Monday, March 7, 2011

Blog Updates on Tap This Week...

I'm trying to dig myself out of the weeds so I can post up a bevvy of topic updates this week. I have some new detail to post:

  • Special Education Reimbursement. Final numbers have been posted by Hartford and it appears we'll be receiving ~$350K more (town reimbursement) than expected.
  • Finance Committee Updates:
    • Preliminary analysis on closing a school such as Darcey or Chapman.
    • Preliminary analysis on phasing out grade levels from Chapman and moving those grades to the remaining elementary schools.
    • CHS Electives review
    • CHS AP Course review
    • Update on extra-curricular fee options
  • Current education budget overrun(s) on Special Ed/Transportation Costs, CHS Air Quality costs, Snow Removal/Overtime costs
  • Possible BOE action (3/17) to request CNR money to cover the CHS Air Quality'/Snow related expenses. 
  • Planning Committee Meeting (3/11):
    • On tap: 
      • Synthetic Turf  and Track Replacement Project
        • Formation of Permanent Turf Planning Committee or Subcommittee
    • Dodd Kitchen Renovation – Final Phases   
    • Cheshire High School Locker Room Project 
    • SMART Board Usage Survey
    • Technology Infrastructure Improvement Plan
  • Town Manager's Budget to be delivered to the TC on 3/10
This should be a very busy week!

9 comments:

Tim White said...

Have there been any discussions between the teachers' union and mgmt / elected officials? If so, anything you consider promising? I don't want any potentially sensitive details... just wondering if any promising talks are happening?

Tim White said...

With regard to "snow related" expenses and CNR... is that related to infrastructure problems or snow removal?

Anonymous said...

Will that $350K in SPED reimbersement actually go to the BOE or will the TC somehow conveniently just "misplace" it?

Tim White said...

If the BOE requests the $350k, then I think the BOE should make that request in terms of all state funding. That is, there are multiple line items that are:

1) proposed to the legislature by the Governor in February (and known by the Council in April when the town budget must be adopted)

and

2) negotiated and adopted by the legislature and Governor in June when the state budget is supposed to be adopted.

Special ed is not the only budget item that gets state funding.

IMO, the responsible course of action would be to discuss all of those line items, not just Special Ed.

Breachway said...

Hey Tim,

Aew you helping the Haitians or spending all day on this blog? :)

Tim White said...

Hey Breach... it's Carnival right now... Mardi Gras! After all the heartache the Haitians have been thru for past year or so, they're taking a break and having some fun... and I am to a very small extent. I hit the town tonight. The crowds were a bit too much for me, but I checked out the party for maybe an hour. It was good to see so many people having fun.

Breachway said...

Nice, glad to see your getting around. The stories about Haiti on your blog were interesting. Tell the people of Haiti that they will be OK.....Charlie Sheen says he may go there to work with his buddy Sean Penn. There is a lot of interesting things going on in local, state and fed govt as I am sure you know.....you got out just in time.....a couple of years from now Tony will probably be blogging from the Sudan or somewhere after everyone drives him crazy....

Tony Perugini said...

"Have there been any discussions between the teachers' union and mgmt / elected officials? If so, anything you consider promising? I don't want any potentially sensitive details... just wondering if any promising talks are happening?"

Tim, all I can say is that negotiations are ongoing.

Tim White said...

Thanks Tony. Glad to hear there's still a possibility of something happening.

Now if you can just convince the Council leadership to uphold their oath of office and send the BOE request to referendum... too bad the TM is apparently complicit in their mischief. Doesn't surprise me though since this helps GF... you know the old adage... "you scratch my back..."

Anyway, I know you're juggling multiple issues and trying to do the right thing. (You mentioned that you're concerned about the future state budget volatility, thus clearly acknowledging that this is not a "one year" issue.)

I don't see how they think they can do this... it's outrageous.