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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Schools Get $600K Gov. Aid to Save Jobs

Norwalk Public Schools will receive almost $600,000 from Washington to help pay for extra teachers, literacy specialists and other needed school positions.  Part of the funding may be reserved for next year.

Earlier this month, just days before schools across the country are slated to start, Congress passed the $10 billion Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act signed by President Obama. In a time of constrained budgets, the injection of federal funds is meant solely to help save and create education jobs. In addition to teachers, the districts can use the funds for any employee of the school district including, aides, secretaries and custodians.

Connecticut received $110 million that will save 1,000 to 1,300 jobs, according to the State Department of Education. The money is allocated based on the relative population size and poverty level of each district.

Superintendent Susan Marks says the funds for Norwalk will be used for additional teachers and aides.    “We have to make sure all our current positions are paid for, see what was lost and prioritize who else we need this year,” says Marks.  “We also need to think about what to hold for next year.”  According to the grant guidelines, funds may be delayed for 2011-12 staffing needs.

While exact positions have not been determined, Marks has some ideas where the money will go.
As of today, the district has hired four additional teachers because of greater than anticipated enrollment.  Only three reserve positions were budgeted, according to Marks.  At Cranbury and Fox Run Elementary schools, full-time literacy specialists and aides were cut because the district lost Title I federal funding.  Also, Marks says the staffing situation in the high schools will need to be evaluated.

In the coming weeks, Marks will make recommendations to the Board of Education and its Finance Committee on how to allocate the funds. “We’ll know within the month how to use the funds.”  The federal dollars go directly to the school coffers and not to the city.  “Of course, the city is also very interested in how we use the funds,” says Marks.

Here are preliminary allotments to neighboring towns and cities:
Darien  $94,489
Easton:  $34,724
Fairfield:  $209,910
Greenwich: $199,890
New Canaan $87,449
Norwalk $590,269
Stamford:  $466,531
Weston: $55,463
Westport: $116,255
Wilton $91,050
Posted by Moina Noor

24 comments:

  1. Bravo to Marks for showing leadership and not handing down the decision making to the principals. It's about time someone on the top took responsibility for something. In the past, decisions were handed over mostly to the elementary principals...Look where that got us! It was decision making without the accountability for those decisions.
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  2. Let's hope the 600K is not squandered on more administrators.
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  3. Hope the taxpayers can handle the additional debt - yeh, I know we have been told that this bill is already paid.for ... I just hope the children be benefit and that the money is not wasted as usual.
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  4. Bravo to Marks for thinking about the high schools.
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  5. The distribution of the federal funding by the State using the Education Cost Sharing formula exposes, yet again, how unfair that formula is to Norwalk.
    Much smaller towns, like New Milford and Watertown, are receiving more of the federal funds (because of the ECS formula) than will Norwalk. You can see the full breakdown town-by-town via the CT Post website (http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Local-school-districts-learn-their-share-of-jobs-621055.php) .
    IN FACT, 21 OTHER CITIES AND TOWNS ARE RECEIVING AT LEAST DOUBLE WHAT NORWALK IS RECEIVING. But Norwalk is among the largest cities in the state.
    Clearly, the General Assembly needs to finally address this disparity and devise a formula that's fair to Norwalk.
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  6. I'm sorry if this is off the subject but can anyone tell me why a school bus stops at the South Norwalk Train Station to pick up students that attend BMMHS? I'm just wondering. If kids are coming in from out of district shouldn't it be the parents responsibility to get kids to school? That bus is very crowded.
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  7. The Global Studies Center is an inter district magnet school so kids from other towns might take the train in.

    The Bridgeport students (who are in all of our schools) are another matter entirely.
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  8. Perhaps the city needs to conduct an audit of which students are coming from where before building on to schools, etc... I know that there are a few children whose families have moved out of district who are still attending our school - parents just never changed the address.
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  9. The state pays for those out of district kids who attend the BMHS Global Studies program. The state payments include transportation.

    I'm not sure if the complaint is about Bridgeport kids attending Global Studies. If it is, remember that they have as much a right to attend as does anyone from the suburbs. I do understand and agree with the complaint about people from other communities who attend schools in Norwalk without permission.
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  10. Speaking of accountability, if we are to really look ahead, let's have a report on the newly appointed grants manager and the newly appointed director of elementary education. How about a quarterly report on what they have accomplished, Moina? Let's keep them accountable. There are grants to be written and principals that have problems. What's happening on those fronts?
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  11. Steve,

    Can you give us some suggestions as to how to right the allocation formula?

    Perhaps a knowlegable parent can draft a letter and a computer savy parent can develop a system that we can "click" and send a letter off to our legislators-- similar to what many non profit organizations do. At least we can deluge the legislators with our opinions.
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  12. Thanks to all who responded to my question about the BMHS bus from the train station. I was really just curious. Totally forgot about the Center for Global Studies. Thanks to all for the feedback!
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  13. Raising the Bar.

    Welcome back to school, students, teachers, parents and all our dedicated support staff.

    We are going to have a fantastic year.

    We are going to turn this around.

    Please take a few moments to bring yourself current and reflect on our accomplishments.

    Educational Cost Sharing, (ECS), the states formula for dividing up the dough is neither fair or balanced and needs our attention and all out efforts to make it right.

    http://www.conncan.org/learn/blog/ed-issues-new-school-creation-marshall-plan

    All together now, one, two, three, LIFT!!!

    123, easy as abc...

    We have come a very long way in a very short time. Still, lots of work left to get done.

    Raise the bar everyone.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f63Z7PYTos4
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  14. It appears that Kendall School spent their Title I money taking the staff out to lunch after convocation yesterday. Perhaps other schools did the same? Can anyone verify this? I think our tax dollars should be spent on the students. Who is watching the money that is spent this way? Where is the new administrator that was appointed? Isn't it her job to monitor the funds? How about a parent watch dog group for how this money is being spent? BOE are you aware of this?
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  15. It might be the Director of Elementary Education who has to approve if the Title I money is spent correctly.
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  16. Can the district use some of this money to give the AS and the HR director their full salaries?
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  17. So how does the 6th largest city in CT end up 43rd on the list?

    Hartford 10,991,025
    Bridgeport 9,600,617
    New Haven 8,332,632
    Waterbury 6,643,276
    New Britain 4,322,698
    Meriden 3,144,772
    East Hartford 2,438,860
    Bristol 2,435,732
    West Haven 2,420,647
    Norwich 1,889,571
    Manchester 1,790,320
    Naugatuck 1,708,011
    Enfield 1,659,407
    Groton 1,483,693
    Windham 1,413,220
    Torrington 1,399,400
    Hamden 1,346,625
    New London 1,341,351
    Danbury 1,336,521
    Wallingford 1,253,626
    Stratford 1,198,392
    Southington 1,160,007
    East Haven 1,097,151
    Vernon 1,031,725
    Middletown 973,677
    West Hartford 939,982
    Plainfield 897,713
    Killingly 891,423
    Ansonia 878,912
    Colchester 792,116
    Wolcott 791,657
    South Windsor 751,865
    Newington 738,638
    Montville 733,774
    Ledyard 703,430
    New Milford 698,117
    Watertown 686,995
    Windsor 675,201
    Tolland 629,103
    Griswold 627,685
    Milford 627,305
    Plainville 594,171
    Norwalk 590,269
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  18. 7:53, I believe that Title I money is directed to students who are low achievers. I would think it is illegal to use it to take an entire staff for lunch, if this truly happened.
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  19. Does anyone know exactly how the Educational Cost Sharing formula is devised? I was also surprised to see that Stamford, a bigger city than Norwalk receives even less money than us. Hmm..sounds like a story.
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  20. 6:12
    Heard about the lunch for the Kendall staff. From what I know the Kendall staff has worked very hard to make gains in many different areas. They are a Title I school and according to the statistcis they are one of the schools in Norwalk in which the odds are stacked against them. Last year they didn't even get any money fromt he PTO to spend towards their classrooms. Other schools receive money from PTO for the classroom, money from the PTO for field trips. They struggle in this area. These teachers put in a lot of their own money even to pay for students to go on trips. Their principal treated them like professionals by taking them to lunch and people are upset...ridiculous!!! Why don't we worry about the fact that our HR person hires unqualified people with out checking records? Why don't we acknowledge the fact that the schools are unequal? Why don't we acknowledge the fact that Kendall doesn't even have enough white students to have their scoreas count in subgroups. A lunch...please look into other things first!!!
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  21. 6:47, it isn't the lunch itself as a reward, it is about whether it is legal to do this with federal grant dollars.
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  22. So why is Laura Carlson, the teacher busted for pot from Rowayton, on PAID administrative leave? PAID BENEFITS? She let them in her car, admitted the stuff is hers. Is the union so strong they stand up for her, is this not making other parents extremely upset? (it's in The Hour today)
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  23. 7:38 - I don't doubt that she will be fired, but this is the way our laws work. All employees are entitled to due process, no matter how bad the situation appears. Until she is deemed guilty, there is no reason to discontinue her salary. I agree that this rewards someone who appears guilty, but to do otherwise risks a lawsuit that will be more costly than paying her will be.
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  24. Perhaps Kendall school paid for their own lunches. Personally, I don't care.

    What I do care about is the negativity and teacher bashing the board and administration seem to enjoy doing.

    Here's a way to save money. why is the Supt. of Personnell, who had ou on the front page of the Hour every other week this past spring still employed? with a 5% raise?

    Now she's saying that Greek Orthodox people cannot have their Good Friday off. What happened to freedom of religion and why doesn't she understand the first amendment? In fact, why does she still have a job in Norwalk?
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