As published in the Record Journal, Monday January 21, 2013
By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225
Twitter:@RussellBlairRJ
WALLINGFORD - A massive storm rips through town, knocking out power to the entire community, including the shelter at Sheehan High School.
The situation may be a bit unlikely, but Democratic Town Councilor Jason Zandri wants to make sure the town is prepared for such an incident. Councilors Tuesday will discuss Zandri’s proposal to purchase generators or find alternative sources to power the town’s two high schools so they can be used as shelters in the event of town-wide outages.
“If a main feeder goes down, we’re done,” Zandri said. “I’m looking for a strategy to handle if we have a major power-loss situation.”
Emergency Management Director Ernest Frattini said none of the schools in town are generator-powered. There’s a generator at the Cook Hill Firehouse and 40 people could be sheltered there.
“I think we’ve been very lucky but there’s always that ‘what if?’ ” Frattini said. “We could get something that hits us where the whole town loses power for days.”
“We’ve never had a situation like that, but we’re not immune to it,” Zandri said.
Frattini said he was putting together his department’s budget request and he didn’t anticipating asking for a large capital expenditure like generators. But if times get better, Frattini said, he’d like to purchase large, portable generators that could be hooked up to either high school to power it for use as a shelter.
“If one school is in a danger zone, we can move it to the other one,” he said. “I’d like to have them both set up to use a generator.”
The town schools could still be used for shelters without electricity if there was a demonstrated need, Frattini said.
Shelters were set up during Hurricane Irene and an October snowstorm in 2011, but only about 15 people stayed the night during the two incidents. Shelters weren’t used during Hurricane Sandy last year.
Republican Councilor John LeTourneau said he believed it would make more sense to shelter people in the town’s volunteer fire stations than spending money on new generators.
“I think the money could be put to better use,” LeTourneau said.
LeTourneau also noted that the town, which has its own Electric Division, typically experiences fewer outages than surrounding communities serviced by Connecticut Light & Power or United Illuminating and power is often restored more quickly.
Tuesday’s Town Council meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall auditorium.
As published in the Record Journal Tuesday April 3, 2012
By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225
WALLINGFORD — The Board of Education received $614,132 less than what it asked for in Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s proposed 2012-13 budget that was unveiled Monday, but school officials were pleased that the bulk of their requested increase remained intact.
“It’s very good news for us,” School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said. “While we cannot fund everything, that’s a significant portion of what we had requested. We should be pleased with the percentage that we got.”
After a number of budget workshops, the school board sent Dickinson a proposed budget of $90,188,048, an increase of 3.91 percent, or an additional $3.4 million. Dickinson countered with $89,573,916, a 3.2 percent increase and $2.8 million in additional funds.“Their requested increase was lower than typically requested,” Dickinson said Monday afternoon, adding that the school board usually seeks a 5 percent to 6 percent increase. “We try to look at what the reality is.”
Menzo said staff members were planning for the worst, and were preparing figures on what would need to be cut if the increase came back at 1 percent or 2 percent.
“We were looking at catastrophic loss,” he said.
During Monday night’s meeting of the Operations Committee Menzo shared with board members areas that his staff had identified for reductions to reach Dickinson’s figure. Among the cuts Menzo proposed were reducing one teacher at each high school and cutting a K-12 world language coordinator. A foreign language teacher and an English Language Learners instructor are also proposed to be cut due to declining enrollment in those classes.
To help make up the gap,Menzo also has proposed using $84,000 from the district’s unencumbered fund balance, money left over from the current budget. The district is running a surplus of about $480,000 for the fiscal year that ends on June 30, but school officials have been cautious about using that money to fund recurring expenses. Menzo said Monday he’d like to use about $300,000 from that account to replace the track at Lyman Hall.
Generally, board members were optimistic that the budget could be reduced without a significant impact on student learning.
“It’s an indication that we can get there,” said Republican school board member Chet Miller.
“It’s going to be a lot easier than last year,” said Democrat Jay Cei.
Republican Christine Mansfield said the budget represents both “fiscal conservatism and doing what’s best for the kids.” She said Menzo’s proposed cuts weren’t about frivolous spending.
“This is all muscle, but we’re protecting what we committed to,” she said.
Some board members had reservations about the reduction in staff at the high school, but Menzo stressed that none of the proposals offered Monday night was set in stone. He said he only wanted to begin the discussion about bringing education costs down.
“I’m not saying this is what we’re going to do,” he said.
Though board members were upbeat about the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the financial forecast for the following years isn’t as bright. There were no wage increases for teachers or administrators in the first year of three-year contracts negotiated last fall, but raises of more than $2.8 million are due in the next two budgets.
“That’s going to come back next year,” Bowes said.
Major items in the school board’s requested increase included $1.2 million to replenish a one-time federal grant received last year, $1.5 million to cover rising costs for insurance and severance pay, and $655,700 to move the district toward the Common Core State Standards, a nationwide initiative that revises curriculum to focus on math and language arts. The school board will continue its conversation about reductions at its Instructional Committee meeting next Monday. Menzo and Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay will discuss the budget and the ramifications of any cuts before the Town Council on April 12.
A reminder of what is missing from Wallingford. I am not suggesting, necessarily, that we have to keep up with the Smiths and the Joneses but we should be doing what we can to keep ahead of the Flintstones
As published in the Record Journal, Tuesday March 13, 2012
By Kimberly Primicerio
Record-Journal staff
kprimicerio@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2279
SOUTHINGTON — Over the next six weeks, parents, students and educators serving on the school district’s technology advisory committee will research the use of student- owned technology in classrooms.
The committee found out on Monday the work it faces. The group will look into the district’s current technology policy and will decide if anything needs to be changed regarding student use of cellphones, e-readers and computer tablets in the classroom.
The school system is trying to determine if any of this increasingly popular technology should be embraced in the classroom as an aid to the education process. By April 20, School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. hopes to have the group present its findings and recommendations.
“We’ll have some deep conversations,” Erardi said at the committee’s first meeting, at Plantsville School. “It’s a simple task, but it’s complicated.”
He said it’s possible the committee could establish no new practices, but he doesn’t think that would be a good outcome. Taking controversial positions on technology is OK, Erardi said.
Before research tasks were divided among committee members, the group looked at school technology protocol and shared opinions.
Suzanne Hodges, a science teacher at the high school, said student-owned electronics are stored in lockers and are not to be used during the school day. Exceptions are made in some classes for tablets and e-readers.
Debbie Miller, a technology analyst at the elementary schools, called the existing policies antiquated.
“The cellphone policy is unrealistic,” said Cheryl Hilton-Campbell, a committee member who is PTO president at Kelley School.
Hilton-Campbell said that while the cellphones shouldn’t be on and should be stored in lockers, that’s not what’s really going on in the schools.
“I think we need to establish ethics on how to use the technology responsibly,” she said. “The technology needs to be used, but it’s vital to use it the right way.”
Spencer Richards, PTO co-president at Kennedy Middle School, agreed and said children need to be learning and using the technology.
As the conversation continued, it came out that schools prohibit the use of cellphones but many allow e-readers. Teachers are finding out that many students, even children in elementary school, have their own e-readers.
Pam Aldi, assistant principal at Kennedy Middle School, said that as long as teachers are monitoring students, the e-readers help students with reading. It makes them feel comfortable at their reading level since other students can’t see what they’re reading. Text can also be enlarged and sentences can be highlighted, she said.
Abigail Harris, a sophomore at Southington High School, said technology use is inevitable, and students, faculty and administrators need to move on together.
After the exchange of opinions, committee members were assigned jobs. One group will talk with personnel in other school districts to find out how they embrace technology and what works for them.
Another group, including students from the high school, was tasked with coming up with survey questions. Such questions will ask teachers and students if they have certain devices and what they use them for. The surveys will give the committee numbers to work with and a good idea of how ubiquitous technology has become.
Erardi said the group’s mission is not to create a new policy through its findings and suggestions, but to come up with practices. The practices will be presented to the Board of Education and, if the board finds them appropriate, a new policy on technology will be crafted.
The committee will meet again on April 2.
As published in the Record Journal Friday February 17, 2012
By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225
WALLINGFORD — The number of students taking advantage of federal free and reduced lunch programs has risen 12 percent over figures from last year.
School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said that 982 students are enrolled in either program for the current school year, up from 875 a year ago. The district enrolls about 6,400 students.
The increase can be attributed to a number of factors, including the tough economic times and an effort to raise awareness of the programs. Food Service Director Sharlene Wong said previously that the district was ramping up its efforts to reach out to eligible families to encourage them to sign up. She could not be reached for comment Thursday.
“People are hurting,” said Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay. “But I think Sharlene and all of our building administrators do a good job getting the word out to families.”
McKay, a Republican, said it was also important to note that families can apply for free and reduced lunch at any point during the school year.
“If there’s a layoff, or their financial situation deteriorates, that option is always there,” she said.
Because the federal rate of reimbursement is greater than what Wallingford charges for lunches, free and reduced lunch programs help put money in the cafeteria’s coffers. The cafeteria operates its own, self-sustaining budget, but has run a deficit each of the last two fiscal years.
“We don’t want to see more families on the program, but financially, it’s better for our budget,” McKay said.
Republican school board member Chet Miller said the program is a win-win.
“If they meet the criteria, we want them on it,” he said. “It helps us and helps them.” Miller said free and reduced numbers have risen sharply over the last two years.
“It’s amazing how much it’s grown,” he said.
In June 2009, 607 students were on free and reduced lunch, according to Record-Journal archives.
Menzo said that Wong puts information about free and reduced lunch on newsletters sent home each month.
“We’re making certain that we reach as many parents as possible,” he said.
School lunch prices rose by 15 cents in the current school year to help keep pace with the reimbursement the district gets for the federal lunch programs. Wallingford’s prices of $2 for elementary schools, $2.15 for middle schools and $2.25 for high schools are lower than schools of comparable size. The school district receives $2.77 for each free meal it serves and $2.37 for each reduced- price lunch, which costs students 40 cents.
The increases followed the passage by Congress in late 2010 of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. The act contains a provision that schools participating in the federal free and reduced price lunch program have to charge a price for lunch that is comparable to the federal rate for free lunch. Wong said last year that the district was moving toward making the numbers more equal, but didn’t want to raise lunch prices drastically in one year. Any parent who wants to see if they are eligible for free or reduced lunch can call the school’s food services at (203) 949-5927.
As published in the Record Journal, Tuesday February 14, 2012
By Russell Blair
Record-Journal staff
rblair@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2225
WALLINGFORD — With a large drop-off in federal funding from a year ago, and the rising costs of insurance and supplies, School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo says the education budget needs to increase by 3.05 percent just to keep services at the current level.
The Board of Education is preparing to present its budget to Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. and is asking for a 3.91 increase overall, or $3,393,634, in additional funding. The money consists of a “sustained services” budget — the cost to operate the schools at their current level — and select items from the school board’s strategic plan. But Menzo says the figure is deceiving, because a federal jobs grant worth $1,295,275 won’t be available this year, creating an immediate shortfall.
Menzo said the Board of Education recommended splitting the use of the grant over two years. To stave off an increase in taxes, Dickinson required the district to spend all the money in 2011-12.
“Now the burden is on this year,” Menzo said. Financially, the district is ahead of where Menzo said it would be a year ago, when he argued to split the grant over two budgets and projected a deficit of more than $2 million. Other savings have been found, but still, if the school budget gets no increase, there will be an automatic gap of $1.3 million that must be filled. “If appropriate funding is not provided, there will be significant services that will have to be reduced or eliminated,” Menzo said.
Democratic Board of Education member Michael Votto said the board has scrutinized the budget and that there are no unnecessary costs. A portion of the money has gone to pay for unfunded state mandates, Votto said.
Votto said he realizes that with a small increase in the grand list, there isn’t new money available, and the increase in the education budget could require a tax increase.
“If we have to raise taxes to help education, I think that’s the best place to put it,” he said. “Education is a priority to prepare our kids for the world.”
Votto said that with other costs going up, “I don’t know how people expect taxes won’t go up.”
Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay said a lot of hard work went into this year’s budget, and she had confidence in the proposal the board would bring to the mayor. McKay said that some of the items included for maintenance — such as repairing cracked sidewalks and removing asbestos — are essential for safety concerns.
With the jobs grant taken out of the equation, the school board is asking for $2,100,408, or about a 2.42 percent increase in new funds from the town.
Menzo said that some of the increase covers additions to the budget — such as adding lacrosse as a sport at the high schools and introducing world language, math and career and technical education coordinators for all the district’s schools — but a large portion is for employee benefits and non-certified salaries. Teachers and administrators took a pay freeze in the first year of a three-year contract negotiated last fall.
As for the strategic plan, Menzo said that the board and school administrators realize they won’t be able to move forward with every aspect of it. Still, money is being put toward technology and maintenance items that are part of the plan, though it is coming from the district’s unencumbered fund balance, or monies left over from last year’s budget.
“It might take longer to get there, but we are moving forward,” Menzo said. McKay said she felt the board had been good stewards of town money, and that no increase or a smaller increase could mean higher costs down the road. As a taxpayer, she said she weighs the cost to townspeople versus the education benefit to the schoolchildren. “It’s a tough balancing act,” she said.
The school board will meet Feb. 27 to adopt a budget and present it to the mayor on March 1.
http://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/cf_news/view.cfm?newsid=85
Meetings for the purpose of holding workshops for the 2012-2013 Educational Budget have been scheduled. The public is cordially invited to attend.
Schedule of Special Operations Committee Meetings for Budget Workshops
All workshops will be held in the Community room at the Vo-Ag Department at Lyman Hall High school unless noted otherwise.
As published in the Record Journal, Tuesday December 27, 2011
By Melissa Chicker
Record-Journal staff
WALLINGFORD — The marching bands at Sheehan and Lyman Hall high schools have teamed together to encourage the community to vote in a contest that could result in a $50,000 grant for new uniforms.
“Combining our efforts gets more people of the community involved,” Sheehan band director David Giardina said. “We thought if we combine the two schools in this competition, we will get a lot more votes and give us a better chance to win the grant.”
The schools are competing as one against 322 other groups around the country in a contest sponsored by the Pepsi Refresh Project, which gives away millions of dollars each month. The top 10 groups in the competition that ends on Saturday will receive $50,000.
“Grants are for wide-reaching ideas and with groups and organizations putting in significant time and effort,” officials said on the Pepsi Refresh Project website.
The grant would go toward about 125 uniforms for each of the two marching bands. Each new uniform costs at least $500, setting a steep total price of up to $140,000.
Uniforms, said Giardina, typically last 10 to 13 years. Sheehan’s uniforms are between 15 and 17 years old.
The Sheehan and Lyman Hall bands were in second place Monday — they have been among the top five the entire time, including some time at No. 1. Giardina believes the effort to get out the word is the key.
“We spread the word through our band parents’ organization and throughout the schools,” he said. “Word has spread quickly and I think this is why we have been so successful so far.” The competition began Dec. 1, and both band groups have been working since the start to urge people to log onto the site and cast their vote. Supporters have passed out fliers at Stop & Shop on weekends, created a Facebook page and sent emails to family and friends.
“The schools have always been rivals, and while it’s good to have a rivalry, this is a great way to foster the community spirit and work together for a common goal,” said Heidi Belcourt, co-president of the Sheehan Music Parents Association.
Voters can vote up to three times per day until Saturday.
Help keep us there! VOTE EACH DAY!
As published in the Record Journal, Monday December 12, 2011
By Jesse Buchanan
Record-Journal staff
jbuchanan@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2230
WALLINGFORD — On occasion, Stevens School Principal Nicholas Brophy can be found in the school’s lobby, greeting incoming pupils with “Oh Susanna” or “She’ll Be Coming ’Round the Mountain” on his guitar. Brophy, who recently joined a barbershop quartet and dabbles in recording, said the students appreciate getting to know their principal’s interests and hobbies.
Brophy sat down with the Record-Journal for an interview Friday.
Read the entire article on MyRecordJournal.com
You can vote daily. Let’s all try to do this and get this money for Wallingford’s high schools and their bands!
We are in first place – c’mon Wallingford; let’s keep us there!
VOTE! http://pep.si/vTCmA8 VOTE!
Wallingford Public Schools will be closed tomorrow - August 30, 2011.
All teachers, secretaries, and custodians should report at their regular times.
Professional development will be conducted for all teaching staff.
All staff should check their district email for more information.
Please check back to this site for any changes.
This week’s FROM WALLINGFORD was written by Mike Brodinsky who is a former town councilor, chairman of the School Roof Building Committee and host of public access show “Citizen Mike.”
I like lists. One of my favorites is the list of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time. It brings me back, way back. A list of the longest running Broadway plays is terrific reading, too. I want a list, it would be short, of the best, left-handed second basemen from Nebraska who played baseball for the Cincinnati Reds. That’s not for everyone. But here is a list I have wanted to write for you: (drum roll, please) a list of the most significant Wallingford news stories of 2011.
My rating system is not scientific. A story could make my list because of the amount of press it got. The impact of the news on Wallingford matters, too. A story could make the list because it may serve as a warning of things to come; or, it could be representative of a trend. The story could make the list only because it appeals to my quirkiness. The list will grow with each column I write. This is but my first installment.
Because of its impact on Wallingford, I pick the new commuter rail service as the top story of the year, so far. Facts about the plan are still evolving. Currently, the plan calls for 25 round trip trains instead of 6. I foresee lines of cars at eight signaled crossings, waiting for the gates to rise during rush hour when trains will be more frequent.
Emergency vehicles are in line, too, waiting. The trains could reach speeds of around 80 miles per hour in the Wallingford area. I see accidents, maybe around the two crossings without traffic lights. I see new passenger loading platforms, but I do not see a lot of passengers. I see the parking garage the State wants to build in the downtown area. I see that it doesn’t bring in taxes or create much downtown vitality.
The DOT and others predict huge benefits, and some public officials have, ahem, jumped on board, too. Together, they have heavily promoted the new train service, but their claims are theory. No one really knows what the total costs or specific benefits will be. Their speculation as to the benefits, which come at a very steep price, is an important part of this story.
The second top story is about roofs. The schools need to replace 11 of them. They are nearing the end of their useful lives and the Town Council has started a needed and costly replacement program to deal with the problem. It’s not just the school roofs that landed this topic on my list. In 2010, a Record-Journal headline warned, “Rain doesn’t wait for grants.” The story reported that leaky roofs had been a problem in the Parks and Recreation building. Money was put into the 2011 budget to fix the problem. Too little, too late? In June, another headline read, “Parks Rec roof still a mess; company has until July 5.” The headline was right. The rain didn’t wait. Almost a year later, the building had water damage. Also in June, we read that the police department roof had a leak. The Council authorized almost $100,000 to replace it. But, by then, water damage had already plagued the police department for months.
My favorite roof story, however, is about solar panels. Superintendent Dr. Sal Menzo, is investigating whether Wallingford could put solar panels on school roofs at no cost to the town. Some people will challenge this idea but the Council and Board of Education should support that investigation. This is more than a plan to save or spend a few dollars. It is about whether Wallingford has the spirit to do something bold and innovative. It’s a story about whether roofs with solar panels can be educational for students, and a message to prospective residents and businesses: Wallingford is a happening place. Join us as we move forward.
