Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak read a proclamation issued by Governor Patterson honoring school board members and then handed out certificates to each board member (except for Jerome Smith who, as is so often the case, was not present). Organisciak then sat down and announced that Governor Patterson had announced mid-year budget cuts to education that will cost the New Rochelle school district $2.9mm in funding this year.
ADDITIONAL NEWS FROM BoE MEETING of 10-27-09
BoE meeting at Columbus School moved from 11/24 to 11/17.
Peg Pecunia Report
- The District has 190 substitutes registered this year which is attributed to the tough economy.
- The District has 700 retirees getting full medical benefits.
- All district employees are now required to prove that dependents they are claiming on their medical insurance plan qualify, mostly by providing aIRS form 1040 to show all dependents; any non-dependents will be removed in January retroactive to February 2009.
John Quinn Report
- >Preliminary energy audit to be completed in 2 months.
- The district has saved 1.5 kilowatts for a $250,000 savings.
- The district is getting more aggressive in accounts receivable from other governments.
- District is facing $2.9 mm in mid-year budget cuts.
- Pool at NRHS is re-opened.
- Report next time on hiring attorneys to dispute tax certioris that have been piling up in Quinn’s office.
- The work on the South Tower at NRHS will be completed at some point.
There was something about 5th year graduation regents from the NYS Board of Regents which apparently refers to this:
Regents mull adding 5th year diploma
Currently, any student who takes more than four years to graduate is not included in the district’s graduation rate for that “cohort,” which refers to the four-year high school period. In a press release this week, the Board of Regents said it is considering “implementing a five-year graduation rate.”
A typical way for public schools to improve performance — move the yardstick so everyone is excellent and no one is failing.
The story also shows another attempt to maintain watered down standards:
Another change the Board of Regents is considering is canceling the phasing-out of local diplomas, now scheduled for the 2012 graduating class.
A large percentage of New Rochelle High School students leave with these so-called “local diplomas” which are viewed negatively by employers but do make parents and kids feel better because their kids get to walk down the aisle on graduation day and get a blank diploma folder just like everyone else.
The Stone Soup of language programs (the Mandarin CILA program) had Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak buzzing with delight. After the recent announcement of a $900,000 grant (spread over three years) for the Mandarin program which does not yet exist, Organisciak announced that Susan Yom and Cynthia Slotkin applied for a fully-paid week-long trip to China with the College Board and were approved. Yom is the data person for the district who provides Dr. Korostoff the material for his infamous bar charts. Slotkin is the principal at Jefferson School where Yom used to work. The two pals will be out the first of December for the trip. Having rolled out Spanish CILA and Italian CILA and now considered Hebrew CILA and committing to Mandarin CILA the District will produce a framework for how they determine which language programs to develop in New Rochelle. If that sounds like they have been putting the cart before the house it is because they have. The Italian program went forward because the Italian Consulate offered to fund the first year of the program (that money is now gone) and they are not moving forward on Mandarin because they received a grant.
Tax Payers Paying For COSTLY Round Trip Vacation…Nice…
I see why the New Rochelle BofE is going bankrupt. With a Board and Superintendents spending money left and right without consequences, and no one to answer to or monitor them.
Why is the Board of Ed sending Cindy Slotkin and Susan Yom to China? Because of a Mandarin CILA program. Please! Neither can speak Mandarin, so why send them?
Why don’t they invite and sit down with members of the Chinese Consulate first. Wouldn’t that be the responsible thing to do? Oh wait, we are speaking about the Board of Ed, who has an open wallet policy.
I encourage all New Rochelle residence to demand that City Government Officials and The Board of Ed members must report all spending to a Civilian Review Panel for approval.
The people of New Rochelle have had enough with the Open Wallet Policy that’s been pleaging New Rochelle since Idoni was mayor. Enough is enough!
The Time for Change is Now!!!
Grant-funded trip
First, this was reported to the Board of Ed by Schools Superintendent Richard Organisciak as a trip funded by the College Board so the taxpayers are not, as far as I know paying the cost of the trip.
Second, these two people applied for the grant to go on the trip when they learned about it. Who applied exactly and how they learned about it I do not know but the BoEo is not sending them to China. Basically, they won a free trip to China.
I did wonder whether they are taking time off to go on this trip, after all Ms. Slotkin has responsibilities as Principal at Jefferson which you would expect require her presence, and since they are not being sent on the trip this is a matter of personal choice and perhaps they should be required to use up their personal days or vacation time. You can make the case that Ms. Slotkin can go based on her running the school where the CILA program will be located (if that is the case) but Susan Yom has is the data analysis person for the District and has no particular reason that I know of for going on this trip other than her ethnic heritage and having once worked at Jefferson for Ms. Slotkin.
In either case, this is not a situation where taxpayers are funding a boondoggle as far as I can tell.
But will anyone talk of cuts?
The school district spends roughly $20 million per month so I have to imagine that there’s room for a 1.25% ($250,000) per month in cuts. I could list example after example, but 1 thing is certain: teacher salaries are out of control in this district. All my kids teachers are earning over $100k and that’s not including pensions. Lets not forget either that this is only for 180 days of work and the rest of the year they’re off. Well, not really 180 days, its less because of sick time. The simple answer would be to lay off 30 teachers. Spread it around and I can’t imagine that anybody would notice, but I’d prefer to see cuts at the administrative level first. We need lots of indians just less chiefs. Quinn is pretty worthless and earns close to $200k. And how about busing? My kids bus is half empty. Why? I have no idea. And then there are 1/2 days all over the schedule. Must be expensive to operate the schools for only a couple of hours, you have to get everyone there and then before you know it schools over.
It just goes on and on and on
Gov Patterson announced on the radio today that the education cuts were weighted to reflect the size/budget of the districts throughout the state . He was confident the districts would have enough “reserve funds” to cover the shortfall . Somehow it’s going to cost us even more in the tax increases . Just to remind everyone , Mr O and his band of thieves lied about the increase in property tax appeals which will push their projection of the tax increase far above what they told us .Mr O , Polow , Petrone , Quinn all conspired to dupe the public while Martian Daly’s perverse relationship with the board managed to secure raises for everyone . No one was laid off , no wage freezes in the most dire economic times in our lifetimes . Not one single effort to help anyone but themselves at our expense . Do you realize what this is going to cost us in next years school budget when WE have to make up the 2.9 million , plus our cost of taking over full day kindergarten – it will be close to 10% easily . Couple that with the upcoming city budget projections of 7 – 10% , the $700.00 / year sewer tax , the mayors going to shaft us with a bond for the city yard move which will be 6% for 25 years , we’ll pay for increased fire/police services (not because it’s a luxury , it’s a necessity ) for the tax abated Lecount/Avalon 1 &2 /Trump properties (30 mi. per year cost to the city ). Road repairs due to increased traffic , 300 more kids in the school system @ 20,000 per kid (6 mil. per year increase) , absolute refusal of city hall ( Strome & Bramson ) to accept fiscal responsiblity and order a review of all improper tax exemptions or flushing out open building permits ( estimated at 1/2 mil per year loss to the city . And Yet , nitwits like Barry Fertel think bike path signs are the answer . Go figure . Within 2 years your tax bill wil be 40% higher than today . Can you afford that ? Are you expecting a big raise , or are you wondering about keeping your job ? That’s why I say NOW HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH ? Yesterdayland is looking better and better Mr Fertel . At least we could afford it .