Turmelle on the BOEs adopted 10/11 school budget
The NHRs Luther Turmelle has this piece on the BOEs 2010 / 2011 adopted school budget:
The budget approved by the board includes funds for three teaching positions that Florio had originally proposed cutting: one for the gifted and talented program, a technology teacher and a business teacher.
But Florio warned that he was only able to do that because of federal stimulus money for education, which ends next year.
“Unless there is a significant change, we won’t be able to keep these positions going after next year,” Florio said.
Tim White
10 comments:
Then why hire them now you dope.
Gotta love Massey's quote: "The once-mighty Cheshire education system is gone."
What an *ss. One thing is for certain, the BOE certainly knows how to play the victim game. The drama curriculum is paying off.
Florio & the BOE still don't realize the locomotive that is coming at us..declining student enrollments projected for the next (20) years, a bloated administration & a crumbling infrastructure. Thought Brittingham would bring common sense to the BOE, but he's drank the Kool-Aid like the rest of them
Warning, Warning....The sky is falling, the sky is falling.
Chicken Little is a great comparison to Florio.
Good school superintendents would take what is given to them and make it work instead of warning what may happen in the future. That is the BOE and TC's job.
I agree with 9:30, Massey should look himself in the mirror and blame himself if he feels the "once-mighty Cheshire education system is gone".
What I see is the days of free spending are gone. Time to face reality that there are less students, and that trend will continue.
Florio and Brittingham also said at the meeting that there's still time for the teachers' union to make concessions. I suppose if they took those 3 furlough days the money saved could save most of the teachers' jobs that are up on the chopping block.
"Florio and Brittingham also said at the meeting that there's still time for the teachers' union to make concessions. I suppose if they took those 3 furlough days the money saved could save most of the teachers' jobs that are up on the chopping block."
The furlough days would save ~$461K. I don't believe it's enough to save the 12 teaching positions being eliminated. Assume an average of $55K per position we'd need $660K, give or take. However, many affected are younger teachers so the average could be much lower.
The union leadership indicated two weeks ago they will do nothing (citing legal issues) and I doubt anything will change their stance before 6/30. It's unfortunate because we're losing very good, young talented teachers but I understand most of them have been able to find jobs in other districts.
The union leadership was in attendance at the Thurs night meeting but left as we were discussing the custodial contract.
Tony Perugini
BOE
I still can't understand how the union thinks that furlough days to be paid back at a later date is a concession. Also if the town has to pay them back later that puts a $400,000 increase in the budget at a later date. The town did the right thing by not accepting this so-called offer, it was a joke.
"Good school superintendents would take what is given to them and make it work instead of warning what may happen in the future. That is the BOE and TC's job."
I have no doubts Dr. Florio will make this budget work the best he can. I don't believe the sky is falling in our school district, I don't believe our children will suffer. Our school system will still be mighty. But if you believe the hype spewed by Peter Massey last week then you should be worried at just how delicate and fragile our "mighty" school system is when an increase to the education budget "shatters" the quality of our education. Nonsense.
Already, we've found ways to save freshmen sports, Academically Gifted Program, a Music Teacher as well as Business and Tech Ed. Granted, we're exhausting what's left in the ARRA funding to facilitate AGP next year and it's only a one year fix. The ARRA funds expire in 2011.
The BOE knows we're facing a $4.2M shortfall in 2011...that's not a warning, it's fact. I don't play the crying game like some of my colleagues on the BOE. We discuss it, we shake our heads at it so why pretend it's the TC's doing? Politics.
Peter is entitled to his opinion but one has to wonder if he fell off his chair during the meeting and hit his head when he came up with the conspiracy theory last Thursday night. He laid out a conspiracy theory whereby he believes the Republicans conspired to chop the education budget the same amount as the contracted teacher's raises in order to get back at the union...
I don't think conspiracy theories, political propaganda or finger-pointing is going to get us through the $4.2M shortfall in 2011. But I could be wrong.
Tony Perugini
BOE
Well said, Tony. I don't believe our system is going to fall apart either.
Mr. Sobol has made an important point however, which is that the Super with the help of the Boe will need to reinvent or reconfigure how education is delivered.
Instead of being negative or trying to blame the TC for the horrible economy, maybe people can help come up with ideas on how to deliver the same great education while saving dollars.
Tony, don't you read the papers and/or listen to the news....school systems are caving in all OVER the place becuase elected officials like you choose to see only what they want---& not the seeds that have been sown that have undermined our ED system in Town. Start cutting the bejesus out of the budget NOW; life will be easier later on...
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