This meeting is being videotaped so I am not going to provide a transcript just a few comments.
John Quinn is reviewing pages 2-32 and 95-106
Confusion at page 13 over what colums for 2008-09 and 2009-10 budget actually mean. Some board members seem confused. Me too.
The City Council except for the Mayor and Stowe all just showed up – Lou Trangucci, Richard St. Paul, Barry Fertel, Marianne Sussman, Al Tarantino.
Peg Pecunia takes over at page 95 on transportation.
Quinn jumps in at page 99.
[from my iPhone]
I’m home now so let me just wrap up and say that the video should be worth watching. I have never seen the school board get so hammered by so many people. Many residents go to lambaste the board for being disconnected from the new economic reality. Long-time critics of excessive spending by the school district read an impassioned letter. Several residents provided insightful economic analysis pointing out that we are now in a highly unusual period of deflation (i.e. negative inflation index numbers), one made the point that being under an arbitrary cap was besides the point, that no matter how you spin it the district is raising spending by over $8 million dollars. I got my chance to make my point that the district’s assumption of a 1.4% decline in assessments, the same as last year, was absurd. I then dropped a little bombshell on John Quinn that I had an email from Howard Ratner that the City was projecting a decline in assessments over 3.0% not 1.4% otherwise known as more than double what Quinn assumed in the district budget. He argued the point but I clearly won support in the room when I pointed out that it does not matter where he is getting his numbers from since the notion that assessments will decline at the same rate as a year ago is absurd on its fact. I am really looking forward to the TV broadcast.
It was my sense that this meeting was a real wake up call for the board. They really got slammed in a way that I have never seen before. And well they should. The budget they have proposed is grossly out of touch with the current economic reality. As several speakers noted in their own way, the district is operating as if it is business as usual while the world around them is falling apart. A case of re-arranging deck chairs on the titanic if there ever was one. Some speakers called for freezing or cutting wages or reducing headcount.
Gee, a couple of more meetings like that one and who knows, you might even see some weakening of the district’s position. It’s not too late. These meetings are for the preliminary budget which will be “finalized” around April 1 and then put to a vote on May 16th. In my view, having looked at this now for a bit, is that what makes the most sense is to freeze spending at $225 million, where it was last year and achieve that by holding tough on union contracts which account for 54% of the budget. Then make some sort of a deal that if the state restores the state aid they took out that some of that money and applied to it achieving a zero tax increase. If there is still some money leftover, then you can look at giving some back in wage increases.
One more thing we learned tonight. The District submitted an $8 million project for stimulus funding – re-roofing the school. This strikes me as smart on multiple levels – we get the roofs, the projects are actually shovel-ready and we also save energy with better insulation. Too bad the district is refusing to put out a list of such projects. They deserve some credit for good ideas. I guess they are afraid if voters find out that the district is getting another $8mm dollars someone might get the idea of reallocate funds from the maintenance budget.
I will clean this up a bit tomorrow but overall a productive budget meeting.
The Mayor, The City Manager,
The Mayor, The City Manager, The City Council, The Board of Education Members, and all other corrupt members of The City of New Rochelle all better sleep with one eye open. You are all thieves and liars! All You People ever do are raise taxes and pocket the money. I can’t wait for the day that the Federal Government launches an investigation on everyone involved in our City’s government for the past 10 years. All of you will be spending a lot of time in a 4×6 jail cell. All of you have made New Rochelle a City “FULL OF S—“. All you need to do is simply look around and see absolutely “NOTHING”. What a shame. New Rochelle use to be such a great place to live but now that these corrupt politicians came into play, starting around 10 to 15 years ago, it went all down hill. I hope you all get what’s coming to you, and more.
Warren,
I do not know what
Warren,
I do not know what you mean by having “community representation” on the board but the board members are elected and they all live in New Rochelle.
That said, there is something that happens to people that go on to the board where they are somehow co-opted. I cannot put my finger on it but I suspect the root cause is that the district is not run by Organisciak or Cindy Babcock-Deutsch or anyone else on the school board but by an unelected, unaccountable, unseen force who lurks in the shadows, is paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year more than the highest paid public official in New Rochelle and exerts total control over every decision of any significance made in the district.
To a large extent, the New Rochelle School District appears to be a dictatorship, run by our local version of the Great Knowing Oz, hiding behind his curtain, manipulating administrators and board members alike.
In my view, the only way the District is ever going to change is when there are enough votes on the board to terminate the employment of this individual and free the district of his all-powerful, iron-fisted grip.
There are two seats up for grabs each year which means it is going to take several years to effectively clean house but since the board is not likely to reduce their own terms of office or institute term-limits (one board member is in her FIFTH five year term) a good starting point would be for voters in New Rochelle to simply not vote for incumbent candidates. That alone will not be enough since the board actually organizes and runs their own candidates. Bizarre, right? So, any candidate supported by the board should be treated as an incumbent and defeated in school board elections.
It may not even take three years to achieve a majority vote to dethrone the Wizard of Oz and his access to the district’s multi-million dollar feedbag. There might even be one or two current board members who might see the writing on the wall and abandon ship.
Plaintive Letters of the Editor and mounting challenges in the 3 minute increments at board meetings can keep the heat on but only votes at the polling place are going to bring about real change.
Whoever reads these stories,
Whoever reads these stories, follow them, digest them, pass them along to anyone who will listen. We can develop our own transparency by holding their feet to the fire, forcing them to answer the questions, then following up on what they say. If the answer doesn’t make sense, go back to them and corner them on it. The people who report these stories should be commended on telling the full story, not some redacted or edited version that the board of ed would have you believe. With all the stories of the “activities” going on in the schools, perpertrated by the school employees no less, you would think the board of ed would be able to defend itself. They certainly have the arrogance to say whatever they want, but they cannot defend the shortcomings and improper behavior we read about an an almost daily basis. Thank you Bob Cox. You’ve started a movement that othere are sure to rally behind because you tell it like it is. Nobody has been able to disprove anything that’s been reported. That sums it up. This board is out of control, and I firmly urge all readers to take them on at the polls. If a few of them are voted out the othes will see more clearly that this can’t go on. Look at this budget nonsense, have any of them read the news lately? I wont post my name to this solely because I have kids in the school system and I really fear retribution if you make waves. That’s the climate they have fostered. But I will say to everyone, tell 5 people to go to a budget meeting, speak out if you want, but just showing up will tell them plenty. If enough people did this the meeting room would be filled with concerned citizens. We have the oppurtunity to make a difference. Call them or e-mail them now to tell them you won’t vote for their budget and you won’t vote for them. The audacity to give themselves raises when how many of you lost jobs or money this year. Read what’s been written on this site, read what’s been written everywhere else, is the board of ed doing what’s right this year? I will be at the meetings and I will be at the voting booth. Speak out, now it’s your turn.
I admire you for your candor
I admire you for your candor and your wise advice and strongly urge all readers to take this blogger’s advice to heart. this is a person of courage and it is a pity that h/she feels that having children in the system might be detrimental to them or their family. Indeed it might. Let’s make sure that people such as this, good people, the type all cities need to build a strong community base don’t have to wrestle with what to say, do or feel any negative thought about coming forth with ideas, critiques, concerns or simple questions.
I fully endorse what is said here and the next time someone questions bob cox’s right to speak out and lead an effort because of where he resides, well, our superintendent speaks out from a far greater distance (suffolk county) than bob cox. they may share a residency issue but they surely differ on sense and community responsibility. keep it up bob it is starting to germinate.
Thanks Warren although I am
Thanks Warren although I am not sure why you might think I share a “residency issue” with Richard Organisciak. I live here in New Rochelle and have lived here since 1994. I went to high school here and my wife grew up here, went to school all the way through college here, she has worked for the school district for the last ten years. We have raised four kids here all of whom have or do now attend the New Rochelle public schools.
I do rent now but for the vast majority of my time here I owned a home and paid well over $100,000 in property taxes during that time. Today, I pay rent which my landlord then uses to pay property taxes as is the case for any renter in New Rochelle so I am not clear why the district’s hatchet-men want to try to make the issue renters v. homeowners. I have news for them. There are more renters than home owners in New Rochelle so “careful what you wish for”. Beyond that, there is a certain anti-democratic, near-racist strain to the line of argument that people who rent property and live in New Rochelle should not be allowed a voice in our community or even not allowed to vote. Last time I checked property-ownership requirements to vote were abolished even before the Jim Crow laws in the south.
How could anyone in this “progressive” community ever want to say out loud that they believe that only people who own homes should be allowed a voice in how our schools are run or be afforded First Amendment protections. Surely, not here in New Rochelle, the land of milk and honey.
bob good stuff — should
bob good stuff — should have been clearer. by community representation i mean having a member per election district — meaning one for trangucci, tarantino, etc. and perhaps several elected by mayor. my view is that all current members largely come to us because of a small geographical segment largely controlling who gets on board, etc… not their fault, simply an artifact of the electoral demographics.
frankly, would prefer a system that worked closer to the NYC system, but I will take whatever i can get at this point. Rather not wait until the last incumbent leaves for whatever reason.
again, great stuff. warren gross
You want Bramson and the
You want Bramson and the Councils help. Aren’t they the same Council and Mayor who voted a tax increase this year during some dismal times.
These guys are junkies also, they can’t get off the tax payers backs. Let me get this straight you think Bramson is going to fight for less money when he can’t stop spending it himself.
I got to figure he is just learning how much or how little the tax payers are awake so he can approve more and more in his budget for 2010. You got to be kidding Bramson marshalling the troops to stop school spending. Yeah that will work just so he can get more in his little circle of spending. Thats rediculous.
ok fair point but sometimes
ok fair point but sometimes you take the best deal you can get. I don’t think he or the council are as bad as you point them out to be. maybe something like this will galvanize them into a more community based response. times are a changing, not fast enough but they are. what do you want to do as an alternative? noam is a decent guy and I know one or two of the councilmen and they are decent as well. I am not a naive man by any stretch of the imagination, but until you or anyone else can give me something more substantial than what you offer, I will stick with my points, respect yours, hope for the best, and thank bob cox for allowing all of this to take place.
i am delighted at the news
i am delighted at the news and regret that a physical issue has kept me on the sidelines. I am calling on noam bramson and the council to take a prominent role in putting this district on firmer footing. if anyone reading this has the email adddresses of council members please list them under this page or send them to me at yowlse@optonline.net. (I am warren gross).
the report from bob cox dated i believe March 9 or 10 was so disturbing to me that I forwarded copies to noam bramson and amy paulin. I intend to send copies to george latimer and jim maisano as well.
bob cox is an honest broker — he may have failed to dot an i or cross a t, but my personal experience is that the school board is stiff, unbending, prone to censoring and overcontrol and simply not up to the standards expected by the community. their lack of transparency is contraindicated by that sought by our new president and embraced by most vibrant communities who believe in dialogue and in a district that is open to its citizens and responsive to the problems we face and yes, we face many.
a sage at Harvard once said a little whimsically perhaps that corporations should never be run by attornies and educators should not be voting members of school boards. I think we can all get this point easy enough. unfortunately for many communities, the mantra of “its for the kids” coupled with the spending excesses of teacher and principal unions to the war chests of politicians has stymied meaningful and needed change. Let us hope that this changes sooner than later and that we begin to celebrate the wisdom of mike bloomberg and others who saw the direct business relationship of a school district and the growth and expansion of a community. if new rochelle does not fix the problem, we will cease to function according to business plan.
what really galls me is richard organisciak, our visitor from suffolk county, he still doesn’t reside here, so what stake does he have in the community and its financial structure. What is worse are his choices —- how can he go counter to many of his colleagues elsewhere and grant himself and his staff raises in this economic climate while cutting expenses back on real growth items like english as a second language and as bad, looking to parents to fund materials and supplies. It is worse, he purportedly said that we should be compared to mt vernon, yonkers, or white plains and not scarsdale, etc. because of the “diversity” of our community. what the hell does that mean? is he saying that a certain social strata, racial group, or combination therein are not as intelligent as some other grouping(s) and so, our declining results — and they have been declining — are expected? shame on organisiciak. i remember Linda Kelly comparing new rochelle to scarsdale and during much of her tenure, it was not that much of a stretch. Organisiciak has been a terrible choice — his non-sequitors and sophist remarks are legend — didn’t he recently state something to the effect of our kids should be compared or considered as part of the stimulus plan. what poppycock. Barack Obama puts it into proper perspective; why can’t our board and district team.
and speaking of the district team, we see more and more breakdowns — too many leaders and staff have made the headlines. why is this so; especially if it is not for the reasons a community such as ours need and should expect.
I call again upon noam bramson and the city council to take some immediate action. I am not interested frankly in the charter; the difficulty of changing an electoral process. I am interested in accountability, in the simple fact that you cannot unbundle a school district from an urban business plan or long range growth and expansion plan.
there have been a few voices in the wilderness; many of these voices can no longer speak and be heard. we should remember people like tony sutton who for years, stood up as a lone voice for change re; taxes. we should recall carlos sanchez who decided that he could no longer remain silent in the face of what he considered to be enormous issues in the district. there were others, but sadly, few of our best and brightest citizens have spoke up for a transparent capital spending plan, a capacity analysis of a district that seems to be bursting at the seams, a demand to know more about who holds the top jobs and how and why this is the case (especially in light of some recent developments), and the clear and undeniable fact of a “sweetheart contract” between the district and unions; a fact that would be clearly seen as such were this situation a working part of NLRB.
there is so much more — we need community representation on this board pronto and I call upon Noam Bramson and the Councilpersons to take an active part in this process NOW NOW NOW. We owe it as our president has said to everyone of our students, white, black, brown, yellow or any combination therein. these are our children and they deserve the best we have in us regardless of how “diverse” this community is.
warren gross