December 2, 2008 7:36 am

Once Again Financial Docs From BOE Are In A “Murkey Cesspool”

Tonight the BOE meets to discuss the special education programs following yet another evaluation. Maybe they keep evaluating hoping that the oucome of the evaluation changes. At a certain point, someone, somewhere just needs to do an audit on how much evaluating goes on,and call Corda on his CYA paper trail. But I digress, because what I really wanted to draw your attention to was this graf:

It also found financial procedures in the district to be unclear. Financial documents were not readily available and some required “several probes” to obtain. In addition, it was not always apparent to the CREC consultants that items listed within the special education budget were appropriately categorized including $490,000 for “mandated tuition for reg. ed. students” that was included in the 2008 special education budget.

Financial procedures in teh district unclear? Do say. Probes to get documents. Hrmm, where have we heard all of this before? Apparently the stench of Opdahl has not been eradicated from the Norwalk Public Schools. Until there’s a forensic audit, no parent will know exactly how much money has been frittered away out of the classroom and into the hands of unprobed accounts.

In the giant scoreboard of fantasy BOE, Corda leads 86 to the BOE’s 12. Time for some game changing action BOE. Forensic audit. You can’t manage what you don’t know.

�source: The Hour, BOE to review district’s special Ed services at Norwalk City Hall, By Joan Gaylord, 12/01/2008

Anonymous

While you digress – let’s talk about communication – that thing that was touted as so wonderful for one article in the paper. Read the following carefully and let me know if you still think that Dr. Corda and central office are communicating well….

No time will be set aside this evening for questions from the public, but Superintendent of Schools Sal Corda has said that a second meeting will be scheduled before the winter recess for public questions. However, representatives from the evaluation team are not expected to be available at the second meeting. The report is posted on the district’s Web site.
turfgrrl

Anonymous 1: For the record, I don’t think Corda and Co. communicate well. But they have identified that they must, and their version of it is a thing to behold. Too bad it doesn’t resolve the underlying issues of accountability and performance that are integral to a smooth functioning school system.
Old Timer

Sounds like it may be time for the parents of the special needs kids to attend tonight and insist on an opportunity to raise questions. Let Corda either let them ask, or justify refusing to let them ask. Demonstrate his committment to improved communication.
Anonymous

I guess King Corda is back.
Anonymous

I am a single parent and find it extremely difficult to attend regulary. Does anyone know if the cctv is up and running? Will tonights BOE meeting be broadcast? Would be fabntastic to see sunshine in the corrirdors of central.
eyeball

The report by CREC (available on the NPS website) shines a spotlight on the failures of the Central Office special ed department. The report describes how they failed the children, failed the staff, and failed the taxpayers. The board needs to clean house on those clowns.
Anonymous

Another example of the terrible lack of communication … As for broadcasting the meetings – they have all the equipment – PTO Council has made it happen. Why not BOE?

Reviewing the recommendations, which are available on the district’s Web site, McDonald said that key issues are so critical, if not implemented, “You might as well throw away this report.”

At the top of the list
of recommendations, the report placed the need for the district to develop an atmosphere of support and collaboration. Instead, it found a pervasive sense of mistrust and finger-pointing.

“We cannot overemphasize this,” she said.
Lucy

Hey Turf, Did you read the whole report? Check out page 40 (P42. This is what it says:

“Note: Interviews revealed another instance where there was a question regarding the placement of costs in the special education budget. Follow comfirmed the a portion of the salary for the president of the teachers’ union (that would be Bruce Mellion) has been paid out of the local special education budget. The interim chief financial officer confirmed this had been the practice and he was taking steps to appropriately re-assign the costs”

Just one question? Why the hell was Bruce being paid out of the special education budget? It’s not like he’s an intinerant school psychologists! Bruce had to have known where his money was coming from all these years (yes folks, this wasn’t a one time slip up) and he just let it happen even though CLEARLY, IT WAS WRONG. Does anyone even know what Bruce is taking…NO! Why? Because Alex Rossner still has not come forward with any kind of report on the union’s money for the general membership to review. Of course, we can’t ask Alex now since he’s out of work AGAIN!

Folks, something is rotten in Norwalk.
Anonymous

Nice Pot shot at the union. Lucy.
anon

Does anyone know why a portion of the union reps salary would be paid by Norwalk schools at all, let alone the special ed monies? Shouldn’t the union pay his salary, I’m confused?
Anonymous

#10: The BOE agreed to pay half of the NFT president’s salary. I don’t know if the NFT gave up anything in contract negotiations for that.
Anonymous

Lucy,

The question to ask is how the BOE hasn’t discovered that its share of the NFT president’s salary has been coming out of the special ed budget. Could it be another example of a BOE that is asleep at the switch?
anon

How much is 1/2 the salary? And what was the BoE thinking?
Lucy

Anonymous #9- I am not taking a pot shot at “the union”. The truth is the truth..which is more than we are getting from Bruce and Alex these days! And Bruce and Alex are NOT “the union”.

Bruce and Alex can come forward at any time…Bruce with an explanation of why he was paid from the SP ED budget and what “portion” of his salary was paid from these funds (50%?, 100%?) … Alex, with a financial statement to show where are dues are going. You obviously don’t have a problem with Bruce being paid from the Special ed budget. And you’re ok with Bruce and Alex not releasing financial statements about our union dues and how they are being used.

Peggie Loris said (in another posting recently)that she asked for the budget back in September and has heard nothing since. Excuse me, but don’t you think the general membership is entitled to see how their funds are being used? This has come up a number of times yet there hasn’t been an audit of the union books in so long, people cannot even remember when it was last done. Go to a union meeting. They collect all the financial statements from all the reps…no one is allowed to take them out of the meeting. There’s barely enough time to review them. You don’t think that’s a little strange???

Sorry, but I don’t consider my concerns “pot shots” at the union. I feel we are entitled to these answers. Keeping people in the dark so there are no questions is NOT the same thing as telling the truth!
Recently Retired

Lucy:

Everything you’re saying is correct and true. You go to a union steward meeting at West Rocks Middle school after school. These meetings are NOT JUST FOR THE STEWARDS. THEY’RE FOR EVERY TEACHER IN THE SYSTEM. And if you’re not asking what’s done with your money then they’re robbing you of 600 plus dollars. The meetings are held on a Tuesday. I forgot which Tuesday of the month. Towards the end of the school year, Bruce passes out the financial reports and they’re all numbered. Then he wants them back. Why does he want them back? Why aren’t they distributed to every teacher who pays into the Union?

For years Bruce has ignored the elementary teachers’ concerns. He thinks they’re all whining babies. He’d rather deal with his own cronies on the middle and High school level. Elementary teachers…..don’t you see this? It happened when I was teaching. He doesn’t CARE about the elementary teachers the same way as the others. Get empowered. Read that contract! Start asking questions, people.

What happened to Alex this time?

Time for an audit.

I am so glad that Peggie Loris has been brave enough to stand in the face of all this. Please don’t back down Peggie. I think there will be a LOT of light shed upon this and it may be sooner than later.

Audit time. Every teacher should start requesting an open audit of the Union books. As a matter of fact, during this shaky time, every school’s books should be audited. It should have been done years ago!

Lucy, good for you!
anon

So noone knows how much salary was taken from special ed?
Anonymous

#14: I have no problem with the insistence upon an audit and with some other demands for accountability by the union, but how is it Bruce’s responsibility to explain the source of the BOE funds that contribute to his salary? That is Dr. Corda’s responsibility.
Lucy

#17 Sorry, but Bruce knows his salary is NOT supposed to come from the special ed budget. I can’t buy that he didn’t “know” where the money was coming from. And yes, Sal and Ophdalh and anyone else who had access to these funds and allowed it to continue is is also responsible. This was not an accidental, one-time, slip-up. It has gone on for quite a few years. But a special ed budget is a good place to hide “stuff”

Bruce also knows what % of his salary came from this fund. (I do not think it was just 50% but again, this information can be check and should be released as a matter of public record since these were school funds.)

#16, some DO know how much was taken for Bruce’s salary. Why the info is not released is a mystery to me.

#15, I think we ARE asking for an audit andfull disclosure of funds…but I think Bruce is ignoring the request. It’s come up often enough. Why doesn’t he supply the union membeship with the info that is requested? Bruce and Alex, this is our money, not yours and we want an audit of OUR books. You do not have a right to stonewall the union membership and ignore this request. And financial information should be forthcoming on a regular basis and available to everyone,not numbered and collected at the union meetings.
Recently Retired

I think that, by this school year’s end, there will be a full disclosure of the books. If we could call DCF on irresponsible parents, then the IRS could be called in on the Union’s accounts and also each school’s books as well. If teachers are made to be accountable, then let’s extend that to everyone else as well.

So…..? Who’s going to make the call to the IRS?
Lucy

RR. The IRS ONLY cares if you’ve paid the correct amount in taxes. Other than that, they are totally not interested. I’ve already checked.
Townie

It is a disgrace what Corda allowed Opdahl to do with the books and the spending while he was in Norwalk……perhaps it is more like a crime. And what gets my blood boiling is that Corda knew all about the crap that the bastxxd Opdahl was pulling. Corda was fully aware of the deceit, the lies, the irregularities and went along with everything. Opdahl is gone but Corda is still hanging around till the bitter end.
Recently Retired

No…….Townie. Look who left – Cruella DeVil, I mean Karen Lang; Stu Opdhal.

He will leave, too, and when he does, there will be many people – retired and current – who will be rejoicing. He has masterminded more damage to this City, and I am not alone in blaming him, am I?
anonymous

Could somebody please explain to me how Corda is still in the employ of this city–as its highest paid member to boot? We have had nothing but idiots as superintendent since Ralph Sloan left–on his own volition, by the way–There has been something shady about Sal since day one–people in power have known this and done nothing about it. I’m afraid the damage has been done, and our once better than average school system has suffered irreparable harm on a lot of fronts–Just pick up the paper on any given day!
Anonymous

Just curious are they really adding on a half dozen portable classrooms to the Rowyaton school for next year? Won’t that change the budget somewhat? has anyone suggested an increase in the population of the schools?This would be Corda’s job correct? I’m sorry to post out here but I was in my childs portable classroom today and something didn’t seem right with the trailor.
anonymous

And just a note – the best thing Corda could do for NPS is leave before TD has the chance to get his superintendent’s ceritfication. He does think he is in line to be crowned king of the district. Imagine how quickly it would sink then! And don’t say the BOE wouldn’t be stupid enough, they put him where he is.
Anonymous

Stupity has no bounds with the BOE and Corda!
Too bad this stupidity carries a high price tag with the beleagured taxpayer.
Anonymous

Given the salary Norwalk pays its superintendent of schools, the taxpayers have every right to expect intelligence, sound judgment, vision, effective communications, responsiveness, responsibility, character, and more. Demanding that the superintendent live up to these expectations is the responsibility of the BOE. Sadly, the BOE has been guilty of crazy behavior on occasion and downright stupidity on other occasions. While BOE members are not paid for the heavy responsibility they bear, they still have the responsibility because they have taken an oath to bear it. Anyone who doesn’t feel the responsibility is reasonable or fair shouldn’t be on the BOE; it’s that simple.

Do I think the BOE would make TD the next superintendent? Yes.
Anonymous

A better question is, does anyone with any sense in the school system think TD can handle it? I know his buddies at the middle school level who helped him get the job he has now (the ones commonly talked negatively about on here) would like him to have it so they can have job security, but does anyone who is good at their job think he is going to be good for Norwalk?

And BOE members that read this, there are people who know you didn’t follow procedure in hiring but listened to jealous ms principals, who don’t carry their own weight. Perhaps you would have been wiser to look at the track records of the principals involved and made your decision based on fact instead of rumor. You made a final decison without even doing a site visit to NHMS to talk to staff and parents. How irresponsible! A hiring of that magnitude should have been by the book if you were going to ignore the recommendation presented to you.

And the people of Norwalk wonder how the public school system got in such a mess – irresponsible behavior and people working at CO that don’t have any business being there, whether from the past or continuing into the present hiring practices.

I’m not saying Norwalk, or any district is easy to run in this day and age but you get good people in the right positions and they will work for you, not for themselves or just flat out fail to do the work or do it wrong.
Anonymous 3

Oh great, I could just see it now. Uniforms for everyone, except they’d all have to be frilly pastels and shoes to match! And we’d have to use the word “Fabulous” all the time.
anon

TD for Superintendent, nice guy, scary thought unless you like things just the way they are, not! It’s enough to make someone pick up their kids and move. Is Bob McCain qualified for super? His vision + leadership is what this district needs. Don’t see how the Board doesn’t see this.
anonymous

Bob McCain does have his certification to be a superintendent. Apparently, the Board as a whole doesn’t have any vision.
some know

It was a sin that Bob McCain did not get the job, that of all the candidates, he was the MOST motivated and proven for ASI. #28 has pointed out many truths about how it happened. He was blind sided by incompetent principals who wanted no part of working for him or with him for that matter. You are right #31 the board has no vision for improving our school system. The members are using their positions as a stepping stone to the next thing.
Lucy

#32 It was a sin and the kids in this system will pay the price. Who are the incompetent principals? Blindsided? I think not. McCain is a very smart guy. I am sure he saw the writing on the wall. Everyone knows Moore has Daddona in her pocket and made sure he’d get the job.
some know

Lucy it was not just Moore.
That is all I will say.
Anonymous

Norwalk schools’ budget cuts to affect already underfunded special education
anonymous

You’re right #34, TD has BOE members in his pocket. They like him because he squeals on Corda. It wasn’t even a matter of who was qualified to them, they wanted someone in placement to oust Corda. Hopefully they aren’t stupid enough to reward TD any further than they already have. The district is suffering as it is.
anonymous

If any of those scoundrels in CO dare to preach “kids first”, they should be boiled in their own pudding!….apologies to C. Dickens.
Anonymous

The way this district has been run defies easy description. However, I think “dumbass” pretty much sums it.