MRJ 11/12 Article - Republican at Odds over Ed Budget

In the 11/12 MRJ paper Jesse Buchanan wrote an article "Cheshire Republican at Odds over details in education budget" about a meeting that occurred a few weeks back involving:  Myself, Michael Milone, Tim Slocum, Greg Florio, David Schrumm. The topic of the meeting was the budget format and ways to improve upon it. Namely, the budget request that the Superintendent sends the TC each year. I was contacted by Jesse about the story just before the last storm hit. Jesse was notified of the meeting by a 3 page fax he received by someone at the meeting and indicated that the town council was trying to micromanage the education budget. I don't hide my views and needless to say I did not send the fax to Jesse. More on this later.

The article did not cover what actually transpired at the meeting. How could it? Jesse was not at the meeting and couldn't possibly articulate what was actually discussed. No offense to Jesse. Unfortunately, the article highlighted the disdain some folks have for one another, accusations, declarations of mistrust, etc. Whomever sent the fax to MRJ got their wish which was to produce an article that, if anything, paints the BOE and TC in not the best of light. It's actually embarassing.

For those folks that don't care for the drama, here's what transpired at the meeting. It's worth noting that David Schrumm reached out to us to open a dialogue about ways to streamline the education budget request. It's also worth nothing that many of the ideas presented have been discussed by this BOE already. For me, I saw this meeting as an opportunity to finally bridge a gap between the TC and BOE over the budget. For others, however, it was an opportunity to play politics.

Grants
The topic of grants and accounting for them was discussed. In the BOE budget book, there's a 1-2 page summary of the various grants utilized in the budget. A request was made to identify when the grants start/end as well as provide a short one paragraph summary about the grant. i.e. What is it used for? What expenses does it pay for? What opportunities does it create? If this request sounds familar then it should be because these are the questions parents have been asking the BOE on this topic throughout MANY budget workshops. This detail is not included in the budget.

Accounting & Accounts
MUNIS. A request was discussed to utilize the MUNIS system, specifically, the account format that the town departments utilize. Looking at the town's budget book, each account contains a detailed write up about it. The write up lists, among other things, assumptions being made, any unforeseen issues, calculation definitions, etc.  Compare that to the BOE accounts listed in the budget book and that level of detail does not exist. Simply expand upon it in MUNIS and be done with it.

Expenditures: We discussed expanding our budget accounts to include FY '11 ACTUAL Expenditures, FY '12 Appropriated Expenditures, FY '12 Estimated Expenditures and FY '13 Projected Appropriation.  Essentially expanding the columns in our budget to reflect the town budget format.

Expenditure Reductions: The BOE Operating Budget bottom line number DOES NOT reflect the true cost of the operating budget. The $61.3M BOE budget this year does not reflect the true cost. I briefly discussed this in the spring. Why? Because of how grants are accouted for in MUNIS. Say, for example, GRANT A, totaling $100K is used to pay for certain textbook and transportation expenses frelated to this grant as they are incurred during the school year. The grant is NOT reflected as revenue in the BOE Budget. The Texbooks account does not have a projected amount budgeted for this grant. Transportation does not have projected amount budgeted for this grant. One reason for this is because we don't know how much these expenses will be and how much of the grant we'll actually use. This makes it difficult to budget for these specific expenses. But it also underestimates what we actually spend on students in our school district. At the end of the school year, we'll spend more than $61.3M on education. Perhaps as much as $63M or 64M based on how much if the special funding is utilized. This number is not reflected in the budget.

In other words, we do not report the true cost of educating a student in the Cheshire school district. Is this evidence of hiding or malicious accounting? Absolutely not. The complexities and rules found in some of these grants make it a nightmare to capture in MUNIS. However, they can be documented, detailed and summarized in the budget book.

My Opinion
I gave a brief review about the meeting.  I'll add more later. Almost all of the items I mentioned above were items that the BOE have or are addressing so it's nothing new to us. Much of the information requested already exists in other formats for the BOE. I've been pontificating about clarifying and streamling the BOE budget since I was elected. These changes and others are not just my wishful thinking but that of many folks in town that get the "Deer in the headlights" look every year during the budget meetings. Consider that it takes 3 BOE Budget Workshops to explain the education budget which is articulated by Dr. Florio. When those meetings are over folks walk away with more questions than answers. Simple FACT: The budget can be much clearer, concise and self-explanatory. These changes discussed would get us there.

It's unfortunate that someone chose to turn this positive meeting into a politically-fueled article attacking certain individuals. Certainly, this makes for good reading. But it undermines the efforts of myself and others that are trying to educate the public and foster more open dialogue between the TC and BOE.

This article is a black-eye on the face of Cheshire and how it came to be is cowardly at best.

Cheshire '11 Election Results

The town council remains largely unchanged with the exception of a tie in the 4th district between Peter Talbot and Steve Carroll. The last time there was a tie on the town council was in 1971. If they remain tied after a mandatory recount, a special election will be held to determine the winner. I commend both Steve and Peter for running an effective campaign and I know both worked/walked the 4th district very hard.

With the Town Council maintaining majority: Is this result a vote of confidence that the Republican majority is doing a good job? Some will consider this result a mandate from the voters confirming the case. Others maintain that, votes aside, low voter turnout is to blame and voters are simply frustrated. Thoughts?

On the Board of Education Cathy Hellreich is back after losing the election in 2009. Party differences aside, I think Cathy's curriculum background is a plus. We have a newcomer Marlena Soble. I have not met Marlena yet but I understand she has a legal background which may bode will for the BOE on the policy committee since Alan Sobol did not seek re-election this year.

Speaking of Alan Sobol, MRJ, reports that Alan Sobol resigned from the BOE. This is news to me. Alan has missed several BOE and Policy committee meetings this year but there was no news of a resignation unless it happened this past week. I hope all is well with Alan.

Incumbent BOE members Todd Dixon, and Gerry Brittingham were re-elected. Newcomer Ed Hill was edged out by Ms. Soble. The Republicans maintain majority on the BOE 4-3.

Town Council
Patti Flynn-Harris (D)
Mike Ecke (D)
Sylvia Nichols (R)
Jimmy Sima (R)
Tim Slocum (R)
David Schrumm (R) 1st District
Tom Ruocco (R) 2nd District
Andy Falvey (R) 3rd District
Steve Carroll (R) 4th District*
Peter Talbot (D)  4th District*
* Tie

Board of Education
Cathy Hellreich (D)
Marlena Soble (D)
Stephen Mwroka (D)
Gerry Brittingham (R)
Todd Dixon (R)
Sandy Pavno (R)
Tony Perugini (R)

11/3 BOE Meeting/Turf-Related Motions Passed

Almost a year later from when I initially requested these policies the BOE finally voted on (and passed) the following motions related to the financial aspects of capturing funds for future turf replacement. While the field is certainly a town-owned asset, this BOE felt an obligation to help defray future replacement costs towards the turf. In order to capture funds raised for this effort, the following motions were drafted by the policy committee:

MOTION #1
“That the Cheshire Board of Education request that the Cheshire Town Council establish a reserve fund to serve as a repository of  funds that are to be used for the sole purpose of defraying any future costs associated with the replacement of the synthetic turf field at Cheshire High School that was installed in 2011.”

This motion requests that the Town Council establish a town reserve fund to capture funds for future turf replacement. The BOE's intent is to have a respository whereby donations, field revenue, banner sales, field rental income can be deposited, tracked and controlled. The mechanisms around how money is moved into this account, reporting requirements and the like will be up for discussion by the town council if it chooses to consider this motion.

MOTION #2
“That the Cheshire Board of Education direct the Superintendent of Schools to amend the regulations associated with Policy #3453-Student Activity Fund to include the following:

The Cheshire High School Student Activity Fund shall have a subaccount designated as Cheshire High School Turf Replacement Fund.

Funds deposited into the Cheshire High School Turf Replacement Fund shall be made from the following:  a portion of ticket sales and gate receipts for events held on the synthetic turf field; field usage and rental fees collected from organizations for usage of the synthetic turf field; and receipts from Cheshire Youth Sports Programs for usage of the synthetic turf field for events, practices and games.

At least annually, any balance in the Cheshire High School Turf Replacement fund shall be transferred to the Town of Cheshire Reserve Fund designated for Synthetic Turf Replacement.”

This motion is specific to the BOE's accounting. Namely, a seperate budget account will be created to capture funds in the budget (by the defined activities above). The goal is to break out athletic revenue from turf replacement revenue. The BOE Finance Committee is now tasked with establishing reporting and auditing mechanisms around these activities and this account. I expect draft procedures in the coming weeks.

We've already had intest in renting the field to host State championship/playoff games which we had to turn down since the track portion is in the middle of construction.

As far as who determines the prices for tickets, field rental, etc. noted above Dr. Florio confirmed that it's the CHS Athletic Director, CHS Principal in conjunction with the administration. As of today, nothing has been established on pricing other than what's been presented in Vincent Mascianna's plan, yet. It's worth nothing that during the first year of the new turf field, the BOE will not be charging local youth/sports organizations that have donated towards the turf installation.

MOTION #3

“That the Cheshire Board of Education include a line item in the annual operating budget in the maintenance account designated, ‘Annual Contribution – Turf Replacement Fund.’   It is the intention of the Board to designate those monies currently associated with maintaining the sod field into an account to offset the future replacement cost of the synthetic turf field.  The amount of said line item for 2012/13 shall be approximately $13,000.  The amount contributed each year shall be at the discretion of the Board of Education based on the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools and shall be based on the status of the budget at the close of the fiscal year.”

This motion was a source of contention for me. The policy committee drafted this motion with the intent of capturing the "grass field savings" and putting that "savings" towards the turf replacement fund. It was validated by Vincent Mascianna that the actual average cost of maintaining the grass field is ~$17,xxx.xx annually.  A far cry from the $36K savings touted by Bob Behrer and others. The maintenance of the Turf is budgeted at just under $5K.

In my view, I don't believe we should be budgeting savings in this manner. Nor do I believe we should budget the savings towards future turf replacement. In essence, I'm not in favor of moving money from the operating budget into a fund account especially in the middle of a school year whereby anything can happen which can adversely affect the current budget. Frankly, I'd rather use this money in this current budget towards higher priority items in the budget be it an additional part-time IA at Doolittle, additional textbooks/supplies, all of things that the administration touts as being underfunded. Granted, it's not a lot of money but it helps.

The policy amended the motion as indicated above. This motion, in hindsight, is really not neccessary. The intent is good. But, the BOE and/or Superintendent can make a recommendation at any time without this policy in place. I have no intention of making any such recommendation until the end of the school year when the budget is being closed. Even then, I'd rather put any surplus towards higher priority items or give it back to the town as we did with the 2010-2011 surplus. At least this account will exist in the MUNIS system so there will be a record tracking when deposits are made, if any, by future BOE's.

Of course, all of this is moot if the Town Council doesn't establish a fund account (Motion #1) to capture this money. I expect a lengthy discussion by the town council on this request as it's probably the first of it's kind for Cheshire.

Cheshire Storm Cleanup Plan

From Tim Slocum:

Please disseminate this information to all your neighbours and friends over the coming days.

1. The town will be accepting debris at Quinnipiac Park, Mixville Park & Bartlem. The exact areas and what will be accepted will be detailed on the town's website and announced in a code red call later today.

2. Once Council approves the 100K appropriation for town-wide debris removal, crews will work the town as we have done in the past with the bulky waste pick-up. This work will commence Monday 11/14. We may be unable to get this in the Cheshire Herald for Thursday 11/ 10 but the info will get in the other dailies, the town website and with code reds to all homeowners that are registered with the system.

3. Registering with code red can be done on the town's website, www.cheshirect.org. The public is encouraged to register their cell phone numbers.

4. Please take the time to thank town employees when you encounter them.

EAC Candidate Questionnaire Controversey

The Cheshire Herald reports that the Education Association of Cheshire has sent questionnairs to both Town Council and BOE candidates. Among the questions contained in the questionnaire are the following:

• How will you assess the quality of education and continued improvement of the school district?
• How will you advocate for educational funding including bonding and budgetary funding?
• How will you address budgetary shortfalls without affecting the quality of education or extracurricular activities?
• What message would you like to give the teachers of the EAC about your views on education?

This may be the first time that the EAC has sent out a questionnaire to Town Council and BOE Candidates. According to the Herald, the letter sent to the candidates by PAC Chairperson Carolyn McEclravy states "...verbatim answers will be shared with the Education Association of Cheshire (EAC) and members will be encouraged to discuss the complete questionnaire with one another." The letter also states "...that the EAC can encourage the election of the most qualified candidates."

I don't find it surprising that the EAC is reaching out to the candidates. With the anti-union mentality gaining momentum in the U.S., an upcoming contract negotiation, terrible economy and budget constraints I think it's a good idea that the EAC understands where the candidates themselves stand on education. Personally, I would've like to have seen a candidates forum hosted by the EAC (much like the LOWV debate). I know time and coordination is a challenge this late in the election cycle but perhaps next time?

I found BOE Chairman Brittingham's response (or lack thereof) on the questionnaire interesting. Brittingham did not reply to the questionnaire. According to the Herald, Brittingham stated "...cannot reply to the questionnaire because of the mix between politics, public employees and taxpayer dollars. The questionnaire has a return address of Masella of 525 S. Main St. (Cheshire High School) and McElravy (PAC Chairperson) at 414 B Brooksvale Road, or Norton School."  Brittingham states "I can't participate in that. I think it crosses the line. Public employees are doing PAC work at taxpayer funded facilities."

The article is worth reading as it describes the candidates responses and concerns with the questionnaire.

Thoughts?

Cheshire Teacher of The Year - Ms. Megumi Yamamoto!

Ms. Megumi Yamamoto was honored as Cheshire's Teacher of the Year during last weeks' BOE meeting. I have never met Ms. Yamamoto in person until the presentation last week but I've often heard about her from students, faculty and administrators alike. She is a very positive influence on her students and is regarded highly by her colleagues. She also made a lasting impression on me shortly before the teachers' concessions discussions. Among the politics being thrown around at the time about concessions, Ms. Yamamoto reached out to me and offered to help foster a positive dialogue with her colleagues. Unselfishly, her main concern was the students. I still owe her a cup of coffee! Congratulations Megumi!



More on the Cheshire Teacher of The Year at the Cheshire Patch.

Election Time, "E" Word: Specifics Please?

No doubt many of you have been following the local election, namely the Town Council candidate debate as well as various news articles covering the election. During the Town Council candidate forum hosted by the LOWV last week, I noticed one theme was raised by most of the D's which is spend more money on education.

Easier said than done. As a parent with children in our school system (let alone a BOE member) I'd like to know specifics from these candidates. Namely, where do they propose obtaining more funds for education and, more importantly, how do they intend on investing it in our school district?

Specifics please?

There are many residents fed up with election smoke & mirrors being huffed and puffed by candidates. "Spend more money on Cheshire Schools" is nothing more than a blatant attempt to appeal to those parents with children in the school system that are upset (for various reasons) on a perceived lack of investment in education. But these parents have heard it all before and simply saying "Spend more money on Cheshire Schools" isn't going to cut it for them this time around.

Specifics please?

During my 2 years on the BOE and to the best of my knowledge, none of these candidates attended a BOE meeting (be it business or committee) and offered suggestions on how the BOE can/should invest more money in the school system.

In fact, I have yet to see some of these candidate attend a BOE meeting or dialog with the BOE on how they can help the school district. Period.

Of course, this excludes Peter Talbot who is a BOE member.

And speaking of Peter Talbot, his quote "...hack and slash education budgets and assault our children in this town." is the kind of dribble that has turned off some voters in Cheshire. David Schrumm is correct when he stated that this town council did indeed raise the education budget over the last 2 years.

But if the education budget has been "hacked and slashed" then perhaps Peter can explain the following:

The BOE Policy Committee (of which Peter is a member) is preparing a motion for the BOE to consider the following (discussed at the last policy committee meeting):

“Move that the Cheshire Board of Education include a line item in the annual operating budget in the maintenance account designate, “Annual Contribution – Turf Replacement Fund.”  It is the intention of the Board to designate those monies currently associated with maintaining the sod field into an account to offset the future replacement cost of the synthetic turf field.  The amount of said line item for 2012/13 shall be $13,XXX.  The amount contributed each year shall be at the discretion of the Board of Education based on the recommendation of the Superintendent of Schools and shall be based on the status of the budget at the close of the fiscal year.”

If the education budget has been slashed, hacked, burned...then how is it that Peter can support a slush-fund line item for turf in the BOE Operating Budget? I propose that the $13,000 in savings be put towards textbooks, upgraded telecommunications lines, a part-time assistant at Doolittle or towards purchasing technology devices to aid with classroom learning.

Consider that at the end of the 2010-2011 school year, the BOE had ~$24K leftover in it's budget. This money was given back to the town as surplus.

Consider that at the end of the 2009-2010 budget, the BOE had ~$320K leftover in it's budget. This surplus was moved to the Medical Trust Fund.

Consider that as of 10/20/2011, the BOE Medical Trust Fund balance is $3,000,000.

Regarding Peter's comment on Doolittle Enrollment:  "Talbot said the average class size at Doolittle School had risen to 23 children and that, should test scores fall in coming years, it would be attributable to a "slash and burn" attitude toward education spending."

Well, what Peter didn't mention during the debate is that the school district received 19 teacher retirements as part of the concession package negotiated with the teachers' union this past spring. Why didn't Peter propose utilizing 1 or 2 of these positions in the budget to add teachers at Doolittle and offset classroom size this school year? With 19 positions, there certainly was wiggle room in the budget. Oh, right, the budget was slashed and hacked.

Peter also forgot to mention that Dr. Florio and the administration implemented a remediation plan for Doolittle by adding additional instructional assistants, increasing reading, writing and math lab time to ensure that the children receive one-one instructional time moreso than the children at Highland.

Now, I singled out Peter here because his comment of "slashing and hacking" is outrageous. I actually like and respect Peter Talbot. During his short time on the BOE, he has been a positive influence. He has good ideas (specifics) on where/how to invest in education. I wish he would focus on those specifics during his campaign.

Peter is not alone. Joe Schmitt made the following accusation: "Rumor has it that the majority on the Town Council want to do away with Advanced Placement". To echo Andy Falvey's reply on this, I have not heard about this either. In fact, not a single Republican member of the town council ever asked me or the BOE to eliminate AP classes at CHS.

But I'll ask Mr. Schmitt this question:  Namely, where does he propose obtaining more funds for education and, more importantly, how does he intend on investing it in our school district? The town reserve? Higher taxes? Increased pool fees? Where?!?

When these candidates (any of them) come knocking on your door over the next few weeks, ask them for specifics. Have these candidates done their homework? Can they state fact or propaganda? If these candidates were your investment advisors, would you trust them with your money (i.e. property tax dollars) and that they will invest it wisely in town? Are they accountable, responsible and transparent?

I welcome any candidate interested in the education budget to meet with me and establish communication on how we can work together to better education. I think I speak for many in town when I say that we need candidates that will put party lines aside and demonstrate collaboration not propaganda if our Cheshire is to move forward.

Turf Field Nearing Completion

The first piece of turf is put down today. It was confirmed at this mornings' bi-weekly project meeting that the turf project is on schedule and the turf installation will be completed next friday 10/14. The track portion of the project is slated to be completed on 11/11. It appears, barring any surprised with either project, that CHS will be hosting Southington on the new turf on Thanksgiving Day!

10/6 BOE Open Forum Meeting

The annual BOE Open Forum meeting is scheduled for Thursday 10/6 at 7:30pm in Town Council chambers. This meeting is traditionally set up to allow Board committees to meet informally with members of the public.  The format has been to have the Curriculum and Planning Committees meet during the first half hour and then the Finance and Policy Committees meet during the second half hour.

This is a great opportunity for the public to interrogate the BOE members and administration, share ideas/issues/concerns, etc. Last year this meeting was well-attended and with the election next month, I hope we have a great turnout.

Cost of Track Repairs Exceeds $10K Contingency

I was informed this past week that the final number came in for repairing the ashphalt substrate surface. The change order for this is now at $14,470. The cost of repairs from RAD Sports was approved by Milone and MacBroom. According to Milone and MacBroom, the cost of these repairs was calculated in accordance with the approved bid by RAD Sports on a per-foot basis.

Asphalt seals and repairs needed are for 365LF @ $5/LF for a total of $1,825.  Asphalt patch and repairs needed are for 843SF @ $15/SF for a total of $12,645. 

There's a contingency of $10K for asphalt repairs in the $338,890 appropriation for the track. The difference of the $4,470 will be paid from the BOE Maintenance Budget assuming the BOE votes in favor of this expenditure.

This topic will be discussed at the BOE Planning meeting this week.

A copy of the change order can be found here.

10/4 BOE Planning Committee Meeting Agenda

This is the first BOE Planning meeting for the 2011-2012 school year. Will post details for each item on the agenda after the meeting. If you cannot make this meeting and have questions for the committee, please send them to me and I will present them at the meeting.

9/28 Technology Committee Agenda

Committee Members:

Steve Carroll

Peter Talbot

Patti Flynn-Harris

Tony Perugini

Ramona Burkey

Arnett Talbot

9/15 BOE Business Meeting Agenda

BOE Business is scheduled for tomorrow night 7:30pm in Town Council chambers. I unfortunately will not be attending the meeting as I'm helping with a Starlight Children's Foundation special event in NY tomorrow night. BOE Meeting agenda:

Technology Committee Meeting Tonight @ 7pm

TC Chairman Tim Slocum has establish a Technology Committee with the goal of identifying issues and coming up with some strategic recommendations, benchmarks, etc. so the council and the BOE can get a better handle on the issues and set priorities going forward. I think this is a great proactive approach in setting a strategic plan for our technology infrastructure. The committee is made up of a cross-functional body of members including

Peter Talbot, Tony Perugini, Steve Carroll, Patti Flynn-Harris, Tim Slocum as well as various members from town departments. The committee's first meeting is schedule for this evening.

2011-2012 Enrollment Up 137 Students

During last week's BOE meeting, Superintendent Florio reviewed the Opening of School and shared an enrollment presentation with us breaking down the enrollment by School/Class. Surprisingly, enrollment is up 137 sutdents over 2010-2011.

When asked about the discrepency between the state projected 4,668 and the actual 4,805 Dr. Florio responded that this was certainly and anomoly but this may be the start of a trend. Dr. Florio pointed to the CHS enrollment to help explain what's going on:

Dr. Florio explained that of the 59 new students at CHS this year, 36 came from public schools in other towns and countries. The remaining 26 came from private schools some which are existing Cheshire residents. Florio mentioned that similar trends were found at our other schools and may be economically driven around more affordable housing prices and rising costs of private schools in a down economy.

Chapman School, which has been seeing declining enrollment over the last few years, is up 22 students this year. The concern for parents is class size at Chapman, specifically Grade 3. Last year, Grade 3 averaged 15 students per class. This year, there is 1 less Grade 3 class with the remaining classes averaging 24 students.

Doolittle is most surprising with an increase of 38 students this year which has directly impacted Grade 1:

At least one parent raised concerns about the size of Grade 1 to Dr. Florio and wanted to know why the Administration let this happen. Dr. Florio's response was that as good as the projections from Hartford have been recently, everyone was caught off-guard with the enrollment at Doolittle last week. Apparently, we have some new residents that moved into the Doolittle district over the summer months. Suffice it to say, parents with children in Grade 1 are concerned and would like to know what the administration can do about it. I'm certain this topic will be addressed at the Doolittle PTA Meeting on 9/13 and BOE Business Meeting on 9/15.

For the complete presentation including class size breakdown and Strategic Plan, click here.



Town Assisting with Irene Cleanup 9/6

Thanks to RTC Chairman Adam Grippo for sending out this reminder. The Town of Cheshire will be assisting residents with removal of branches downed on their properties by Hurricane Irene. Residents are asked to leave the branches curbside, without obstructing the roadway, by the morning of September 6, 2011.

• Branches less than five inches in diameter will be chipped and the chips will be removed.
• Branches and logs over five inches in diameter will be cut into approximately 18 inch logs and left at curbside for firewood for use by residents.  
• Town staff will not go onto private property to retrieve or cut branches.  
• Public Works crews will make only one pass through town, and will not return for debris that were not place curbside prior to their collection.  
• This program is expected to take at least ten days.  Residents can also dispose of this storm-related brush and tree material at the designated drop off areas at Mixville Park parking lot on Notch Road and the Quinnipiac Park parking lot on Cheshire Street at any time until September 14, 2011.  
• This program is restricted to storm-related woody debris only.  
• The Town will not accept loose leaves, yard clippings or trimmings, or any other lumber, garbage, non-woody storm debris or bulky items for collection or drop off.

Cheshire Named One of 100 Best Places to Live in America

Money magazine has once again ranked (#73) Cheshire one of the best places to live in America.

"Because this charming, garden-filled town is near both New Haven (16 miles) and Hartford (26), residents can commute to either city--or work right here (there’s a small industrial sector). Though many towns are struggling financially these days, Cheshire boasts a triple-A credit rating. Schools are good, and affordable condos are available. The town’s Rails-to-Trails program has allowed the conversion of abandoned tracks; residents can now bike from Cheshire to New Haven, with plans to develop additional paths in the future."

The rest of the article can be found on Cheshire Patch.

8/15 BOE Policy Committee Meeting

The BOE Policy Committee is meeting 8/15, 7:30am in the Humiston Board Room. There are a number of policy revisions being discussed including the Turf Field Replacement Fund policy (finally). A draft of all policies being discussed will be available. I'll post them here as soon as I have them on Monday.

AGENDA

I.                   Review and Discuss Policies/Regulations
0521	Nondiscrimination (Revised Policy & Regulation)
5111	Admission/Placement (Revised Policy)
5113	Truancy (Revised Policy)
5114	Suspension and Expulsion/Due Process (Revised Policy)
5131.911	Bullying (Replacement Policy & Regulation)
5141	Student Health Services (Revised Policy)
5141.21	Administering Medication (Replacement Policy & Regulation)
5141.3	Health Assessments and Immunizations (Revised Policy)
5145.4	Harassment (Revised Policy)
6162.3	Research:  Testing (Revised Policy)
II.                Other.
	Turf Replacement Discussion

2011-2012 Student Enrollment Report

The start of the 2011-2012 school year is only a few weeks away. We have some preliminary enrollment numbers as of 7/28. The report below shows the actual enrollment by School/Grade for 2010-2011. It also contains a "Projected by School 2011-2012". I expect an updated version of this report by the time school starts and another update in October. These reports will show 2011-2012 actuals by grade/school.

In short, we're looking at 95 fewer students this year as of 7/28.

I have no doubts enrollment numbers will play a major role in the next budget cycle. Leaving this report here as a placeholder for discussions to come.

8/9 Town Council Public Hearing: CHS Track Project

TOWN COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING
7:30 P.M., TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011
COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 84 SOUTH MAIN STREET, CHESHIRE, CT

Public Hearing Subject Matter: Consideration of appropriation and borrowing authorization for $188,890 for the Cheshire High School Track Replacement and Resurfacing project.

AGENDA:

1. Roll Call.
2. Explanation of Hearing Procedure and Agenda.
3. Reading of Legal Notice.
4. Presentation on Hearing Subject.
5. Questions at the Discretion of the Chair.
6. Proponents and Opponents Statements Alternately Expressed.
7. Rebuttal at the Discretion of the Chair.
8. Adjournment.

Planes, Trains and Turf Fields

I was not in attendance at Wednesday nights' contentious meeting whereby the turf/track project was discussed and a bid was chosen for the now combined project. I understand that Andy Falvey was not happy and I understand his frustrations. There's a lot of misinformation being generated around both projects some of it intentional in my opinion. But if we remove the misinformation and rhetoric around these two projects then perhaps we may understand why folks in town are frustrated by these projects.

A brief history about turf: If you search the Nov/Dec archive on my blog, I posted details on the turf project namely what the BOE agreed to when it sent the turf-project-only over to the TC for consideration. In addition to establishing it's own (BOE) turf-replacement funding plan, the BOE also passed the motions with two stipulations:

• That the turf project not begin until ALL of funds have been raised with NO installation cost to Cheshire taxpayers.
• That a town fund be setup by the TC for the sole purpose of collecting all future funds raised for future replacement of the turf field before the shovel hits the ground.

Additionally, and this is very important to me, I put forth mechanisms to the BOE that would audit/report on the financial status of the turf field. The mechanisms will track what the turf field generates in revenue, what is being spent on the turf field (if anything) and what is being raised (and where) to replace the turf field as well as periodic reports on the health of the town fund capturing replacement funds. Accountable.

The BOE planning and finance committees also decided to monitor the turf field under the planning committee. We did not create yet another sub-committee for the turf. Keeping it simple. This was very important in that up until this point, and even as of this day, nobody can say for certainty if this committee reports into the TC or the BOE. It simply exists. Transparency.

Fast-forward to Wed. As of Wednesday, the town has not established a fund to capture replacement funding for the turf and to the best of my knowledge, it was never discussed by this TC even though it was in the motion sent to them back in November. It was ignored. If there ever was an opportunity to stick it to the BOE and hold the BOE accountable for the turf project...this was the opportunity. Our attempts at being fiscally responsible and accountable for this project were simply ignored. Responsible.

The BOE has failed to establish the mechanisms needed to monitor the financial well-being of the turf field. Specifically, the BOE Policy committee has failed to act on this...so far. Will it act soon? It better.

Regarding the track...something changed and it changed very quickly. The BOE Planning Committee met in early spring about turf/track. The consensus then was to use part of the $150K already appropriated for the track project to replace the South D zone which is in horrible condition and would pose an injury risk when the turf is installed due to grading issues in the area. This was the extent to which the track field would be touched in relation to the turf field.

Today...the complete replacement of the track field has been tacked onto the turf project. I agree that the track needs to be resurfaced. The PBC may be justified in recommending both get done at the same time. However, since the track is/will be paid for by taxpayer monies...and considering the track referendum was voted down...how could we possibly shove this through without taxpayer consent?!?

Doing the track and turf at the same time may make financial sense. I agree. But whereas the turf is not (arguably) being paid for by property taxes and no-cost to the town...the track is being paid for by taxpayer money. In this regard, the TC has every right to question the addition of this project because the taxpayers are demanding it.

In my opinion, there are too many loose-ends with both projects that need must be tied up and tied up quickly. There seems to be a rush to get both projects done as soon as possible. The question I have is Why? What's the rush? Certainly, for one more year the football field and track is safe-enough to play on. There's no patient dying on the operating table here folks.

I think it would be prudent to take a breather and resolve all of the issues I raised above before either the track or turf projects are started. For me this is not about personal agendas or even politics...but it's accountability, transparency and responsibility. All of which are now clouded, for me, under both projects.

Candidates Announced, Let the Battle Begin!

Last night's caucuses by both the Democrats and Republican revealed our candidates for the fall election. And they are: 

Town Council R's
David Schrum -1st District
Tom Ruocco - 2nd District
Andy Falvey - 3rd District
Steve Carroll - 4th District
Sylvia Nichols - At Large
Mike O'Donnell - At Large
Jim Sima - At Large
Tim Slocum - At Large 

BOE R's
Gerry Brittingham
Todd Dixon
Ed Hill 

Town Council D's
None - 1st District
Matt Bowman - 2nd District
Joe Schmitt - 3rd District
Peter Talbot - At Large
Patti-Flynn Harris - At Large
Michael Ecke - At Large
Dan Nowak - At Large
Bob Behrer - At Large 

BOE D's
Cathy Hellreich
Marlena Soble

This looks like a rematch for the Town Council. Let the battle begin! :-)

With no democrat candidate for the 1st District, David Schrum will go uncontested in this election. While there are 4 seats up for election on the BOE, the democrats have only put up two candidates. I'm happy to see new faces running in this election, particularly on the BOE. As I've mentioned on my blog I'd like to see more new faces on the BOE. On that note, I'm very excited to have Ed Hill on the slate. Ed is a brilliant attorney, in my opinion, he's methodical, dependable and I'm looking forward to working with him on the BOE.

It was reported in the Record Journal that the Democrats had a difficult time finding additional candidates for the TC and BOE.  Even the RTC, while seeking candidates, found that many out there just cannot commit the time that's required in order to serve the town properly. In my opinion, I think the economy has taken a higher priority in people's lives these days and there's not enough time available to attend meetings or let alone campaign.


There has been no announcement from Mike Evans' political party yet.

Thoughts, comments are welcome. All candidates are more than welcome to post on my blog, introduce themselves and share their views/positions.

2010-2011 Budget Ends w/Surplus To Town

At this morning's BOE Business/Fiscal Year End meeting we ended up with a surplus of ~$24K. In a $60M+ budget $24K doesn't seem like much but every penny counts. The $24K will be given back to the town. I'll post the year end account summaries and explanations shortly.

BOE Fiscal Year End Meeting Tues June 28th

The Fiscal Year End Meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28th at 7:30 am in the Humiston Board Room. I will provide details on the closing of our BOE budget as of 6/30.

If you cannot attend but have questions you'd like answered, please post them here and I'll work on them.

Norton Boilergate

I left this here as a placeholder so that details/facts about the Norton Boiler project can be shared as they're made available. I think Anonymous has legitimate questions:

"I read a recent letter to the editor in the WRA, where the head of the original bidding company Combustion responded to that paper's recent article about the Norton boiler project.

He mentioned several safety-related issues there. Does anyone know what is going on at Norton for real? If the State was/is involved from a safety point of view, what is really going on over there? Has the town really paid extra, and how can we find out?"

I'm certain that between the TC and BOE we can get the facts posted here. Stay tuned. 

Graduation/Promotion Schedule

Cheshire Public Schools Graduation/Promotion schedule for next week:

TIME	SCHOOL	DATE
June 21	Chapman Elementary	8:30 a.m.
	Norton Elementary	9:45 a.m.
	Doolittle Elementary	11:00 a.m.
	Highland Elementary	1:15 p.m.
June 22	Dodd Middle School	9:45 a.m.
	Cheshire High School	6:00 p.m.