget impacts our children, the BOE simply isn’t doing the job it has been elected to do.

Giuliano Reacts to Rell's Budget Address

"It's not great news, but it's not as bad as it could've been," Mayor Sebastian Giuliano said after hearing Govenor Jodi Rell's budget address today.

The mayor expects to receive $1.6 million less in PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes), from the state, but other programs like LoCIP, and especially the education grants (see previous posting), will receive the same level of funding.

"I heard word that the schools were expecting to have up to $2,000,000 cut, so this is a relief," Giuliano explained. "Just keeping the operation level. Not doing anything different, the school budget is about $4,000,000 higher this year. If the state had proposed cuts, it would have been a disaster."

On the city side, the mayor was not so sanguine. The cuts in PILOT reimbursements will take the city from a $4,000,000 gap, to a $5.6 million gap.

"The state traditionally underfunds PILOT," Giuliano said. "This year they're just going to underfund it more.

"What we are going to have to do in terms of process is to cover everything that is mandated first, and then look at every other program we've funded before, and see what we can put back in," the mayor said.

In her speech, the Governor urged the legislature to create a moratorium on unfunded mandates. They mayor said that if the legislature concurs, it will help close some of the gaps.

"Especially on the school side. If the legislature decides to put things like in-school suspension on hold, that will help the schools close some of the gap. And not having all those mandates will help on the city side too."

Giuliano has some doubts about how much help the stimulus package will have for the cities.

"The goal is to create jobs," Giuliano said. "Initially we proposed things that were already bonded because they were the only things that we could actually begin work on in 120 days. Now they're talking about accepting projects that will begin next year, or two years down the road. How is that going to help?"

Giuliano sees the need for cooperation, and the need for extraordinary action for the city to weather the economic hard times.

"I've met with the unions, staff and managers, and everybody understands that we need to be proactive. However, approvals are made by the Common Council, and so far they seem to want to be proactive."

Giuliano was disappointed that Democratic members of the Common Council snubbed his invitation to a discussion with unions and city staff about economic issues, and he still felt stung by criticisms directed him at Monday's Common Council meeting for presenting a union agreement with a two and a quarter per cent increase.

"That pay raise really amounts to less than one per cent," Giuliano explained. "When you understand that they agreed to freeze steps. And this is the working class union - the janitors, and the clerks, the school cooks, the sanitation workers. These are the people who need it. These are the city employees who live in town. It seemed like a no-brainer to me.

"They talk about being proactive, about not taking precipitous action, but they want me to create a proposal that they can criticize, that they don't have to take ownership of. That's the definition of reactive."

"If we're going to get this solved, we've all got to help out." Giuliano said. "We all need to be able to take unprecedented action."