Updated: Parents Question NPS Decision on Race to the Top

Below are two letters written by Lisa Thomson, Co-President of the Roton Middle School PTC, and Kerry O'Neill, PTO President at Silvermine Elementary,  to Superintendent Papallo, BOE Chair Glenn Iannacone and NFT President Bruce Mellion expressing their dismay at the district's decision to not sign on to CT's Race to the Top application.  The deadline to participate in Phase 1 is today.

Dear  Mr. Iannaccone,  Dr. Papallo and  Mr. Mellion, 

I am writing to express to you, my concern and frustration over your recent decisions, for Norwalk to NOT PURSUE  the unprecedented  Race to the Top grant money being offered by the federal government.

Given the known budget constraints that this city, district  (and country have for that matter,) I find it incredible, that your organizations can so easily brush off an opportunity to  participate in this educational reform and funding initiative.  We ALL know that once Norwalk’s budget process of reconciliation gets underway, that further cuts will occur.

As a member of the District’s Data Management Team, I have, for the past 18 months, heard from principals,  teachers and administrative staff across this District, talk about the lack of funding and resources.  I have also witnessed, first hand, the cultural resistance by SOME teachers AND administration over the accountability reforms and systemic changes, necessary to improve our present educational system.  While these issues are not unique to Norwalk, I am nevertheless concerned as a public school parent, taxpayer, businesswoman and American citizen.  

As each you, represent the LEADERSHIP  of the B.O.E., Public School District, and Teachers Union, I respectfully  implore you to reconsider your decision regarding Norwalk’s  application for Race to the Top funding.  I think you are potentially sending a very dangerous leadership message and laisse-faire attitude to the taxpayers, parents and businesses of the City of Norwalk.

It is widely accepted that K-12 education in this country needs REFORM.  We have the best universities in the world, but  ALL of our American students,  African American, White and Hispanic, are facing increased pressures from students from other countries,  who test better in Math, Science and sadly even in English (oftentimes, speaking and writing better than our students.) when applying to higher education.  School districts across this country need the support of the Race to the Top, in order to drive the systemic reforms needed in education. The Norwalk Public School District  NEEDS Race to the Top money and reform.  Other school districts in our ERG are applying, why aren't we?  

While I believe that the deadline for signing on, is this Monday, January 11, I understand there may be a 90 day window of opportunity for which Norwalk can apply.

May I please have your stated positions, as leaders of your respective organizations, as to we have not sign on yet, and when, if ever,  we plan to in the future?    

I , and other parents like myself, eagerly await your responses.

Sincerely,

 Lisa Thomson

PTC Co President – Roton Middle School 

***

Dear Dr. Papallo, Members of the Board, and Mr. Mellion:

I have been following the discussions around NPS participation in the Race to the Top application with extreme frustration and disappointment. That we would not embrace and actively pursue this unprecedented funding opportunity is shocking to me.

I have heard firsthand the cavalier attitude towards what our district would be missing out on if we didn’t sing the MOU and become a Participating District:

·         This is a “back-door” effort by the state to get secondary school reform.

o   Wait – I thought this was something we embraced as a district. Now it’s a negative?

·         This would “saddle” an incoming superintendent.

o   Are you kidding me? If we are hiring a superintendent that isn’t excited about Race to the Top, then we’ve got bigger issues.

·         That the burdens on the district are too cost prohibitive.

o   Educate me. I could not discern from the presentation, since no facts were provided, what the specific cost concerns were and what the specific $ amounts were, and whether, in fact, any of the RttT funds could be used to implement these items.

Then I’m left wondering: what do these folks know that I don’t?

·         Are they aware of some significant up-tick in local or state revenues over the next few years that will bring similar resources to bear on our school system?
·         Do they already have a strategic vision and plan in place to accomplish the reform goals the state has laid out for its application?
·         Or worse, none of the above: there is no strategic vision, there is no plan to deal with shrinking resources, there is no true embrace of the reforms the state has outlined (we know better? we can do it all ourselves?), there is no true embrace of creative solutions to the problems our district faces. And everyone is ok with that.

I have done my own research on Race to the Top – both what the Feds put out in the solicitation and what the state has devised for its application approach. I have reviewed all the publicly available materials on the state’s website, including the MOU itself. This is something we should absolutely want to be a part of. With approximately 20 districts in CT signed on, our share of the $262MM in funds, should CT win an award, would be significantly higher than the $1.4 million that was presented at last week’s meeting. Even by not signing on as an “Involved” district or a “Collaborating” district, we are walking away from the chance to tap into significant resources. But to be a Collaborating or Involved district, you also have to sign on as a Participating district and sign the MOU.

As an aside, I just completed an application to the feds for a similar type of competitive program for energy efficiency funding. I coordinated a submission involving 14 towns in CT (each requiring an authorization letter from the chief municipal officer, like the state is requiring an MOU) and 9 different non-profit, for-profit, quasi-public and academic organizations. The application was over 200 pages long and involved detailed budgets, models and outcomes from each partner and the project as a whole. I’m intimately familiar with the stakes involved in these types of federal solicitations – what is required to put a great application together, but also the level of accountability that’s required if you win an award. It is a new way of operating and it can seem scary. But understand – this new way of operating isn’t going away, in any of our public sectors. It’s the “new normal” as the pundits now say. As a district, we need to figure out how to operate in this new way.

As one of your most informed constituents when it comes to education policy and issues, please know that this lack of serious consideration by our administration, our union and our board is deeply disturbing to me. I urge you to consider signing this MOU today and demonstrate leadership for all the children of Norwalk.

Thank you for your consideration.

Kerry O'Neill

PTO President, Silvermine Elementary