Should the BOF take over the BOE's finances?

...I'm not sure they can. According to this article in the Norwich Bulletin, BOEs in the state of Connecticut are autonomous. Nonetheless, it seems as though members of the BOF are still irritated that the BOE didn't report a lack of income for this year. The comments at the end are interesting, too.

What do you think? Our new Superintendent has her work cut out for her! Good luck.

Meeting June 9th

The BOE is meeting on THIS Wednesday night to discuss teacher non-renewals and budget reductions. There is a discussion about the LES Science teacher (and the entire program) versus a high school guidance position. If you want to show up and voice your opinion, please do.

Please remember to be polite. While you may not agree with a certain position the board has made, rudeness never gets anyone anywhere. I am afraid that tempers are high and people forget that the teacher (or guidance counselor) who is losing a job is a person with a family. Just try to be respectful of that. Thank you.

Click here to find a link to the BOE agenda for Wednesday. Pass it on!

Tuesday 5/25 BOE meeting

At which they will discuss the budget. There is a public comment section--go if you want to be heard! Click for the agenda.

Next meeting

If you want to know what's going on with the new-and-not-terribly-improved BOE budget, they may have info at their 5/25 meeting (Tuesday night, 7:30, library @ LMHS). Then again, they may not.

IT PASSED!!!

The town budget passed by 200ish votes. In the exit questions, more people thought the BOE budget was too high, so we still wait to see how that plays out at the schools.

Here are the details on the town's website.

Thanks to all who voted, helped, petitioned, Face-Booked, talked to friends, called people, harassed people, spoke up at the town meeting, sat still and thought good thoughts, or any other helpful things.

Onward!

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers are needed to remind voters of the referendum. If you would like to help voters get to the polls please let us know!





We do NOT call to influence the vote, just to remind about the date!

Some more thoughts about those "greedy" teachers

1. Several people suggested teachers should be "thinking of the kids" instead of themselves. They don't seem to realize that's what teachers DO; they think of the kids. A certain segment of people in town think programs and teaching can happen effectively "without" teachers. Programs and teaching doesn't happen in a public school without certified teachers.

2. One man suggested the town look into teacher "pensions" for some kind of give-back. If one checks p. 32 in the yellow booklet of the Lebanon Annual Report for 08-09 they will see that the Town doesn't put anything into teacher retirement plans. Teachers money is not "matched" and many teachers have lost their "nest egg" in the recession too.

3. Most people don't realize that the State of CT dipped into teacher pension funds and reallocated them to use a few years ago during "lean times" and had to be challenged (along with other CT civil servants like police) to get that issue addressed, over time.

4. Most people don't realize teachers no longer buy into Social Security as they used to.

5. Many older teachers are facing continual reductions to whatever S.S. benefits they might have accrued before 2 laws came into effect that penalize teachers. So, teachers who had worked during the summer or part-time to make ends meet, or in a different profession previous to entering the teaching profession, have been losing S.S. points each year. Some teachers have already been bumped below the 40 points they'd earned before these laws.

VOTE YES ON MAY 11th.

Town Meeting or Teacher Bashing?

And a lovely town meeting it was. But I'll try to stick to the facts.

1) The teachers' union agreed to two furlough days for next year.
2) Before the furlough is taken into account, the average teacher raise was 4.75%. And that number was thrown around a LOT.
3) Starting salary in Lebanon is under $30,000 (just so we see what we're talking about here--they're not rolling in money!)
4) People are VERY upset that the teachers are getting a raise at all.
5) To some people, the whole reason we're in a budget crisis at all is because of Those Darned Greedy Teachers.
6) There goes my objectivity.

Beyond that, the group of moms (and one dad) who spoke out at the public hearing in April were dubbed the CML: the Concerned Mothers of Lebanon. Great! Let's DO something, CMLs! I think that, even though we'd like to see a bigger budget (really really like to see it!), we need to vote YES at the referendum vote on May 11th to protect the money we did manage to secure. One person tried to make a motion that the town budget be reduced by $300,000 (to be subtracted from the BOE budget, naturally), but that wasn't legal. Whew! We need to do some serious campaigning to get this vote through, I think. If you want to help, let me know. We have to get out the vote on May 11th.

Do you have more to add? Got clarifications or corrections? Send them on! If you want them to get posted, just leave me a comment and I'll make a new post. The point of this was to share info. So share! Pass it on.

BOE to make a statement

Stay tuned... the BOE is going to make a statement at the town meeting to the effect that they still stand by their 5.36% (increase) budget. As do many parents and Lebanon residents! If we vote NO and answer the exit question about the BOE budget not being high enough, will the BOF find a way to shift more funds to education?

Tyler Field project

On a more positive note...

The Tyler Field project is up to #26. They want to make it to the top 10. Help by clicking here. You can vote once every day through the end of April!

What Now?

Now what? It seems that 1/3 of what the Board of Ed asked for has been allocated. One Third. It's something, to be sure, but it is not enough.

I, for one, am disheartened that with 1/3, teachers and programs will still have to be cut from the schools. I am disappointed that education isn't prioritized more highly in this town. I am saddened that, in this rough economic time, we can't cut in other places first. I know that almost every area of the town department received less than it wanted. But it is also true that these programs we're losing will take a long time to reinstate, if they ever come back. Music in the middle school. Foreign language. Science enrichment at the elementary level. Instrumental music. Sports. Computers. Art. Not an area has been untouched, has it? And the loss of thirteen talented, dedicated people is a lot to swallow. If my memory serves (and forgive me, sometimes it doesn't), the Lebanon School District will lose 10% of its faculty. Ten Percent.

Ouch.

So, I'm not sure where we go from here. Please, help! Let's see if anyone has more ideas, more money! Let's toss some around! I am not happy or willing to let all of that education go. And I hope you aren't either.

We got $300K*. Is that enough?

The BOF voted to include an increase to the BOE budget of $300,000. It's something, but it's not enough. It was suggested by an outside source that supporters call the BOF members at home. If anyone finds their information, please publish it. I'll work on it, too.

Our 152-signature petition was accepted as correspondence, but not as an official petition due to some legal technicalities. The main thing is that our voices were heard and noted and not ignored. Erin organized it and did a GREAT job!

The BOF has a tough job, and they are trying hard to be fair and to spread a very small pie around to many hungry people, so to speak. They may not be able to give any more, but we can still ask. We can't give up! This will lead to loss of jobs and programs--it's just not enough.

Remember, education is not just for OUR children. It's for everyone's future. Encourage even those who do not have children in the school system to support the important cause of education.

Thanks. Our work is not done yet. Pass it on!






*I had 2% and $339K in my notes, but it was past my bedtime. Thanks to those who caught my (unfortunate) mistake!
B.

Did you know...

... that a 5.36% increase in the school budget will not result in any new programs, teachers or even a new pack of crayons? This increase will only keep things as they are.

... that Lebanon is in the process of suing the town of Columbia for breach of contract? (They didn't send or pay for the contracted 15 students this year. Apparently they have a third high school option now. Did no parents think Lebanon was a worthy school for their children to attend?)

... that our teachers are paid less than the state average? Many numbers were thrown around at the meeting, putting our expenditure per student at somewhere between 149th and 166th in the state (out of 169 towns, but there seem to be more than 169 districts). Somebody found the statistic that our ability to pay for education is ranked at 113th.

... that a seventh grader spoke eloquently at the meeting about the need for a decent education?

... that there is another meeting of the BOF and BOE (public can attend but not speak) tomorrow night in the lower conference room of Town Hall? (There is another meeting scheduled for the BOE on the website, but this one was mentioned at the meeting.)


... that the middle school is in danger of losing a LOT of programs? Look at this, see how little they already have, and then read on (thanks to Edie Ritz):

Here is the status of Exploratory and Phys Ed classes at the Middle School. Now that the pink classes are added, we are definitely in the position of losing more than we have kept in exploratory. (If you are able to read this in color, the PINK classes are on the chopping block.) The list doesn’t show that PE classes will be reduced for next year, and Chorus will no longer be offered at all.

Below are the Exploratory Arts classes in which all students were enrolled in the recent past at LMS. The 2009-2010 classes run for 22 or 23 days, every other day for a quarter of the year. Originally exploratory rotations ran for 30 consecutive school days, with the exception of a few that ran on a day 1/day 2 schedule for 12 weeks opposite Physical Education. Time spent in all courses has been reduced. Those courses listed in red are no longer included in our curriculum. Those courses listed in pink are in danger of being lost for the 2010-2011 school year.

Grade 5:

1. Media Skills

2. Art

3. Computers

4. Technology Education

5. General Music (for a few years, this was replaced by an introductory World Language course that included both French and Spanish)

6. Learning Strategies

7. Guidance

Grade 6:

1. Art

2. Computers

3. World Language

4. Technology Education

5. General Music

6. Guidance

7. Geography Skills

Grade 7:

1. Art

2. Technology Education

3. Computers

4. Health

5. General Music

6. Home Economics

7. Guidance

Grade 8:

1. Art

2. Technology Education

3. Computers

4. Health

5. Guidance

6. Home Economics

... that you CAN make a difference?

Pass it on!

Meeting Monday

Don't forget the public hearing at 7:30 on Monday night at Lyman High School. Go or convince somebody else to go and speak up for the teachers, our schools, our wonderful programs.

Click here for the town website, which also links to the whole town budget.

And the petition

Sorry, I posted 3 things today. Scroll down to find them all.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to sign the petition and wish to do so it will be available along with budget info, during the following times: Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11th from 7am to 5pm at the corner of Route 207 and Lawrence Drive (directly off route 207 between Olenick Road and Leonard Bridge or 1 mile from Route 16 headed west). Please pull onto Lawrence Drive to avoid any traffic mishaps. There will be a table set up with petitions to sign. Also, find it Monday, April 12th from 5:30pm to 7pm at the Middle School ball field directly behind the gas station. Remember, the meeting is at 7:30 on Monday.

Pass it on!

The petition is below. Email me if you'd rather have a copy in Word. (comstock.king@gmail.com)

Why do we need to keep the Science Enrichment program? Read on.

What does 0% look like?

Hopefully we will not have to find out! But here is a list of cuts that would have to be made at 0%. Remember, every year costs more than the previous year, even if we add no programs or staff.

If this is too hard to read, try clicking here.








Pass it on!

Change of plans!!

The BOF meeting tonight will NO LONGER talk about the BOE budget. Something about a computer glitch.

The good news is that the BOF has softened a bit. They say that they will take what the BOE gives them and try to make it work. Wow! Great!!

We still need to show up in force to speak up for our schools and our teachers on Monday night. It can be quite a "teacher bashing" night and we need support and facts to contradict that.

Thanks! Pass it on!

Some mis-information redirection

The BOE's income is down for the 2010/11 school year. Income=ECS money (state $), tuition students and special ed billings. Columbia is not providing the contracted 15 students ($10,000 per student), which has been known since the Fall. There is a lawsuit is in place. VoAg numbers are also down. But the BOF has never held the BOE accountable for income in the past. That revenue has to be made up--not enough made in tax dollars.

Also, there is a number floating around: a $3500 raise per teacher for next year. That is an average of everyone's contracted raise, not an across-the-board raise. Keep in mind--it is contracted. Unless the union gives some $ back, the BOE has to pay exactly what the contract states.

IMPORTANT Meeting Monday, April 12th

From another concerned citizen:

"Board of Ed. members of the Finance Sub Committee are struggling hard to advocate for education for Lebanon children. I've sat in on a number of their meetings. Blog members need to reach as many supporters of education in the next few days as possible. In particular, The Board of Ed. needs supporters at the Monday Town Meeting (4/12). Parents need to show up in full force. I can't emphasize that enough. Being at Thursday's meeting will be important, but being at Monday's meeting will be crucial." Thank you!!

Petition to BOF

From Erin: Some friends and I are starting a petition to try and get the board of fiance to put forth a 3.5% increase as they promised. We will be at the town green tomorrow across from the library (community center) from 2:30 to 3:30 with the petition.

wording of petition:

The following registered voters in Lebanon, Connecticut respectfully ask the Board of Finance to
reconsider a 3.5% increase for the Board of Education Budget so that it may be voted on as part of the overall town budget.

Pass it on!!

Compared To Other Towns

This site compares pupil expenditures per town in every town in CT. You'll see that Lebanon ranks 166 out of 169 towns. We can't afford to spend less on our children!

Thank you Erin for this information.

Information Needed

This website is my effort to help share information. Many of the parents feel strongly about our schools, but because we are in the midst of literally raising our children, we don't have time to attend meetings. Apathetic? No! Busy, overwhelmed and beyond tired? Yes! So let's see if we can share information another way.

Anyone having information regarding budgets, programs being cut, and anything we can DO about it, please post here as a comment. Or email me at comstock.king@gmail.com and I will post it. I'd like to include information from meetings as well. You can quote the newspaper (the Chronicle is available online for pay) or anything else you think to be factual.

Thanks! And let me know how else we can share. Knowledge is power. Pass this link on to anyone who cares.

B.