Tuesday, February 09, 2010

BOE cuts $950,000 from 2010/2011 budget

From the NHRs Luther Turmelle:

Brittingham, Stephen Mrowka and Peter Massey, the budget committee chairman, voted against the $950,000 cut, with Tod Dixon, Alan Sobol, Tony Perugini and Sandra Pavano supporting the cut.

Tim White

80 comments:

Anonymous said...

So, the 650k wasn't enough, although no one could say where those cuts would come from. Now, we will send a 950k cut from the budget to the TC. Did anyone check the pulse from the the TC as far as what they have predisposed as a potential cut from whatever the forwarded budget would be? As we all have grown accustomed to, most votes are already determined, regardless of what is said during these meetings.

The Teachers union needs to take a hard look at where it stands here, and I do not mean the leadership of the union, I refer to the teachers themselves. If you can look each other square in the eye and say that your 2%,3%, or 4% increase is more important than the other person's job, then realize that there will be positions lost. If not, then force your leadership to open the contract and forego the raises. Show the town, the kids and the taxpayers that the kids are more important!

The BOE needs to take a hard look at some of the many line item stipends that are paid out and see if there is any redundancy here and eliminate it.

The biggest obstacle we face, and many towns and cities face it, is that we elect folks to the BOE and TC because we think that they will look out for our best interests and we then expect that from them. A couple of problems with this theory. First, you can not please everyone. Secondly, once elected, many of these folks seem to turn a deaf ear in public to the very people who have voted them into office.

Is it in our best interest to reduce the budget proposal? Is it in our best interest to arbitrarily pick a figure to reduce it (it is considered arbitrary when you have no idea where these cuts come from)?

It is easy to say "cut the budget". It is easy to say eliminate all sports and extra-curricular activities. It is easy to say cut AP classes. These are easy to cut because all we are affecting are these special interest "crybaby" parents. Except for one thing....these parents are taxpayers and have a right to voice their opinions and concerns. They also have a second vested interest beyond being taxpayers, their sons and daughters who participate in these activities, you know, the ones that actually attend our schools.

The school system enacted a participation fee last year for many of these groups to help subsidize the cost and prevent some from being eliminated. These taxpayers paid their regular taxes AND the participation fee, as well as donated time and money above that to these programs.

Everyone has a stake in the quality of our educational system in town, regardless of whether you are part of a special interest group or not. However, I also believe that "quality" does not always equate to dollars spent, whether it is total or the infamous "per pupil average".

Years ago you received all the basic subjects, gym, languages and a couple of special options. You had the opportunity to participate in sports, band, drama, etc. Maybe it is time to take a look at what we offer as basics, seeing that spelling, I am sure there are other facets as well, became unimportant over the years because content overtook it and spelling will come in time. At least that is what I, and others, recall being told at one time about spelling.

Well, it will be interesting to see what happens now and what the TC has in store for the budget proposal that is being sent to them, as I am sure that some members can not wait to implement their own cut.

Anonymous said...

The majority of homeowners in this town do not have children in the school system. They voted in November for some fiscal responsibility (which has been lacking for the past few years). They were very upset over the passing of the current teachers contract and voted those responsible, TC and BOE, out of office.

The teachers have to understand that increasing taxes $200 this year and then $200 next equates eventually to a large tax increase. Many residents are on fixed incomes, unemployed or working in the private sector with no raises and cannot afford these increases. I'm glad to see that our new board understands the situation.

Anonymous said...

Budget cuts are in line with keeping property taxes constant while the grand list is showing no signs of any growth. And of course anyone who checks out zillow.com for instance can only be amazed by where residential real estate values in this town appear to be heading. Property values have shrunk but taxes have not yet shrunk.

No doubt the majority of town tax payers would not vote to increase their own property tax bill for this year. After all, their property is no longer worth anywhere near what it was valued at a year ago. Therefore town budgets need to remain constant or shrink.

The real question though is even with a $950k reduction just how much will our taxes be increased anyway?

Anonymous said...

Interesting to see how you weave in and out of varying positions in your lengthy disertation on the budget cut. You demonstrate the questions and concerns all our elected decision makers have.

No one more than the BOE chair knows the dire state the budget is in. Even so, for him the cuts were too deep. He along with the 2 D's made a choice they can live with. The others are more accepting of the harder realities that exist. Its better to prepare the residents for what lay ahead. Our elected officials know there will be cuts to personnel unless the union opens their collective eyes to this certainty. I'm certain they don't love it either but defending an increased budget that merely addresses payroll and health related benefit costs simply doesnot address a quality education for our students either.

People in town aren't stupid. They know the value of education and have widely supported it for decades. The folks also know we have a situation before us that demands some attention and it will result in some changes.

Anonymous said...

The Waterbury Republican reported $450/year increase on the AVERAGE home. That simply can't happen. We must be smart and make the tough choices or we will end up like East Haven and West Haven in the RED. I have confidence the Town of Cheshire staff and elected officials will make the tough but right decision to benefit EVERY CITIZEN and BUSINESS.

Anonymous said...

How does a tax increase make us West Haven? West Haven is broke.

Anonymous said...

If we had to pay all of our obligations we would be BROKE. Another thing we are always compared to Madison, their mill rate is around 18-19. They don't have a large industrial base or a Queen St. How do they do it? Maybe we should talk to them and find out. Hint it starts with an "S" and it's not school.

Anonymous said...

Wow I did not realize that all of our liabilites are due today! That is a big problem. Gut the school system that is the right answer.

Anonymous said...

make people pay forALL the extras. Sports,band,drama,clubs.... EVERYTHING. Why should I pay for someone elses kid to play hockey, or drums. The cost of busing, officials, uniforms etc should be passed on to those benefiting. If your son/daughter may get a scholarship for performance in sports/band, it would be a worthwhile investment. This would eliminate alot of expenses. Only an education is a guarantee. Nowhere does it say your child has a right to a varsity letter.

Anonymous said...

3:24 Did you or do you have kids in the school system?

Anonymous said...

The education budget is still going UP by $1.4M. I think that's more than fair considering the awful economic situation this town is in. Be greatful for what you have been afforded. Use it wisely.

Does this mean that the mill rate will not go up this year? The BOE did it's part so now it's time for the TC to do it's part on it's side of the budget.

THANK YOU BOE...I thought it would be yet another year of nobody listening to us...you gave us some new hope. THANK YOU!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Good point 3:52 - The Boe made a reduction to the Superintendent's proposed budget. The budget is still increasing (as it does every year). Between retirements, adjustments to some of those "estimated budget numbers", and union concessions I'm sure there will be little if any layoffs.
Thank you BOE for trying to control expenses. Afterall, none of what was in the proposed increase had much benefit to the children - it was mostly all salary & benefit increases.
As long as the unions do their fair share the kids will get that same great education promised in our mission statement.

Anonymous said...

3:24 PM - Choose to send my kids to Catholic School. I pay for busing, tuition, books, sports, uniorms, and ALL extras. AND I dont complain. its all worth it. The Cheshire Schools are about smoke, mirrors, and standardized testing- which determines Federal recognition and funding.
Why should the extras come out of taxes. Your kids get an education, thats what taxes go to. Tell me the cost of one (1) football game- ambulance on standby, 4-5 police officers, 3 officials, how many coaches?, uniforms, equipment, lighting, busing, insurance. Let the parents pay extra for junior to play, its fair.

Anonymous said...

So parents that have kids should now have to pay "extra" for band, sports and other activities, when they have been paying taxes in town for years for other kids to have those programs. I am not sure that is fair.

Anonymous said...

I've been paying taxes for 34 years in this town. My kids are out of school - I had the open check book all the while they were in school, and I continue to pay for everyone else's kids. And you talk about what is fair??

Anonymous said...

Anon 3:51: I know of many people in this town who never had children in the Cheshire school sytem and have lived here many,many years. I'm not 3:24. Many people for some reason or other choose to live in Cheshire but send their children to private schools. We should thank these people everyday because how much higher would our budget be? I would also like to ask some of these people why do you live in Cheshire? Just curious.

Anonymous said...

Wow...miracles indeed happen in Cheshire. I'm glad to see that our elected politicians are actually following through on their campaign promises. Let's hope the TC will do the same.

Anonymous said...

where is GB's head???

Anonymous said...

Most people in the private sector are either faced with pay freezes or pay cuts (as a self employed person my income declined by 13% last year). However, I recognize that teachers do not have the upside that I do in a good economy and therefore I need to be a little softer in my expectations of them.

Unfortunately the current economy requires concessions on many fronts. The burden should not be passed on simply to teachers nor should they be immune to making concessions. Parents should be prepared to pay for extracurricular activities as they probably paid for them up until high school through AAU or other organizations and other revenue generators should be implemented. While this alone will not solve the problem it lets teachers know that all the savings are not coming out of their sacrifices.

However, in the end it is only through some level of concessions on the teachers part that staffing and education quality can be maintained. Pay raises should be sacrificed for the current year. While many think teachers are not willing to do this I believe that most are in favor of such a concession if it means saving the jobs of their peers and keeping the quality of education in tact. Unfortunately it is due to the scare tactics of their leadership and the vocal few (who are generally the worst teachers) that this is not an easy feat to accomplish. However, in the end I believe it is what will occur.

Anonymous said...

$950,000 in cuts from what?! Will someone please tell me?! Why are we congratulating the BOE? Great job choosing a random number to cut from the budget? My son deserves the same quality education that others before him have enjoyed. That is the main reason why we moved here! Stop blaming the teachers!! They are the reason the school system is as high-quality and efficient as it is.

Anonymous said...

Stop the "the reason I moved here was for the education" nonsense. Define what it means to you, define what a quality education in Cheshire is vrs a quality education in Guilford or Hartford.

I wish someone would define that statement, some of us are getting tired of hearing it.

Anonymous said...

At the BOE meeting on Monday it was said that the different look of Cheshire schools next year will be "due to the bargaining units." Wasn't the BOE 50% of the bargaining unit. They were so happy with a mediated agreement, that they -- fully knowing the economic times -- grabbed it before it could go to arbitration. So, it can only be assumed now that they took the agreement, KNOWING they would ask for concessions. What kind of contract is that? Good faith? I think not.

Anonymous said...

9:11 My husband is in a union and they also negotiated a contract. However, due to the economy, the company (P&W)told their union workers that they would all have to take 5 specified furlough days in 2009. They also have furlough days specified for this current year. And guess what - the workers will not be paid back for any of them. These furlough days were not part of any contract but the employees have no choice.
I am just grateful that my husband has a JOB. I am also sure that these furlough days are saving some of my husband's fellow workers' jobs.

Wouldn't you take some unpaid furlough days to save your fellow workers jobs?

What's fair is fair, right?

Anonymous said...

Will all unions on the town side being asked to concede?

Anonymous said...

I have lived here all my life. I didn't move here because of the school system. I stayed here because my family was here and it's a relatively safe, quiet town.
Stop with all the "I moved here b/c of the schools." A big reason that our schools are good is that parents care and get involved. That's what makes them good. Every school system has some good and not so good teachers but it's the parents' attitude about education and what they instill in their kids that makes the difference. Money doesn't make a school system any better. If a teacher went without a raise are you saying they'd put less effort into their job? A good teacher would continue to work hard regardless if they got a raise or not.
As far as efficiency goes, if you keep hearing it over and over I suppose you'd all believe that. Don't believe all that you hear - you need to take a closer look.

It's time that everyone makes a shared sacrafice. If it's really "all about the kids" then they will.

Anonymous said...

Anyone find it a bit ironic that two ex-board members urged the board to pass the super's budget to the TC as is? These are two that, on their time on the board last year, voted to reduce the proposed budget by $1.1 million. And these are two that also think we need a turf field.
Go figure.

Anonymous said...

"Wasn't the BOE 50% of the bargaining unit."

Yes and 1/2 of that BOE was kicked out to the curb this past election and the other half that took part will also be kicked to the curb in next year's local election.

Anonymous said...

Do the people who moved here because of the schools also think that we don't have a drug & alcohol problem in our high school? Little do they know.

Anonymous said...

"These are two that, on their time on the board last year, voted to reduce the proposed budget by $1.1 million. And these are two that also think we need a turf field.
Go figure."

And they are the same two that voted in favor of 16% contract increase as the markets collapsed in '08. Think about it...they voted for an increase and 3 months later voted to cut the budget $1.1M. Now they show up while the new BOE is cleaning up their mess and they have the audacity to act like they had nothing to do with this? Elections must be coming up.

Anonymous said...

What of the turf then??? I don't see how anyone has the decency or self-respect to present a turf proposal this year after 15 teaching positions are eliminated. Sadly, I bet the parents will fight harder for the turf then for the teachers. Did anyone from the public actually stand up and state they were in favor of the raises? It seems that only music was on their minds.

Anonymous said...

Anyone also notice how much some love to throw out the numbers of where we rank in per pupil spending compared to other towns? Yet when Wallingford was mentioned with all their budget issues, the guy in the suit at Monday's meeting said, "I don't care about Wallingford. I don't live there." All I can say to him is I don't care about what other towns spend on their education. I don't live there! I guess he thinks it's ok to pick and choose which info he thinks we should consider. He also thinks we should agressively pursue HSA's. Doesn't he remember when Paul Calaluce said we can't make the employees join the HSA's? Apparently he's a newbee at these meetings.

Anonymous said...

I did move here because of the schools. Bought a house with my wife when we first got married, assuming we will have children.
We were blessed with 2 children who began in our public schools. As we watched them go through the school system, we found that there were some very good teachers, but there were also some who shouldn't be teaching. We also realized that their main concern was on the CMT's so that they could get high score, while not teaching some of the basics.
After 7 years of participating in the Cheshire Public Schools, we decided to take our kids out and send them to Catholic school. We were disappointed with the lack of control the school officials had over the "problem kids". Allowing them to do whatever they want without recourse. We were tired of our children, who were good students and never in trouble, getting put in the classes with the kids who would cause trouble so the class would have some balance. We were tired of meeting with the teachers who would tell us that they couldn't control the kids in their class.
Our kids have thrived in Catholic school, but it took several months to catch up to their curriculum.
It is not cheap for us to do this and we never thought we would have to, but we felt that it was necessary to our children's education.
We continue to pay our taxes as well as all the extras we have to pay besides tuition. We are not saying that we should cut the BOE budget my a lot more, but they should also understand that many of us are leaving the schools because we are disappointed with the teachers and the administrators.
This town should be thankful to the other schools in our town that we can send our children to. Otherwise it would but even more strain on our public schools.
Starting from the top, our schools need to be re-evaluated.
Don't fool yourself to think that there are drug and alcohol issues in just our high school. They are also in our middle school.
Parents need to start taking some responsibility as well. Take away the cell phones that you gave to your kids for "emergencies".They are using these to text all day long to each other. Teach your children some values and morals and they will learn to make the right choices in life.
It all starts at home!

Anonymous said...

Is it crazy that this new council's number one issue is spending $5.5 million on the pool, when they are looking to cut $1 million from the BOE's budget request? Didn't this group run on 'fiscal responsibility', what a joke.

Anonymous said...

Parents currently do pay a participation fee for sports, band, etc. This was implemented to help offset costs. I beleieve that these groups have also funded new equipment and uniform purchases over the years, at times without using or asking for money from the town.

Anonymous said...

7:17 The pool has been a sinkhole for years that has cost taxpayers millions. Now the TC is finally coming forward with a plan for pool, and putting it out to the voters to decide. And the problem with that is??????

Anonymous said...

Answer to problem: Rainy Day Fund -- BOE/TC: it's raining!!

Anonymous said...

"Answer to problem: Rainy Day Fund -- BOE/TC: it's raining!!"

Well, I'm not in favor of raiding the rainy day fund and this is certainly a far cry from 'raining'. Perhaps, and this is just a thought, we should to learn spend within our means. Just saying is all. Borrow today and worrying it about tomorrow doesn't work anymore.

Anonymous said...

There are some comments here and especially on the previous thread (BOE budget vote) -many of which are shamelessly uninformed- that reveal a very concerning lack of respect for teachers. It's a shame that our society has so little respect for the people who educate our children. Current research shows that teachers are more important than anything, including resources and even parent support, in providing children with a good education. That aside, why is it the responsibility of the teachers to pay for the education of our children? The teachers were hired to teach the children, not pay for their education. While I disagree that it is the teachers' responsibility to make concessions, I am still shocked by some of the reasons presented for teacher concessions: Teachers are greedy, overpaid, part-time employees who are bad at their jobs? These arguments are a mixture of misinformation, untruths, and generalizations. Teachers also need to make a living, and they have taxes to pay too.

Anonymous said...

11:17, you are exactly right. It is teachers' responsibilities to EDUCATE students. At no point should it become their responsibility to PAY for it -- although every teacher I know spends a lot of money to make his/her classroom work.

Anonymous said...

To imply that teachers can't make a living on what they make is ludicrous. There are many in the private sector who would love to have the benefits and salary for hours worked that the teachers have. No one is saying that all teachers are bad but to think that all Cheshire teachers are great is also ludicrous. My children have had good teachers but some equally bad teachers in the schools.

Anonymous said...

I agree teachers are what make this discrict work. Without them we have old buildings and few resources in this educational system. The BOE was wrong Monday night as Mr Dixon stumbled to explain his reductions. Shouldn't he have known where these cuts were coming without having to hunt for what he added up? It was his proposal was it not? Thank goodness Mr. Massey saw it fit to grill him even if the others were to disinterested to notice his stammering and inadequate response. The BOE is not meeting their legal obligation of providing good schools as Mr Massey pointed out with this reduction.


To the people above who keep claiming they are sick of hearing how people move to town for the schools. Maybe it's time to think about why you did move here? Was it for all there is to eat or do? Or the plethora of elderly housing? If you don't think the future and the children of this town is worth investing in over a huge mistake like the pool maybe it's time to think about moving. If it is all so expensive like you keep crying it might the fiscally responsible thing to do.


It's raining. We have the money. It's time to meet our obligations. Maybe the BOE &TC need to remember that teachers and tax payers aren't the only ones with obligations to do what is right.

Anonymous said...

I did not move here, I was born here, not by choice. Only live here due to family obligations and as soon as those obligations are taken care of I will leave here.

I do not subscribe to the education support position. I do agree parents are the most important part of a child's education. Spending whatever it takes to meet the unfunded mandates from the federal & state government along with expectations of entitlement from parents and special interest groups is not something I support. If you as a parent want you child to play sports, then pay to play. Our public education is being ruined by government, look at how many people in town send their kids to private schools. If the total student population going to private schools was suddenly dumped on our public school system there is not sufficient space to sit them all down. My position is it cost 10k to send your kids to school in Cheshire. If the education system is so good then pay the 10k per kid to the BOE for them educating your kids and pay your other state mandated property taxes. We will see how the social demographics change when land is sold to build low income housing and 1000 or so minority and low income kids move into the town. How will that level of cultural influence influence many of these people that say we moved here for the education. No, you moved here because of the demographics of the population; wealth, race, religion, lack of crime etc.

Anonymous said...

There seems to be a concern about how much money is spent on a per pupil basis in Cheshire in comparison to other towns. If you think that spending more money on a per pupil basis is a good argument for increasing spending in Cheshire, why don't you just move to Hartford, Bridgeport, Greenwich or others; they spend much more money on a per pupil basis then we do.

Anonymous said...

I agree that there could be money saved by making all extracurriculars 100% pay for play.

Anonymous said...

Let's get one thing straight teachers in surrounding towns such as Southington, Plainville and others have accepted wage freezes for the next year. What puts the Cheshire teachers above everyone else. The taxpayers have to be considered and yes it is getting too expensive. The real world is the BOE budget is the majority of the total town budget and wages and benefits comprise the majority of the BOE budget.

Anonymous said...

Actually, only the Plainville administrators made concessions including giving up payments to their 401K's for one year. Cheshire teachers do not have 401k's or any such a thing. Southington just negotiated a new contract. There were no concessions there either. Cheshire will be negotiating a new contract with the teachers in 2011. Just the facts.

Anonymous said...

If the teachers don't make concessions and we have to wait until 2012 for a new contract we'll see how many teachers are left. I have talked to a few teachers and they would be willing to make concessions so who is making the calls.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Massey also stumbled when trying to explain how to measure quality of education and the definiton of a 'good' education. In his own words Monday night, he stated that the BOE doesn't have a measure for them. That's the problem...not Mr. Massey but the fact that we're spending against something we can't measure and throwing more money at it doesn't necessarily make it better. Neither Massey or Mrowka could detail specifically what would be impacted by these cuts. Let's face it, knowing the caliber of these two individuals if they truly thought this budget was detrimental they would've would proved it Monday night. Certainly Gerry would've spoken up if he truly thought this cut was bad. They all know it's the right thing to do but they have to show their support for parents.

Also, both Mr. Massey and Mr. Mrowka asked Mr. Dixon if his proposal would cut accounts that "have been used to supplement other accounts by moving money around". So, now we know that the BOE fluffs certain accounts in order to support other parts of the budget. I'm glad it finally came out.

Anonymous said...

"I have talked to a few teachers and they would be willing to make concessions so who is making the calls."

That's the problem, it's not the teacher making these calls, it's the union leaders namely Jeff Leake and Beverly Jurkiewicz. They standing between the teachers and BOE from coming together and making things right.

Anonymous said...

There was a comment made about cutting the BOE budget and spending $4-5 million for the pool is not fiscal responsible by the newly elected TC. I believe that the new TC just wants to put this out for a townwide vote. They never said that they want to spend the money. It will be determined by all voters. Is this wrong?

Anonymous said...

"Mr. Massey also stumbled when trying to explain how to measure quality of education and the definiton of a 'good' education."

There is no legal defination for this term. Its up to the Board to define it not Mr. Massey. Perhaps they need to discuss openly what this term means to them so the public knows what they believe is "good". Then people can decide if they agree in November.

"Neither Massey or Mrowka could detail specifically what would be impacted by these cuts."
It wasn't there proposal. They were likely just hearing it for the first time. He was asking where the money was coming from and couldn't get a solid answer. How can he detail the impact when being give shaky responses. It was Mr. Dixon's proposal and he should have been able to present and defend it much better than he did.

"Let's face it, knowing the caliber of these two individuals if they truly thought this budget was detrimental they would've would proved it Monday night. Certainly Gerry would've spoken up if he truly thought this cut was bad. They all know it's the right thing to do but they have to show their support for parents."
At this point why bother saying anything at one of these meetings when noone else is listening. I'd like to see some anti-education speakers actually show up at a meeting and state their feelings.

"Also, both Mr. Massey and Mr. Mrowka asked Mr. Dixon if his proposal would cut accounts that "have been used to supplement other accounts by moving money around". So, now we know that the BOE fluffs certain accounts in order to support other parts of the budget. I'm glad it finally came out."
Schools have unexpected expenses, especially in Special ed services that can't be predicted. Everyone has admitted that. If the special ed budget was provided enough funds up front to meet these possible needs it would be labeled as bloated and cut back, leaving the district short of funds when it needs them. Then they would have to turn to the town to bail them out.

"There was a comment made about cutting the BOE budget and spending $4-5 million for the pool is not fiscal responsible by the newly elected TC. I believe that the new TC just wants to put this out for a townwide vote."

Why even fund a vote at this point? So few people actually use this albatross. Aren't these "bad times"? Doesn't every penny count?

Anonymous said...

"To imply that teachers can't make a living on what they make is ludicrous."

Who made this implication? It was simply stated that it is not the responsibility of teachers to pay for the education of the students. To imply that teachers can't live on their salaries would be an assumption and a generalization. My point is that we should avoid making assumptions and generalizations.

"No one is saying that all teachers are bad but to think that all Cheshire teachers are great is also ludicrous. My children have had good teachers but some equally bad teachers in the schools."

So you are arguing that teachers should make concessions because they aren't all great?

"Let's get one thing straight teachers in surrounding towns such as Southington, Plainville and others have accepted wage freezes for the next year."

Comparing towns is futile unless you are comparing EVERYTHING in these towns. It just doesn't work otherwise...

"That's the problem, it's not the teacher making these calls, it's the union leaders namely Jeff Leake and Beverly Jurkiewicz. They standing between the teachers and BOE from coming together and making things right."

Another assumption and generalization.

Anonymous said...

Teachers should be making concessions because over the past several years their raises have been above the norm. Now when things are bad and the town needs their help they are silent.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should ask the teachers what they think and ask the union leadership their position is. I will bet the two answers do not match. The teachers will gladly give up something, the union leadership will not.

Anonymous said...

2:53 & 3:13 ok pt, relax

Anonymous said...

"Teachers should be making concessions because over the past several years their raises have been above the norm. Now when things are bad and the town needs their help they are silent."

The "raise" to teacher salaries accounts for about 6% of the "rainy day fund". I am not suggesting paying it with that, but I think it puts it in perspective. Let's shake the teachers and students upside down for their lunch money, that will get us a few more pennies. Are we sure it is the teachers being greedy?

What a shame. The point here seems to be to punish teachers and put the schools in shambles. Shame on Cheshire for gutting such a good school system.

Anonymous said...

All this squabling over 6%? I didn't realize it was that little! Everyone's acting like the union is trying to steal the whole thing. The TC and BOE should be embarassed.

Anonymous said...

anon 6:10 PM

How did this become a shakedown of the teachers? Are we not asking the taxpayers to fund these increases and a great many of them feel they are being shakendown.

So a rainy day fund should pay for basic town expenses that are getting out of control? The current reserves have been calculated to cover two months of town operating expenses. Does that put this into perspective for you?

I'm not sure we have to concern ourselves with paying the town's bills for 2 months if there is some kind of financial crash but that is the measure that has been used for the last few years.

If you listened to Dr. Florio 2-8 he (and the BOE) are more concerned about that next year since the hole is at 4 million. A 4million dollar hole is about 2 mils.

Should the town begin facing harsh realities now or compound and stack them all for next year. Its not pretty out there and the value of your homes has less to do with the value of the local education equation than you think. Your house values are declining now based on phoney inflated values brought on by unsound, we all fell into the trap, banking and lending practices.

You may have a six figure household income but is it so secure you have not considered tighnening your belt at home? If not...good news for you, but elsewhere there is belt tightening bigtime. Government has to do the same and every poll I've seen is saying the same thing. Take a look at our State...what a mess. The only way out is probably a tax hike. The federal gov't is the same thing. Where does it end. It has to begin locally. So yell and scream and make a stink and consider a big donation to the non-profit Cheshire Education foundation since you are feeling so magnanimous.

Anonymous said...

No one is trying to punish the teachers. We're just looking for some concessions from them like everyone else in the real world has had to make.

Some seem to be suggesting we should use our reserves to cover the increase in the boe budget which is nearly all for salaries & benefits. So I guess if we use 2 million this year you'll want us to use that much plus another 2 million when we lose the stimulus & IDEA funds in the following years. Good way to deplete the reserves to bailout the school system. If that's the way these people operate within their own budgets, they'll be broke in no time.

Anonymous said...

This is not about the teachers folks...or the parents...or the students...it's about the union leadership. It's apparent that the BOE wants to work with the teachers...and the teachers want to work with the BOE. What's standing in the way of progress? That would be Beverly Jurkiewicz and Jeff Leake. If folks are truly concerned for the teachers then you should give these two leaders a call and voice your concerns.

Anonymous said...

make people pay forALL the extras. Sports,band,drama,clubs.... EVERYTHING. Why should I pay for someone elses kid to play hockey, or drums. The cost of busing, officials, uniforms etc should be passed on to those benefiting. If your son/daughter may get a scholarship for performance in sports/band, it would be a worthwhile investment. This would eliminate alot of expenses. Only an education is a guarantee. Nowhere does it say your child has a right to a varsity letter.

Anonymous said...

"It's apparent that the BOE wants to work with the teachers...and the teachers want to work with the BOE. What's standing in the way of progress? That would be Beverly Jurkiewicz and Jeff Leake. If folks are truly concerned for the teachers then you should give these two leaders a call and voice your concerns."

I don't know why the teachers can't just come forward and speak up if they're really willing to make concessions. None have so far.

But if contacting Beverly Jurkiewicz or Jeff Leake is what you want us to do perhaps people would want to email them also:

bjurkiewicz@cheshire.k12.ct.us
jleake@cheshire.k12.ct.us

Contoured Views said...

What it appears to be is the union has advised all the teachers of this blog so we are getting all these pro-teacher comments.

The bottom line is that if we don't get concessions, teachers will have to be let go and all extra-curricular activities will have to be re-evaluated to see how much extra the parents will have to pay.

I would not say that Cheshire has bad teachers, like any other community, they have good and bad ones.
When we are in a down economy and we have to look for cuts, why are we giving raises to town employees? I work in the private sector and have been in a pay freeze for 1 1/2 years. I am not the only person like that living in this town.
To use the rainy day fund to pay for these increases will hurt us in the long run.
Lets see how our superindendent handles this one...

Anonymous said...

There are good teachers & bad teachers...there are good students and bad students...there are good neighbors and bad neighbors..there are good cops and bad cops: Welcome to LIFE!!

Anonymous said...

Except for the teachers union, many people in this town have or know someone who has had to take a pay cut, pay freeze, or a number of unpaid furlough days, or are unemployed.
WELCOME TO LIFE! Let's hope the teachers union makes some measurable concessions too!

Anonymous said...

"What it appears to be is the union has advised all the teachers of this blog so we are getting all these pro-teacher comments."

Wow. Your so closed minded you can't believe that someone would actually understand and acknowledge the union's position that isn't part of the union? Just because you don't agree with the union doesn't mean that others don't or can't see their point. I think its faultly thinking to believe that teachers are the only ones who see this side of the issue.

As a tax payer in this town I understand both sides of the argument. However, I also value our teachers and I also understand the concept of a contract. The councilors knew the situation when they signed it.

tim white said...

The councilors knew the situation when they signed it.

Of the 3 BOE & 4 TC members who:

1) voted for the contract in Oct / Nov 2008; and

2) were on the ballot in Nov 2009

only Mrowka was reelected.

BOE: Behrer, Hellreich, Mrowka

Council: Altieri, Decaprio, Dill, Ecke

No other BOE members were up for reelection. But of the Council members who were reelected and opposed the contract (Ruocco, Sima, Slocum, White), all were reelected.

Hall supported the contract, but did not seek reelection.

Based on comments I heard last fall, the Teachers' Union contract was a very big concern for many voters.

Anonymous said...

"However, I also value our teachers and I also understand the concept of a contract. The councilors knew the situation when they signed it."

February 11, 2010 7:06 PM

I also value our teachers, but I think they should make some concessions. I know of many people, including some in my family, who are in unions, had negotiated contracts and NOW are taking unpaid furlough days. No one likes it, but everyone I know that's made concessions are just glad they have a JOB.

Anonymous said...

Does it really matter at this point? No matter what the BOE does the town council always cuts the education budget. Has there ever been a year where the town council actually did not cut the education? Or, *gasp*, increased it? Why would this year be any different?

Anonymous said...

"If you listened to Dr. Florio 2-8 he (and the BOE) are more concerned about that next year since the hole is at 4 million. A 4million dollar hole is about 2 mils."

So. . .does this mean Dr. Florio and the BOE would return to the teachers next year to once again make concessions? I don't see that they should have a problem with that. . .Then when they renegotiate they could just agree to start the salary scale going backwards. People work to make money (yes even teachers). Stop the bashing and give them what was agreed upon.

Anonymous said...

All those who favor giving the teachers "what they want" are you equally as comfortable with the loss of 12-15 teachers. The teachers know this is the outcome with no concessions, are they so willing to give up the jobs of their fellow workers? It's going to be interesting to find out.

Anonymous said...

"So. . .does this mean Dr. Florio and the BOE would return to the teachers next year to once again make concessions?"

If we have to, then yes. Why not? People in the real world are going without raises, taking unpaid furlough days, etc and not just in any one year.

Stop trying to call this "bashing"...it's called being "realistic" in an economy that sucks!

Anonymous said...

Teacher bashing is nothing new. The TC and BOE are planning on cutting teachers either way. With so much anti-teacher sentiment, can you blame them for not reopening a contract that was settled in good faith?

Anonymous said...

What exactly are you referring to when you say "anti teacher sentiment"? All I'm seeing here on this blog are comments hoping the teachers make some concessions. That's not "anti teacher".

Anonymous said...

"All those who favor giving the teachers "what they want" are you equally as comfortable with the loss of 12-15 teachers."

The question is not "are the teachers comfortable", but is a community that is charged with educating its youth comfortable with it? The Cheshire community has an obligation to provide. It is interesting to me that people think they have no choice to pay more for gas, for oil, for groceries, for clothing, but when it comes to caring for the youngest among us, we can't pay more. Cheshire: check your priorities. Someone earlier said "it's not raining", then what are we waiting for -- the ark? Use the rainy day fund,

Anonymous said...

These expenses that the town has (education, pool, townwide services etc.) just keep compounding year after year. Our income does not. That is a huge problem. Do people see this? If we spend all of our rainy day fund what will happen next year when we have none and the economy is not getting better?? Think about this very carefully.

Anonymous said...

Everyone in the private sector has been asked to give up something whether it be raises or giving furlough days (not to be paid back at a later date). What makes the teachers so unique to the situation that they are above doing the same? The loss of teachers is no longer on the taxpayers it is in the teachers court. The teachers should not be put on a pedestal they are employees just like everyone else.

Anonymous said...

"It is interesting to me that people think they have no choice to pay more for gas, for oil, for groceries, for clothing, but when it comes to caring for the youngest among us, we can't pay more. Cheshire: check your priorities"

But we do have a choice -
Travel less - buy less gas - limit trips
Shop around for best oil price - use alternative sources (wood stoves, pellet stoves)
Food - buy on sale only what you need - skip the extras
Clothing - shop less - make due with what you have

Welcome to the real world - we all have to make sacrafices - even the teachers!

Anonymous said...

"Teacher bashing is nothing new. The TC and BOE are planning on cutting teachers either way. With so much anti-teacher sentiment, can you blame them for not reopening a contract that was settled in good faith?"

Good faith? Well, I agree with Perugini when he stated it's not the teachers but the union that's the issue. I found out this week that the union leadership has been misleading the teachers about the actual concessions being asked of them by Dr. Florio. They're being told that Dr. Florio is trying to gut the contract which obviously isn't true. Taking 3 unpaid furlough days saves Cheshire $500,000 this year. I don't believe this falls under gutting the contract. This indeed is going to be interesting to see how it all ends up.

When has Cheshire not demonstrated good faith toward the teachers union? We've given increase after increase and rewarded (arguably) good performance consistently over the years. The most recent being this 14.4% increase. I'm certain Cheshire will repay the teachers for their act of good faith when the economy improves.

If the union was acting in 'good faith' this issue would be resolved by now.

Raiding the rainy day fund that is not going to be replenished is NOT the answer. We have to unlearn those bad habits from the sub-prime fiasco...forget about spend now and worry about it later. 'Later' has arrived and it's not leaving. It must be dealt with for good of Cheshire, not just the students. Don't be selfish, help your fellow neighbor.

Anonymous said...

Interesting we are just arguing over cutting the budget but NO ONE wants to cut SPENDING--i.e real money. How about cutting all T&E except what is contracted????