Today’s Norwalk Advocate looks into the growing controversy over whether Bruce Morris, elected to the office of State Rep can also simultaneously perform his job as the Director of Human Relations for the Norwalk Public Schools. Let’s take a look at the job responsibilities are, from the Advocate:
Morris’ responsibilities include: Drafting and implementing diversity, conflict-resolution and other human-relations themed training for school staff, students and the community; investigating discrimination and harassment complaints; acting as the superintendent’s liaison with community agencies; and coordinating with the Norwalk Parent Leadership Training Institute.
“The nature of the conversation with the board was one of negotiating and providing assurances of my ability to perform,” Morris said. “It isn’t an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. job. . . . There are things within the scope of the job that go beyond regular hours.”
Since 1998, which is how long Morris has held this position, how often has the “drafting” occurred. How often has training been performed and updated? Who is measuring the performance of this job? Why has, under Morris, violence increased at our schools? Clearly something was amiss long before Morris decided to become a state legislator.
But let’s not single out Morris here. The endemic problem is that Corda absolutely refuses to cut any administrative positions and instead wants to cut teacher positions because he’s throwing a little tantrum over not getting a big increase in the BOE budget and having to actually manage, by virtue of getting a smaller budget increase.
Instead of addressing all the positive outstanding performance instances that Morris may have performed we get the mealy-mouthed, see-no-problem, bureaucratese from the Advocate::
“Corda said yesterday said Morris’ two jobs have not caused any difficulties. But the BET’s letter prompted the school board to meet in closed session with Morris earlier this week. No action was taken.
“We’re evaluating the position,” said board Chairwoman Jody Bishop-Pullan, a Democrat. “And we have to abide by the law.”State law prohibits employers of 25 workers or more from discriminating against, disciplining or firing a employee who is elected to the General Assembly. An employer may withhold wages for time lost.“
So is someone asking Morris to clock in and out of his job? Does any administrator clock in or out?
There’s no transparency with the BOE, but thankfully there is with the Connecticut General Assembly. So what has Morris been up to?
He submitted a bill that would require all restaurant workers to go through a first aide training program:
And he proposed a bill that would a allow disabled and low-income persons to exclude the value of the family home, when such home is the sole asset of the family and a family member is making an application for medical assistance from the Department of Social Services.
He’s also signed on as co-sponsor for other bills, which can be viewed here.
When Bruce Morris answered questions during the campaign last year, he proclaimed that he was deeply concerned about the issues of South Norwalk. He claimed he was concerned about the availability of jobs and and affordable housing and the cost of living in SoNo. Yet it seems clear that scanning through the bills he’s cosponsored in addition to the few he’s sponsored, the only job he’s concerned about is his in the guise of requesting more money for administrative jobs in education.
Source: Norwalk Advocate: Serving the schools and legislature, by
