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.