Public hearing on the Town / Schools budget
The public hearing on the annual operating budget is Monday night (April 5) in Town Hall.
Tim White
Sunday, April 04, 2010
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- Public hearing on the Town / Schools budget
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30 comments:
Good luck Tim...I just read the herald last night....you can expect the usual group of parents whining about this being cut or that being cut. The whole line about Cheshire not spending as much per pupil as other towns is ridiculous....in corporate America they call that being efficient and penny wise. I have children in the school system and I say make the cuts in the budget....you have to draw the line somewhere and I think this year is it. If the increases in expenses are blamed every year on the teachers contract, then its time to play hardball with them. I think I saw that the budget has increased by 11 million the last 6 yrs while enrollment has dropped???? The kids won't suffer. Cheshire will still have a good school system.
Proposal
In response to a TC member’s letter pointing out that teachers are overpaid earning a pro-rated salary of $118,000. 00 at the top of our pay scale....
I came from the “private sector” that isn’t getting the “big raises” that teachers enjoy. Let’s take law for example. Teaching now requires as much or more school than becoming a lawyer, and there are plenty of lawyers that prove the fact that entry into the profession is not all that difficult if you do reasonably well on standardize test (you can take the bar a zillion times and even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while). The fact that we have more lawyers per capita than any other nation, yet an anticipated 500,000 teacher near term shortfall, should also point to the fact that teaching is a far more critical need than chasing ambulances. Of the 7 lawyers in my ARC certification course, only 2 lasted more than three years in teaching. A run of the mill general practice lawyer will probably charge you $150+ an hour for work that can now be done on Legal Zoom for a quarter the price. We are contracted to work 183 days a year. I arrive before 7 and leave at 2:40. I discuss job related material at lunch, so that is billable. Throw in another billable hour per day outside of school. That = 8 3/4 hours per day x 183 days = 1601.25 hours per school year. If you work longer, bill the district or parents*. I propose the following pay scale:
Teachers Years 1-5 $75hr. (paralegal rate) x 1601.25 = $120,093.75 annually.
Years 6-10 $100hr. x...= $160,125.00
Years 11-15 $125hr. x...= $200,156.25
Years 16+ $150hr. x...= $240,175.50
* Time spent tutoring, writing college recs, etc., will be billed to parents at the established rate.
In return:
• We establish a mediated system to review ineffective teachers
• We purchase our own healthcare through a CEA co-op
• We replace the Board of Ed with education professionals. You do not see the AMA or ABA run by teachers.
11:15
And we don't see our Republic run by the AMA or educational professional either. Elected officials should never be replaced by your so called education experts. Elected officials represent US. Your so "overeducated" you've lost focus on what our system is all about.
"overeducated"
When did overeducation become a major problem? It certainly won't be a problem in Cheshire. If the TC gets its way, we will have a bunch of grunts walking around dragging their knuckles on the ground. Maybe then the public won't care what is being cut from the education budget. Then, the elected grunts can do as they please.
Grunts-you're kidding. Cheshire kids are going to stop being educated because we may have 15 fewer teachers. You're showing your knuckles only there associated with your head.
The comparison made by the poster is actually a good point. Why are decisions about how students will be educated being made predominately by people who have never set foot in the classroom? Its no different that having your nextdoor neighbor who is not a doctor give you medical advice or liscence your doctor. Educational professionals should have more control over the schools. Also, remember as the Board has stated they are agents of the state BOE not the local voter.
I want to say all the military decisions in the United States are made by its commander in chief the President of the United States who is not a member of the military.
As a Republican, I am a little concerned that my local party seems intent on making Cheshire an affordable place to live. Why would we want to do that, exactly? There are plenty of affordable places to live nearby - Waterbury, Southington, Hamden, Wallingford, Meriden. Aren't we the party of the free market - afford to live here or move, right? I'm not saying to give the board of ed anything they want, I'm just saying I don't want to live in a town that everyone can afford.
6:12 So what you're saying is that 1/2 the people below the medium income level that may be struggling should move? Or the people who used to be above that level who may have lost an income in their family should move too? I guess you want the elderly on fixed incomes to move too.
We are spending more on education every year. If you want to spend an amount beyond 60 million, go ahead and write a check.
It's clear by watching the meeting tonight that the biggest concern to the people who attended was their property values.
What was really clear by the meeting tonight is that many people don't realize that $60 million isn't just "chump change" as Tim Slocum said.
I was amazed at the number of people who came out and said "raise my taxes". They wanted to go back to Florio's budget and not the one the BOE approved. That cannot be what he majority of this town feels.
I must ask these people why they feel that a 23% increase in the school budget over the past 6 years is not enough? Is it because other towns have spent more? Are our schools test scores dropping?
I also must question those who said the only reason they moved to Cheshire was for the education. Does this mean once their kids are educated they will be moving out? They ask if we "don't spend the money on education, then what will we spend it on"?? Guess what, we don't have it to spend. This is a bad econonmy and it is only going to get worse.
I don't envy the TC, because there has to be tough decisions made.
9:18. A few years ago there was a popular bumper sticker that read: "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance".The difference between ignorance and stupidity is that the former is based on not knowing the facts, while the latter is a result of either denying or ignoring the facts. Well ignorance is something that teachers have dedicated their lives to ameliorating. However, since stupidity is a choice, it can't be altered by even the best teachers in the world! So I'd like to amend the original bumper sticker to read: "If you think education is expensive try stupidity". Residents of Cheshire let's not be led into believing that cutting $1 million or more from the education budget this year ONLY means losing a few teachers. The handwriting is on the wall. Without a clear long-range plan for dealing with future budget issues (and they are going to become formidable beginning next year) OTHER than relying on the TC to cut back the BOE budget each spring, our lovely little suburban town will become like all the other middle-sized towns in Connecticut-average to mediocre. Cheshire needs to retain its value that has made it distinct from other towns. Yes that might mean paying a little more taxes each year, but think of it as an investment in living in a distinctive town whose homes retain their value EVEN in tight economic times such as we are experiencing right now. Residents of Cheshire get educated about the value to all of us in having a responsibly funded school system. Don't look back in the years to come and have to say, I wish I hadn't been so stupid to believe we could continue being the best by paying even less than the rest. TC and BOE come up with a long-range plan for spending based on fiscal responsibility but one that also maintains excellence in our schools.
11:24. The reason for the outcry is simple. People move to Cheshire because it is a special place to live. Paying a little more in taxes, which by the way is less than a lot of other less desirable towns surrounding us, isn't the issue. It's the same as buing a Mercedes and then moaning about having to fill the gas tank. In sympathy with those on fixed incomes, maybe we should all pay them some respect and lower the taxes on those wo have been long term residents (20 years or more). They have earned it (by the way I am not in that age range at least not for another 15 years).
11:38
I am not against the increased budget as set forth by the BOE.
What I am against is the number of people who want even more.
WE CAN'T AFFORD IT.
I don't drive around in a Mercedes.I am not above the median income level. I work in the private sector where my employer has frozen my pay for the past year. MY benefits continue to go up, while the product is worse. I have children that I have pulled out of our public schools because they weren't getting the education that I felt they should, so I am paying for tuition on top of all of that. It is a sacrafice, but it is for my children.
Just in case you didn't notice, the proposed budget does increase the taxes. I just don't want them any higher.
I do have a question for any of the parents who wanted Florio's budget to be passed. What is the extra $1 million going to cover? It seems nobody could answer that. I recall the huge outcry the year there was a 0% increase and all kinds of layoffs were threatened and programs will end. What happened? 3 years later we had more teachers and less students.
I just feel that teachers also need to make some sacrafices and give back to this community.
We should figure out how much it takes to run each school and divide that by the number of students in that school. If your child or children attend that school that is what you pay for. For those people that do not have kids in the school system we take the cost of town government, divide that by the number of households that do not have kids in the school system and that is what they pay for. This allows the people that want to pay higher taxes for the school system to get their wish. It allows people that do not want to pay higher taxes for the school to get their wish. The non kid households pay for all town services and the kids household get town services for free.
I think that's a great idea but you have to realize that it costs almost $13,000 per student. If you have two, three or more students in the school system you would go broke. That is the reason that long time residents feel slighted. Many parents move out after their children finish school and saddle the long time residents with the tuition payments (taxes).
Yes; 9:45 you are correct and that was my point. At 12k per student and you have two or more, you have to make a decision. What are you really willing to pay for an education you state has such high value. Or send you kid to a private school, there are many around here. But private schools do not really have the "sports" marketing Cheshire has. So what has greater value, academics or athletics.
12:09. As a concerned parent I attended the March 22 meeting at Dodd where the actual cost to the taxpayers for this year due to the teachers' contract was not 4.4% but 0.4%. The reasons given were that as you know positions vacated due to retirements or filled by less expensive younger teachers reduced the overall cost. The problem now from what I understand, is that there are only a couple of teachers (maybe there will be more I can't say for sure as I'm not in the system) who are considering retiring this year. So any cuts will mean loss of positions. Well that may need to be the case for this year, but what about next year when there is a $6 million shortfall in revenue? That's a lot of teachers and programs.
11:16
Remember, that meeting was given by the teachers to convince the parents that they weren't the bad guys.
They still got 4.4%.They can fudge the numbers any way they want.
We still have more teachers with less students.
12:06. No you're wrong I checked it out myself with Florio. If you don't replace high salaries retirees or replace them less expensive (50-60% less expensive)newbies, then how are you still paying 4.4%? Maybe math wasn't your strongest suit. The 0.4% actual cost to the taxpayer is real.
Fuzzy math, the teachers are getting 4.4% that was the amount negotiated in their contract. If you still don't think so check the figure in Florio's budget for salary increases. They can sugar coat it any way they want but the teachers got a raise that is too high for the current economy.
1:21. All I'm saying is that the cost to YOU was only 0.4%. I asked the same question and did some research myself. So just to clarify the 4.4% is a misrepresentation of the facts in terms of what teachers ACTUALLY take home which is a different matter all together. Included in that 4.4% figure is the normal step for younger teachers. Since the majority of teachers are at the top step they only received about a 1.8% increase. If you add in the increases in medical benefits most received very little in terms of actual increases.
12:24
Another math genius.
Did Florio also offer you a bridge to buy in Brooklyn?
He is sugar coating it to the highest degree.
Thats like saying Mr. Madoff told me I was earning 15% a year on my investments.
He is assuming those teaching positions won't be filled, but if and when they are, they will be at the higher starting rate.
Obviously naiveté must have been your major in school. Believe anything someone tells you without doing the research.
2:08
You are so gullible or you are a teacher.
2:13 and 2:15. You both make me laugh. Facts don't mean anything to those who are entrenched in their dogmatic beliefs. See the difference between ignorance and stupidity is that the former is based on not knowing the facts, while the latter is a choice to deny the facts. So to amend a popular bumper sticker "If you think education is expensive try ignorance" I'd like to offer to you "If you think education is expensive try stupidity". You both have proved my point. By the way I'm not a teacher and I am a progressive thinking Republican LOL.
3:02
And your point is???
You speak with Florio who uses fuzzy math and tells you the teachers are only costing us .4%.
That is a joke.
Next time you speak with him, ask him why we need more teachers with less students?
"Progressive Thinking"???How do you figure? Pay more now, pay more later, keep paying no matter how much it costs us.
Look at the projection for number of students. It is going down. This is the time to cut.
Talk about stupidity.... You must walk into a car dealership with a huge target on your back. I did my research.
3:18 You didn't direct that comment to me, but I don't think many people with an IQ higher than a pretzel want to ask a schools superintendent, "why we need more teachers with less students?" Unless you want to stay after school to brush up on your grammar.
The teachers are in the first of a three-year contract. This contract was negotiated less than a year and a half ago, when economic times were already tough. The teachers asked for a one-year contract. The BOE wanted a three-year one. The contract did not go to arbitration (saving money) and the union accepted the BOE contract. Just giving some facts that were presented at a meeting on 3/22.
Fact the BOE and TC had a Dem majority last year when this contract was approved. They were voted out. That was a big mistake to give such a large increase with the economy going down hill. How we move foward with this huge obligation is going to take some creative bugeting and accounting. We have good people on the BOE,TC and staff to work this out. I wish that people would stop pointing fingers at each other. The rumor of a school closing didn't help. Start by getting the facts to all the people not just parents,students and a selected few. There is a lot of misinformed people out there. This processs is complicated and when people react to the wrong information it's doesn't create a good environment to work out solutions. Everyone has their agendas and they most be left at the door. Listen to all sides and work out a long term solution. We can do this.
One point made during last night's meeting is very clear, many people in this town do not understand the budgetary process; do not understand the roles and responsibilities of the Town Council & the BOE, how they differ, and what lack of control they have over each other. If you don't understand the process then don't speak. How many people last night asked the TC to change the spending for the BOE; under the charter and State statutes it cannot happen. I appreciate and applaud the kids participating, but they were not schooled in the process. The TC has not vote on what programs are eliminated by the BOE. If this is an example of what we are teaching and not teaching our students then maybe we should invest in more civics classes; because it is obvious the majority of the crying parents and their kids do not understand how the process works. I agree the process is broken, how can we expect the town to develop a budget before the state tells the town how much in state funding we are to receive. This alone fuels the fire. Change the fiscal year to start after the towns know from the state what state funding is.
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