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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Updated: Sup Search Update, Frustration over Central Office & Race to the Top Reversed

At last night’s tension-filled Board of Education meeting, union leaders presented the Board members with a letter  expressing “frustration and concern” regarding the Central Office's leadership. (see below for the text of the letter).

"Many of us in union leadership positions, have served in the Norwalk Public Schools for decades. We have seen good times and bad times but nothing as bad as what we face today," said Tony Ditrio, principal of Kendall Elementary and President of the Norwalk Association of School Administrators. "We have no Superintendent and many of the top leadership positions are being held by interim appointments. Some of these people came to us after having less than successful careers in other school systems."

The letter was signed by six other union leaders representing Norwalk's teachers and school staff.

In an interview after the meeting Mr. Ditrio said, "I don't know who to talk to anymore.  The high level cabinet personnel are only interested what is good for themselves. They have no respect for the staff."

"It is critical that the new superintendent be able to pick a new team if have any chance of turning around this district," he said singling out the Director of Human Resources, the Director of Finance and Assistant Superintendent positions.

"Every single union leader was in the room tonight," said Bruce Mellion, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers. "This has never been done before and sends an extremely strong statement."

Interim Superintendent Bill Papallo did not respond directly to the criticism but said later in the meeting that the Central Office staff are "hard working and dedicated but understaffed." Assistant Superintendent Tony Daddona said in an interview that he felt "blindsided" and wished that the group had brought their concerns to him and other administrators.

Early in the meeting, BOE Chair Glen Iannacone gave a brief update on the superintendent search.  Mr. Iannacone said that CABE Search Services, the search firm hired by the BOE to conduct the search, was in its final phase.  Mr. Iannacone said that one finalist will be brought before the community when the Board has made a selection.  He added that the Board, the sole interviewers, will work in conjunction with CABE to check references and conduct site visits. 

He also said that the public will be updated about the search through the NPS website and press releases as they become available.  Interim Superintendent Papallo's tenure in Norwalk comes to an end in mid-February and he said that he is working with the board to bring on another interim superintendent.

In an interview after the meeting, Mr Iannacone would not confirm whether the interviews had begun or not. 

Mr. Iannacone said that he hopes to find a superintendent as soon as possible.  However, when asked by this reporter what happens if the Board does not find a suitable candidate in the first batch of applicants, Mr. Iannacone replied;  “We will keep searching.”

Superintendent Papallo softened his initial resistant stance on Race to the Top Funding.   Dr. Papallo and Chair Iannacone had met with State Commissioner of Education earlier that day.

“We met with the State and clarified many issues,” said Dr. Papallo.  “I was assured by the Commissioner that even though we sign on now that does not commit the district. We are committed when we start receiving dollars.”

Dr. Papallo, who had received many letter from parents questioning why Norwalk was not signing on to the application, said that the requirements of the grant have been changing daily  "Nobody knew whether it would be prudent to proceed." 

Board Member Jody Bishop Pullan said that the Board did not have enough information about the grant to sign on initially and said the Norwalk Education Foundation was "irresponsible" for writing a letter to the Hour questioning the board's reluctance to sign on.

"There are a lot of issues around this funding," said Ms. Bishop-Pullan.  "The teachers need to understand it."

Ms. Haynie, a proponent of Race to the Top, said that the Norwalk is already performing many of the requirments of the grant and funding would allow for program improvements which the district has not been able to afford in recent years.

Mr. Papallo said he will recommend to the Board to sign onto the state’s application for the federal grant at the next board meeting. 

Central office efficacy resurfaced again at the end of the meeting when bitter remarks were exchanged between Board Member Steve Colarossi and Superintendent Papallo about an article in the Hour last week.

“You are irresponsible,” Dr. Papallo said of Mr. Colarossi’s remarks about "the waste and inefficiency that has marked the central office."

“There has not been efficient delivery of services by Central Office,” said Mr. Colarossi. “This does not demean how hard staff works. Taxpayers want improved efficiency and I will continue to voice my conscious.”

Board Member Susan Hamilton gave advice to the newly elected board members.   "They are entitled to their own opinions but they have to realize that they are part of a board. You can't always have it both ways."

Board Member Migdalia Rivas said that only the Board Chairman can speak for the Board and said that Mr. Colarossi was violating regulations governing the Board.

Mr. Colarossi rebutted that he was expressing his opinion, not the Board's.

"Nowhere was I claiming to speak for the board," he said.  "I am a member of the public and will continue to speak for them with a loud voice."

The Board also discussed two potential firms to perform a facilities study of the elementary schools which will address overcrowding and changing enrollment patterns.  The Board agreed to put forth Partners in Architecture over Perkins Eastman for approval by the Finance Committee since the former were less expensive and a smaller shop that would give more personalized attention to NPS.  In addition, Partners in Architecture would partner with NPS's current enrollment projection company instead doing their own demographic study, unlike Perkins Eastman.

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Posted by Moina Noor

63 comments:

  1. I cannot recall a time when four of the unions representing board of education employees banded together to sign such a letter of absolute lack of faith in the central office leadership; unions don't treat such matters lightly, and they don't do it unless they believe they have extremely good reasons. Anyone in central office who didn't see this coming must not have been paying attention -- or may be at the root of the problem.

    This new alliance isn't the result of a bargaining unit that has been handed a terrible contract (as in the case of Stamford's teachers) because Norwalk's teachers and administrators have done better than most with their contracts. It isn't the result of an administrators' grievance over an appointment (director of elementary education) because the teachers' union, arguably much stronger than the administrators' union, wouldn't have the same intensity of interest in the appointment. The union representing support staff and school nurses wouldn't have any interest at all in such an appointment.

    Board members, I hope you recognize that this letter is evidence of an extremely serious problem of leadership and of the union members' (the people who provide the direct services to students and parents on a daily basis) loss of faith in the people who are supposed to lead them. The union leaders who signed this letter are cautious to an extreme when it comes to endorsing a letter so damning as this. Board members who don't see the problem need to wake up before the school system falls further into disarray.

    I can already hear some of the central office leaders claiming that this is "all about the decision to ___________," but it isn't about a single act or a single administrative decision or a single administrative appointment or even about a single administrator. It is about a pattern that exists and that isn't likely to change with the current administrative structure.

    Norwalk needs not only a superintendent who has vision, great ideas about paths that the district can follow to realize that vision, and the inspirational qualities necessary to get people to work harder than ever to right a ship that took a bad turn a long time ago and that seems more than ever to be continuing in that bad direction. Until the board members can agree that they have found such a person, they should continue with interim superintendents. This isn't a good way to run a school district, but it is better than running it with a superintendent who isn't what the school system needs.

    A note to Dr. Papallo: I have no relationship with Mr. Colarossi, but I was struck by your criticism of him as "irresponsible." In school and in life, I have always told students and colleagues that we should attack a person's ideas, not the person. It would have been far better to demonstrate that his thinking was wrong. The quoted language in such a public forum has put Norwalk well on the path of bad relations between the board and the central office -- again.
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  2. 3:49, you are so right about some things and so wrong about others. Yes, it is very serious when the unions come together to issue such a statement. Yes, the Board should continue with interim superintendents if they have not found the 'right' person for the job.
    Where I disagree wholeheartedly? This is, about the appointment of people to positions in central office. The unions, yes both of them, are not happy with the appointments. The Director of Elementary Education certainly affects the teachers' union.
    Also, Colarossi was way out of line. That should not have come from a Board member! Shame on him.
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  3. Colarossi has every right to speak his opinion about the central office ineptitude. It's about time someone started shaking things up.
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  4. I can say from experience that the unions don't make a statement like that unless they're trying to bring someone down. Maybe Dadonna, maybe the new Elementary Superivisor, I don't know.
    Also from experience, it would be a huge mistake for the BOE to hire anyone else before they chose the superintendent. That actaully happened in past years and was disastrous, since the new super was totally threatened by the more highly qualified underling that the BOE hired proviously.
    And lastly, I hope they take their time finding the right person instead of hiring someone in a hurry to fill the void. These central office problems, due to a leadership void, have been building for a long time and will not be righted oovernight.
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  5. In reading the updated version of this article, I was struck by Bruce Mellion's statement that the collaboration of four unions in denouncing the central office had never been done before. I knew it was unusual but I didn't know it was unprecedented. As bad as the situation had become with Sal Corda, the unions never did this, and so things may have further deteriorated. How much worse can things get? How many more questionable decisions and appointments can the board make?

    It is unreasonable to pin all of the responsibility on the interim superintendent; this is a condemnation of the quality of broader central office leadership, something that many people outside of the central office have seen for a long time, but that the board somehow seems not to have noticed.

    Too often, decisions have been made on the basis of personal alliances, not on the basis of talent. Too often, those who have dared question leadership have been branded "troublemakers" and are no longer heard. It is important to give serious consideration to all views, including those in opposition to those of the leaders, but this leadership doesn't want to hear it. I would suggest that this wake-up call might make them behave differently, but their behaviors go to the core of who they are; they aren't likely to change.

    One person expressed surprise that the unions hadn't gone to him first. He should do some soul searching and determine why that was the case.

    The sudden about-face on the MOU for the RTTT is disturbing and it doesn't make me feel any sense of confidence in the leadership.

    The charges of irresponsibility against the NEF and one of the board members don't help.
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  6. A correction to my earlier posting under this article: There are not four, but SEVEN unions signing this letter. This is a shockingly bad situation. I thought that Dr. Papallo would be a healer for the school system, enabling a new superintendent to enter a calmer district, but things are worse now than before.
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  7. It is interesting that the article didn't include the reprimand by Shirley Mosby to those who didn't attend the MLK event at West Rocks. If it was mandatory attendance, that should have been made clear before hand.

    Also interesting that Migdalia Rivas's melt down wasn't mentioned. She was nearly in tears over a business model format that was used to present the work of the District Data teams to the Curriculum Committee. Although, by her own admission, Ms. Rivas said that the offending word or phrase was immediately removed when she objected, she was still upset and said that if the Committee can't communicate with her, then they can't communicate with her community. It's very clear and very sad that Ms. Rivas is so desperately unhappy living in Norwalk.

    The Central Office staff has been taking some major hits lately from the budget cut backs and from the public. Mr. Colarossi is free to express his opinion, which he did. However, I can't say that his words moved anyone towards building a team effort to get the job done. Now, he has to live with the consequences of his words, including Ms. Rivas' ire and the reactions of the Central Office staff. Good luck with that one, Steve. Quite truthfully, I wouldn't blame the Central Office staff if they all just walked off the job for a few days and let the system feel their absence.
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  8. The fact the the BOE members as individuals didn't attend the MLK function is their own personal failings. It's something that they need to be held individually accountable for. As politicians (and they are all politicians now) they need to be more aware of their obligations. But truthfully they also need to be invited in by the minority communities. Especially someone like Erin Halsey who probably has never had any sustained contact with minorities before.

    As to Ms. Rivas' breakdown. She objected to the word "culture of failure" or something like that and interpreted the word "culture" to be referring to minority communities.

    The simple fact is she misunderstood what the word "culture" meant in that context -- even when it was explained to her. Ms. Rivas is someone who is under-qualified to be on the BOE. Because of her lack of understanding she slows things down and causes unnecessary drama
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  9. 10:08 - I am amused by the reference to "building a team effort" at the central office because I have never known the people there to consider themselves a team, and that is a big part of the problem. Still, these people need to be under close scrutiny, and Mr. Colarossi is not giving them the "pass" that so many others on the board have been granting them. Like it or not, Mr. Colarossi needs to be heard. As for suggesting that they might "walk off the job for a few days," in protest, consider that these are people who are well compensated by the taxpayers of the city. They can fight accusations with facts -- if they have any to defend themselves. I don't expect any of them to call in sick in protest; I have at least that much respect for them.

    10:35 - MLK Day activities are symbolic, not the meaningful activities of the social service agencies that work for minority and majority citizens of Norwalk on a daily basis. I would much prefer to see board members in attendance at the meetings of these agencies than see them appear at MLK Day ceremonies for the photo op and to placate certain individuals in the community.
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  10. I for one voted for Steve Colarossi and the parents not politicians group so they can shake things up. Keep speaking your mind Steve otherwise things will continue to stay the same.

    Many of the current problems with the central office stem from the previous administration. Just my opinion...
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  11. Very busy and dont have time for a proper post but my first reaction is "well its about time"!

    The troops have finally gotten it together.

    Good work people.

    Long way to go short time to get there.

    Communication is still an issue, we need to focus on that, everyone needs to stay informed and pay attention here.

    Its fantastic that we are able to still sign up for Race Resources, we have really been missing the train consitently on these resources, its really frustrating to see these opportunties slip away time and time again.

    Question to us all - How can we expect our children to perform if we cannot get it together ourselves?

    What examples are we displaying?

    Are we being open minded with forsesight and 20/20 on the hindsight?

    Are we cloborating together to make it happen?

    Do we have the competence and passsion?

    Minds, our most precious asset, what a terrible thing to waste.
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  12. Lots of issues here but I am disappointed. I thought this board was going to usher in change. It was the Era of Transparency. Thank you Mr. Iannacone for not even verifying in the update whether or not interviews have been conducted. Exactly what did you update us on? We didn't need names, just a simple we have been through one round, two rounds, three rounds...whatever stage you are at. The natives are getting restless and showing the respect of a real update would have been nice.
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  13. Congratulations on shaking things up? Keep speaking your mind, Steve?

    No, these people are not just parents now! They represent the school system in a most important way. If they continue to 'shake things up' in a way that causes complete unrest and lack of respect, we will indeed have things shaken to the core.
    Perhaps in the very near future the state will have to be called in to settle issues, and act as the arbitrator between the staff and the board. In fact, I'm wishng the state would get involved now and tell the board how to behave!
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  14. Mr. Colarassi,
    Thank you for holding the central office staff accountable. Besides wasting taxpayer dollars, its unclear what they do. The CREC report is a black eye on this system yet they fail to change their behavior. Central office needs to be held accountable, they are paid very well yet perform very poorly. The Superintendant claims Central Office is understaffed? Why do we have more special education administrators than any other district our size yet end up with a failing grade by CREC? What are their job descriptions? Why are there so many legal fees. Wake up central office, your free ride is over. The taxpayers are watching and we demand answers. Go Steve go!
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  15. I couldn't agree more with the 1:24PM poster. I, too, voted for Mr. Colarossi and the Parents Not Politicans group because I was hoping they could question what's been going on with NPS. And now that they are asking questions and searching for answers, I applaud their effort. If anything, I would even argue that they haven't gone far enough. For example, some of the answers they received in response to questions they posed regarding the budget were more of the same in terms of lack of transparency and non-answer responses. And the fact that Mr. Ianncone couldn't even answer some of the questions posed by norwalknet suggests that most at NPS still don't get it with regards to many of the frustrations felt by parents.

    For those talking about Mr. Colarossi and saying he was out of line, I can tell you that I as a parent have been spoken to far worse by central office staff and others representing NPS. I have been hung up on and have had phone calls to central office staff go unreturned. I, for one, say way to go Mr. Colarossi. Thank you for standing up for what you think is right and for standing up for what I believe is one of the main reasons you and the others on the Parents Not Politicians platform were voted into office.

    Keep up the good work!
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  16. Regarding the phrase "building a team effort", uhm, it goes right back to Ms. Rivas' melt down over the phrase "culture of resistance", which apparently is when an administration in a business setting of your choice, announces that things will be done differently. Those who have been around for some time say "But we've never done it that way!" (sound familiar??)and they are slow to "buy in" even if the change is the best thing since sliced bread. Now, there are two ways to handle that situation...by imposing sheer force of will or by working with people to bring them around. There are times when sheer force of will is needed (If you EVER take the car again without my permission, you'll be grounded for life!) and times when working with the person brings cooperation. (Yes, Johnny, I know the Brussel sprouts look icky, but if you think of them as shrunken heads....)Knowing which one to use when is very, very important.

    The people who compile all the lovely reports that the Board is continually requesting happens to be the Central Office. Central Office gathers the data, talks to the State, deals with parents (well, poorly or otherwise) and works on health benefits.

    Okay, Mr. Colarossi announces in the paper that he thinks they are inefficent. Do you think the staff will run to prepare that next report? Why should the secretaries return your calls, or make sure your medical benefits are filed properly? Rather than moving forward under difficult circumstances, do as little as possible and let the rest fall by the wayside. Why bother? Regardless of how well or how poorly they do their job, it's already been publically stated that they are "inefficient". That's gonna look just great when their next employer googles them.

    Dr. Papallo is more than ready to wash his hands of Norwalk. I would just love to be a fly on wall if he ever had a drink with Dr. Corda. I gotta admit that the Board is getting much better at alienation techniques. They sure have kicked it up a few notches. Dr. Papallo has only been in Norwalk for five months. Heck, it took at least four years to oust Corda. Can't wait to see how long it takes before they slice and dice the new superintendent, whomever that turns out to be.
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  17. 10:38 - I read your posting a couple of times, but I'm not sure if you are complaining about the central office or sympathizing with it. If they are inefficient and also obnoxious, are you blaming Mr. Colorassi for stating the fact? I have seen very strange behavior on the part of some of the central office administration, people who are very well compensated. It is unreasonable for anyone to think that they shouldn't bear close scrutiny.

    I congratulate Mr. Colorassi for seeing through some of the veneer because they usually manage to deceive board members for much longer. Look how long it took the board to get a good read of the previous superintendent.

    Bad manners when dealing with parents, even when parents are demanding, is inexcusable. Wasteful spending, e.g., on excessive legal fees, takes needed funding away from where it is needed more.

    You worry about demoralizing the central office? You can stop right there. I have seen them in action when they have attacked school staff, both verbally and in writing, often about perceived slights to the central office egoes. It is sometimes truly crazy. If you think Mr. Colorassi is demoralizing the central office and thereby running the risk of having them work less, I say only that that is exactly what they have done to people in the schools for years.

    It is time for a clean sweep. I know that won't happen to the extent that I would like to see, but I hope to see a new superintendent with a very different perspective about the ways of doing business as a school system.
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  18. Also, remember those who work at Central Office are employed by the City of Norwalk and it is OUR taxes that pays them. So it doesn't really matter if it is the Mayor, Chief of Police, Dept of Public Works or NPS Central Office Staff, we as tax payers have to right to question them because they work for US. If I am told at my job that I am inefficient or I need to do better, I turn it around into a positive and figure out how I can improve. If Central Staff are demoralized, then they can choose to either improve or get out.

    Good job Steve Collarossi. Keep doing what we elected you for.
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  19. Go Collarossi! Keep asking the questions!
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  20. Mr. Collarossi's comment was direct, and some people are not accustomed to direct criticism, unless it is they who are criticizing someone else. Good for you, Mr. Collarossi. Anyone who doesn't respond with alarm to a letter that is, in essence, a vote of "no confidence" by SEVEN board of education labor unions, isn't paying attention. It has been a long time coming, but the central office is a serious problem.

    Norwalk needs true leaders.
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  21. Ok, we know that we are paying too much to administrators for the performance. So we are changing faces but are we adapting, are we progressing?

    Yes, they have been, er, lets say cutting class and not turning in any homework that is only the bare bones required to pass. Absolutely we have to raise the bar on competency and performance of not only the executive's but we also have to reflect on. What resources do we have and what do we need to get to we want to be.

    At some point we are going to have to work together. Our ship is taken some significant hits.

    We may not have communications established but is the crew fired up, yet?

    Looks like due to ineptitude by the state board of education, Linda McMahon holding a seat on that board, we have missed the opportunity of the Race To The Top funding.
    They couldn't even figure out where the start button was to crank the engine.

    So all fault on missing the deadline for the application on this historic funding resource doesn't just belong to any one office but its disheartening to see such widespread incompetence on all levels.

    Alex Johnston, with conncan.org, an independent organization he began out of Yale to reform public education, stated that. " Connecticut applying for Race funding was like a c- student applying for early entry into Harvard".

    Ever get the feeling your watching too much brain mush tv like, barry bendover or judge moody or american loser and of course we love to watch grown men in speedos, drugged up supermen pretending to beat the hell out of each other on our widescreens, We even invite our children to watch with us.

    Wait, didn't Warhol say "art imitates life"?

    Wow what an art production we have going on here.

    Isn't anyone else feeling humiliated at this pervasive ineptitude?

    Are we, all, that stupid?

    Maybe so, we all came through and our products of the same system.
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  22. yes, a letter signed by 7 bargaining units was read and submitted. yet that letter was signed only by the heads of those bargaining units. Let's make it clear...the membership of these bargaining units did NOT know that was being done, the letter only appeared that night. This letter was signed by union heads and not the membership. It means nothing when the membership does not know what the leaders are doing...and you call this coalition...
    these nasty letters read publicly do nothing to help student achievement...BOE have you lost sight of the mission of the district,
    union leaders have you lost sight...what is your agenda??? what is your purpose?? who are you trying to go after???
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  23. maybe the membership should look at who is speaking on their behalf...maybe the place to clean is there
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  24. why do boe members feel it is appropriate to use a blog as information or consider it "the people's voice" when it is filled with so many nasty comments by some who have personal agendas and hide behind anonymous.

    BOE, get into the schools visit, and speak with the students, and staff...there are great things going on...

    central office...why not visit and spend time and know there are some great things there as well... do you know what it is really like to be an administrator...
    job shadowing day is coming...spend time shadowing, the education world is all about collaboration...why not start collaborating.

    you know...together we can help achieve

    divided...widens all gaps!!
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  25. This forum is beginning to look like a lynching mob. What a disgrace! Colorassi appears to be the leader who has now publicly embarrassed ALL people who work at central office in much the same way as a teacher who doesn't know better and punishes a whole class for a few children's transgressions. This is outrageous! People who join the cry of their 'leader' don't even know what they are talking about. The mentality that pervades is worse than any I have witnessed in the school system in my lifetime.
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  26. I reject the letter signed by my union leader. He is a master manipulator who wants his buddy in a job. Enough said.
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  27. I work very hard for this district in my Central Office position. You are taking the easy way out, Mr. Collarossi, by making provocative and disparaging statements about Central Office, which includes people like me who are working arduously and collaboratively to implement plans that will bolster student achievement, improve teaching and learning, and enhance accountability on all levels. And, yes, I am not exempt from being held accountable through the plans that have been put into place. So, once you are through preening your feathers here on the blog, maybe you might do the actual hard work of making an effort to come to Central Office and meet with some of the individuals who are doing this work. I, for one, would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you or any BOE member to show to you and to explain to you the important work that the teachers have collaborated with me to accomplish for the district. I'm proud of my service to the students and teachers of Norwalk. However, I'm not at all proud that I work for a BOE and a community that thinks that I am a worthless do-nothing, simple because I work in Central Office. There's an old Toltec saying, "You cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can set your sail." Keep it up, and you will drive out even the conscientious and motivated people who are making a positive contribution to the district.
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  28. It was once said by a great superintendent and orator (in the Norwalk school system), that we tend to circle the wagons and shoot in. (meaning shoot ourselves)
    Administrators and teachers, please think twice before posting. Let's not stoop to Collorassi's level and shoot ourselves. If we have a problem, take it up with the union or the central office. Don't go public with your personnal agendas. It's not professional and does not help to add fuel to the fire for an already disasterous boe and ready to 'lynch' public.
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  29. correction above: personal not personnal....sorry for the typo
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  30. yes central office seems to be everyone's target. the union for administrators even targeted those that work in central office, and yet they say they represent all administrators. the unions pick and choose what they want.
    just last month the "focus" newsletter provided much negativity against the administrators. This is the voice of the teacher's union. Now the both union leaders are signing the same letter putting some down, and say they speak for all! What is wrong with this picture. Last month the teacher's union president was bad-mouthing the administrators. Now he is with the administrator union president...throwing administrators under the bus, and then driving over it.
    I work with administrators at central office and also in the schools. Administrators, educators, and all staff are committed to students. let's stop the name calling, the false accusations, the opinions by some leaders, BOE members. wake up don't you see how you look and sound the the community, your staff, your students. what is it that you care about???
    I do hope that Mr. Iannocone can reign in the board. they are not focusing on what needs to be done. Mr. Chair of the board, you have a very difficult task of pulling the board together and I urge to to communicate with the board that listening to comments about staff and administrators buys nothing but a bigger division problem.
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  31. Here, here, I second your comments, Anon 636.
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  32. The Central administrators doth protest too much. Colarossi simply said that there were inefficiencies in Central Office. It's a perfectly legitimate thing to say. Besides the proof is in the pudding. The citizens of Norwalk spend $155 million on their schools (most of it on salaries) if our schools are not performing compared to other schools of similar characteristics there only one group to blame -- the adults running it. Since Central Office sets strategy and direction it is quite appropriate to start questioning there.
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  33. I have to echo several of the previous posters. I am a school based administrator. We were not consulted and most of us had no idea about that letter. After the full page of negativity bashingus on the front page of the most recent FOCUS, it is incredible that heads of the two unions are together on this.

    Yes, there are most definitely problems at central office but this is not the way to handle it. Everyone should not be painted with the same brush.
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  34. 3:17 - The seven union presidents who signed that letter must consider problems at city hall to be worse than ever because there is no precedent for this in anyone's memory. I think the letter is even stronger because of the hostility between the NFT and NASA in that Focus edition; in other words, the two unions are in the midst of a fight, but they can still agree to stick their necks out so make the public statement that the central office lacks leadership.

    It's hard to believe that Sal Corda's departure would prove not to be the low point, but things seem even worse now. His leaving was an opportunity for someone to step up to become the hope for the future leadership of the Norwalk Public Schools, but I have seen no indications of that.

    If anyone thinks that things can't get worse, let me assure you that you are mistaken. Things have been broken before (after Rosenstein, after Herbert, after Corda), but once the leader had left, there always remained leadership within the central office that was able to hold things together for the incoming superintendent. Where is that leadership now?

    Contrary to what some may suspect, unions win no victory with what appears to be a vote of no confidence in the central office. It leaves everyone with a sense of uncertainty that is very uncomfortable.
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  35. No confidence in central office by the administrator's union (not administrators').
    Interesting. There is something far more going on here than meets the eye. Does this have something to do with the grievance filed against the appointment of the Director of Elem. Ed.? Unions do work together to help each other. Is something else going on with this grievance that we don't know about? Why haven't we heard from the new director? What is really going on here?
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  36. Collarossi doesn't have to break the back of the administrators' union. They are doing a fine job of breaking themselves.
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  37. 6:29 - I very much doubt that this is over a single grievance filed by a single union. Why would all of the other union heads sign on?

    6:32 - I don't see any evidence that Mr. Colarossi is trying to break any of the unions, and I also don't see that the administrators' union has harmed itself.

    Sometimes things are as they seem to be. We have not one, not two, but seven presidents of seven unions who believe that the central office administration lacks credible leadership. These are seven bargaining groups that are responsible for a wide range of board of education employees, and they have agreed on this one major point.
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  38. I am tired of all of the "Central Office" bashing! Has Mr. Colarossi spent one day in the central office to see how hard the Administrators,Instructional Specialists and Support Staff work? Does he know that several principals in the school system do not welcome the Instructional Specialists in "their school"? It is time for someone to take control of the school district and address the problems that have existed over the years with these principals. Does Mr. Collarossi know
    that the president of NFT union gets paid for a teacher's salary out of the local budget that we as taxpayers are burdened with? He gets paid @$50,000 when in fact he does not spend one minute in a classroom of the 180 school calendar days. I am very disappointed with the new members of the Board of Education. I am sorry that I voted for them. I ask them to come into the "Central Office" and see how hard they work, but get no cooperation from several principals in this district.
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  39. 5:07 PM is correct...

    Why do you think supervisor's position was posted as curriculum specialists? Supervisors were at the same level as the elementary principal. The curriculum specialsts are a level below the principals. Surprise! They are not high enough on the totem pole to have authority. They are not allowed to ask for accountability from the building principals. The building principals love it that way. That's what they wanted all along.

    Doesn't everyone realize that it's not central office that's to blame? The accountability is with the building principal. That's what the administrators' union worked hard to get, and now that they have it, they are blaming central office for no leadership. That's a laugh and a half!!!
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  40. It could very well be that instructional specialists are not welcome into the dysfunctional environments created by some building principals. It is high time that the BOE become proactive and get into some of these schools. Just don't tell the principals you are coming. It won't give them time to "put on the dog".
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  41. To 5:07 - if you think that the NFT president is paid at $50,000, you are woefully misinformed. With his years in the system and credits, the actual number is probably closer to $100,000. All anyone would have to do is look at the union's pay scale for this year.
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  42. Want to talk about an agenda? Get kicked out of central office curriculum supervisor positions on your backside. Knock down the instructional specialist position to a level below your new position as principals so you can do whatever you want. Try to get one of your own back in central office. Take no prisoners when it doesn't happen. Wait that's not true. They did take prisoners. I'm one of the prisoners...take my dues from me and pretend you speak for me and the rest of us when you sign your name to a letter I don't agree with. The BOE and the public are being used as fools, but they can join the club with the rest of us.
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  43. I hope the board members are reading this. The elementary principals wanted the power to make decisions, wanted the power over money coming to their buildings, and in return, took responsibility for accountability. This happened well over six years ago. Supervisors were replaced by curriculum specialists, and the principals got everything they wanted, with no one taking charge of them. Suddenly, accountability heated up at the state level. Now that these principals are really being held accountabole, they put all the blame on central office? WOW! Administrators' Union, did you really think you were going to get away with that one???
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  44. Although I am honored to be a part of the public discussion regarding how we can more efficiently use our taxdollars to maximize the educational benefit to our children, I am concerned that some, in an effort to discredit me or to advance their own causes, have alleged that my comments in a Jan. 15th Hour news article about central office waste and inefficiencies were somehow directed to the diligent staff employed by the Norwalk Board of Education. Those allegations are absurd as nothing of the sort was referenced in the recent Hour article- and how they have been contorted to disparage our educational specialists is mind-boggling. You see, I believe that our staff is very hard-working, and (as an aside) that the late-night job eliminations during the last budget reconciliation was very unfair to them (both those whose jobs were eliminated and those upon whom significant additional duties were imposed with no prior planning).
    Fortunately, our staff has been able to work for the best interests of our students despite some glaring administrative inefficiencies. These inefficiencies have been well-documented, whether one reads the Cambridge Report on central office administration, the CREC report on the specific problems with how inefficiently (and unfairly) special education services have been provided or months of newspaper accounts on the slow pace of consolidating services between the school department and the city’s other departments.
    Let me give but a few examples. First, there are no true controls on how outside legal services are used--- far too many administrators are empowered to call upon the lawyers for advice incurring significant legal fees that have far exceeded already too-high amounts budgeted. Secondly, manual systems are still used (which is unduly burdensome to staff and highly inefficient) for payroll and for scheduling late-arriving high school students; simple computer upgrades would alleviate those inefficiencies and save money. Rather than allow our technology staff to use flex-time so that computer upgrades can be performed after school hours without the need for overtime, a considerable sum is appropriated for overtime in this area year after year. In my opinion, these are just some of the examples of the inefficient use of our limited resources—each dollar wasted due to the lack of better administrative controls results in fewer dollars for education.
    Some have argued that an elected official, who takes an oath of allegiance to the people he serves, owes some sort of greater fidelity to the institution of the Board of Education and therefore, should not publicly comment on these inefficiencies. Having at least some familiarity with the children’s tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes, and recognizing the public’s unequivocal demand that we change how the business of the Board of Education is conducted, I have a duty to continue to question how taxdollars are spent and propose different approaches that will result in cost-savings. Fortunately, I serve on the Board of Education with eight other members who all share a passion for helping our children and who each bring a unique perspective to how we can achieve this common goal. Much will be accomplished by an open discussion over our different approaches to the budget. My hope is that the same passion that was shown debating whether I had a right to speak to the press will be reflected in a spirited debate over our spending priorities in the coming months.
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  45. Steve,

    I have no agenda and mean no ill will toward the current Tech. Director, nor any person associated with the city of Norwalk, and this includes the school department.
    You talk about efficiencies that could be a game-changer with respect to technology upgrades yet you passed over the technology candidate that works both as a school AND municipal tech director. This candidate also preached the notion of how he establishes a sense of teamwork and has far greater technical skills than your current Tech. Director could dream of. He seemed to also have a more realistic view of being employed in Norwalk, by being willing to accept having to relocate to Connecticut of hired. Not only did he seem to be the one to help Norwalk dig out of this rut, but was so glaringly qualified, if smells of an inside job about how he was overlooked for the current person. Who better to close the gap between municipal and school technology than a person who currently does exactly that elsewhere? Did his references even get called? His current Superintendent was not even called, that much has been proven.
    This is merely one example of the many issues that seem to come up when school employees are hired.
    It's too late now anyway, but this is one of many examples where seemingly obvious choices are overlooked. Perhaps you are also a victim of the Superintendent's recommendation too. Perhaps not.
    With this type of precedure, it is no wonder the best people are not chosen for the job...the hiring process is severely flawed. This was pure politics at work.
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  46. mr. colarassi's comments about special ed. are right on target. so many inefficiencies.

    I will say Mr. Colarassi, you are on target. there are a great many ways to do things differently. The BOE may have gotten off on the wrong foot--misquoted, misrepesented, not too late to work with the staff and turn it around. Mr. C. time to have a more collaborative approach to work, and then our children will benefit.
    I would like to know how the comment above would know whether a reference was checked or not...unless this person works on the reference checking position. suppose to be a confidential process, and with that said if we are leaking info like that then folks should be terminated.
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  47. if we look at special ed. you will see a lot of extra staff. For starters why is there an assistant director??? what does that person do?
    when you ask anyone to assist...it is not my job...
    they can never go to night meetings and when asked it is never possible. what is interesing..is that this person made a BOE meeting when his buddy was reading a letter bashing central office, and signed by union folks who never consulted the membership. Time for a total clean out...
    interesting that those who are bashing are those who have been around way too long...
    there are no other assistant directors, why does sped have one, and how many supervisors are needed in that dept? how many clericals?
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  48. Flawed hiring practices? Someone should hold the hr director responsable. Isn't she a cronie of the old regime?
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  49. don't know much about her. I would say the dept. is very inefficient. one person less, and others who do not have technology skills to be efficient.
    which old regime? corda??
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  50. It is well rumoured that the special ed administrator you speak of is constantly on this blog trying to demean others. It would appear, if true, that special ed. must have a lot of time on their hands for such an important person to be writing comments here so often.

    As for HR, don't jump to conclusions. Prove ineficiencies, but don't drown everyone in the same bathwater.
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  51. you are right about that sped administrator. way too much time.
    as for HR don't know enough about the operatoin.
    but do know some of them do not have skills to be in the job.
    time will tell. an efficiency study is maybe what the entire district needs.
    the hr dept is behind. many administrators complaining that postings are weeks behind. however the person who did them is no longer there and the efficiency of the others is quite apparent. they just don't have the skills. the receptionist, the secretary, and one hr specialist. this is a big district.
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  52. There has been a lot of interesting and good discussion here with many related issues being brought up. However I do want us to remember that while this blog is meant to stimulate discussion, rumor or innuendo is not acceptable. If there are specific topics that you feel need to be highlighted or looked into, please drop me an e-mail and I will do my best to follow-up with the people who are responsible.
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  53. Moina
    thanks for putting a comment related to all the postings. Unfortunately many take the opportunity to put some very opinionated comments in, and that really destroys the nature of the blog intent. It also puts information out there that may be totally misconstrued and misrepresents people and defamatory in nature. There are also BOE members reading and blogging and that is their right, but it is unfortunate that they read info., that is merely opinion and may not be factual.
    Thank you for your hard work with this.
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  54. With all this talk of inefficiency and being way over budget on legal fees in the special education deparmtment, I am wondering, Moina, if you have any information as to the status of the hiring process for Janie Friedlander's position. Clearly, this will be a very important hire, certainly for the parents and children directly affected by special education in the district, but also for parents and children in the regular education department given the amount of money involved among other things.
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  55. Norwalk is in disrepair with its bloggers and its rumor mills and its mob mentality toward its public servants. Will the last one please remember to turn off the lights when you leave?
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  56. Where there's smoke, there's fire. If the central office were more transparent and more effective, there would be no need for rumor mills and bloggers. The CREC and Cambridge reports clearly show a need for change and yet the most recent BOE meeting shows the head of NPS wasting time whining about his hurt feelings. Oh please.
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  57. Facts and truths are presented as rumors here only because people fear retribution by their bosses or others. Some of the administrators who are technologically savvy claim that they can find out who the posters are. So unfortunately there is a feeling of paranoia by those who post.
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  58. Excuse my ignorance about municipal practices, but did I understand from a previous blogger that the president of the teacher's union is paid by the taxpayers but has no actual teaching/curriculum responsibilities? If this is the case, shame on us all. All parties should hang their heads in disgrace as we discuss budget cuts and position eliminations.
    I am certain someone will explain that this position is consistent with most union organizations. Too bad for the kids in Norwalk.

    It is about time that not only central office but also teachers and most importantly parents take responsibility for what is not happening in our City classrooms. Why are our surrounding school districts doing so much better - is it superior intelligence or just their refusal to accept incompetencies.

    I believe somewhere in one of Norwalk.net blogs, someone asked for clarification regarding benefits and pensions. I don't think anyone answered. Is there some reason this information never seems readily available to the public? I am confident that someone will respond that this information is public - but please-don't make a fool of your profession and please answer the question directly.
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  59. 3:07,

    I will slightly elleviate your stress about "tracking" posters on this blog...only the blog admin can potentially see the log files of the posters, and only if they actually keep log files, and then also must know how to read/interpret them. That being said, usually the only way an entity can gain access to log files is to subpoena the logs...and THEN, only for a good enough legal reason...such as slander, etc. As long as the information shared in this blog is appropriate to the point of not illegal AND on-topic, without using it as a posting board to berate someone, usually that is the whole point of the blog itself...to stimulate conversation and potentially clear the air if necessary.
    The person who said to fire the person revealing info about candidate references, while an extreme statement, would probably never catch the person in a blog making statements unless the statements were criminal. To me, the person saying the hiring process was a sham due to the one-sided process for the current Technology Director is more of a hidden whistle blower than a mole or miscreant. If the process was completely tailored to the 1 candidate, meaning all the cards are stacked against any other candidates prior to interview, then that is a failure on the system and specifically the individuals involved in the hiring, which does not move Norwalk forward at all. It only unfuriates some of us even more. They simply should have waited to hire the new Superintendent and had him/her choose the hiring candidates instead of the circus hiring they did.
    So, fret not on posting here. Say what you need to say but try to do it politely and accurately. No one wants to read fiction. With some of the bashing Steve has taken, at least he was polite, articulate, and didn't just give a yes/no or "I know you are but what am I?" type of answer in addressing the bloggers.
    We only hope that Moina follows the reporter creed of never revealing sources unless they wish to be revealed.

    --Anonymous :-)
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  60. unfuriate=infuriate...sorry
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  61. It is interesting that union presidents signed a letter of no confidence without a vote of the memberships. How dare they speak for me and others without our votes to do so.

    It appears that there is more to this matter than at first glance. The administrators' union head wanted a certain elementary principal to be the elementary assist. super. When another individual, who, I might add was a solid pick, was appointed, there was much ado about the boys' club not getting their candidate.

    When has anyone heard of joint ventures between the teachers' union and the administrators??? They are always at each other's throat. Trust me, these two got the other unions to comply using other reasons than their own personal vendettas because they did not get their man.
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  62. BINGO! The boys didn't get their pick of candidates and that is what all of this is about. Maybe we are tired of negativity and back room deals. Maybe it is time for bringing people together, healing wounds, and for God's sake moving this district forward.

    We have a solid candidate who is ready to take on this challenge. Just because you have more 'seat time' or seniority doesn't mean you should get the job.

    This isn't about who was or was not on the committee. It is time to be honest. We know what the real issue is, and this letter was sent without our knowledge.
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  63. There is too much insider trading happening in Norwalk schools. People are hired for important jobs that they aren't well qualified for. I'm a parent, a taxpayer and I'm tired of this old boy and old girls stuff. Quit hiring your friends, quit filling positions based on seniority or friendships or some other irrevelent reason unless that person is fabulous for the job. All of you have to start thinking more about what the kids need and less about what the adults want. Regardless of who is right or wrong in this argument, which insider was the preferred candidate, who hates who, the person who was hired is underqualified.
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