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Norwalk: BOE Ignores Plea to Reduce City Costs


by turfgrrl


April 9th, 2007 · 17 Comments

Why is it that Corda and the BOE have ignored DPW requests to reduce costs associated with support services? Back in January of this year, Hal Alvord met with Corda and others to hammer out a work plan that would allow DPW to manage its’ costs and plan maintenance and snow removal budgets. In addition to not wanting to cut back its own budget, the BOE does not want to work with DPW to help manage the city side of services that the BOE receives.

With all the belt tightening that the city departments have undergone, it would seem only fair that Corda and the BOE could attempt to help out by working with DPW to reign in emergency costs and following work order procedures. The amazing part is that according to Hal Alvord, the BOE was asked to provide input through the whole process, and instead choose to stonewall.

Below, is the support services agreement. It covers the routine stuff like:

1) Snow and ice clearance in school driveways and parking lots (excluding
sidewalks).

2) Sweeping of school driveways and parking lots (excluding sidewalks).

3) Safety markings and parking striping in school driveways and parking lots.

4) Signage in school driveways and parking lots.

5) Maintenance and repair of storm drainage structures and piping on school
properties.

6) Short-term pavement repair (pothole patching, crack-sealing) in school
driveways and parking lots (excluding sidewalks).

7) Collection of recyclables.

But maybe the BOE was stoenwalling because of this clause:

NPS shall request work sufficiently in advance so that work orders can be
scheduled efficiently. Waiting until the last minute to request work that could and
should have been done on a routine basis shall not constitute an emergency.

It seems that not managing budgets and waiting till the last minute is the modus operandi for the BOE. At our expense of course.

School Support Services (PDF)

Tags: In the News · Local · Norwalk

17 Responses so far ↓ “Norwalk: BOE Ignores Plea to Reduce City Costs”



  • 1 anon // Apr 9, 2007 at 9:46 pm

    What a surprise. (not) This blog has really exposed the lack of care the Board of Ed has for us all.

  • 2 local talent // Apr 9, 2007 at 10:42 pm

    Local talent looks at the whole picture. Out of town talent is only worried about how much $ they control and can pass around and frighten people.

    We have out of town talent- the DPW budget is not his concern. at all.

    Nor are we. control issues, serious control issues.

  • 3 dem4life // Apr 10, 2007 at 8:24 am

    Doesn’t Moccia sit on the BOE? So isn’t he responsible for not following on this too?

  • 4 Just asking // Apr 10, 2007 at 8:51 am

    While looking at the following site I tried to find statistics on pupil population and per pupil spending of towns similar in size to compare spending. here is a look at 3 schools, tell me who spends more per student and why our Superintendant is threatening to cut programs

    Norwalk:http://www.homes101.net/connecticut-schools/

    Norwalk-Key Statistics
    Grade Levels Offered Pre-K to 12
    Students 11,062
    Full-Time Teachers 778
    Student/Teacher Ratio 14.2:1
    Per Pupil Expenditures $7,502

    Danbury-Key Statistics
    Grade Levels Offered Pre-K to 12
    Students 9,567
    Full-Time Teachers 679
    Student/Teacher Ratio 14.1:1
    Per Pupil Expenditures $5,997

    Stamford-Key Statistics
    Grade Levels Offered Pre-K to 12
    Students 15,053
    Full-Time Teachers 1,217
    Student/Teacher Ratio 12.4:1
    Per Pupil Expenditures $7,185

    Danbury with 1,495 less students than Norwalk
    and Stamford with 3,988 more students than Norwalk
    and Norwalk still pays more. Teacher pupil ratio dooes not differ much so can someone explain why we are being bombarded with all these threats of program cuts and these other schools can do with what they spend? if you look at today’s Advocate, their Board of finance cut $4.8 million out of Board of Education budget, with some requesting an $8M cut. Can you imagine the hair on Sal Corda’s newly installed carpet if our BET or council recommended those kind of cuts?

  • 5 Anonymous // Apr 10, 2007 at 8:52 am

    Moccia can only vote in case of a tie. Also do you not think his budget review and his suggestions on scrubbing this year’s accounts for left over monies, is participating, you should be asking where is the regular members oversight, when is the last time their finance committee met and questioned Corda’s spending so much on consultants and giving firends of Opthal a job, check the resume of the latest $90,000 a year hire that is a friend of Stu, he owned a deli prior to his employement as a purchasing manager. Here we go again it is all Moccia’s fault, he tries to bring the spending under control and he is critizied, from one side, than another comes in tries to blame him for the BOE spending spree. Why the way can anyone verify the rumour that several BOE members are scheduled to go to San Fran for a convention, at a time when they are soooo short of money, the extra o’s are for effect.

  • 6 Concerned Citizen // Apr 10, 2007 at 11:24 am

    Hey #3 - dem4life. Yes, Moccia sits on a board of ED FULL OF DEMOCRATS(full of something else also). He DOESN”T have a vote unless it’s a tie. Democrat Teachers Union, demorat board of Ed, etc. Hey Dem4life, are you that blind from your democrapic loyalty that the only response you can muster is “Isn’t Moccia responsible too”. Pinch yourself & wake the hell up. The heavy domocratic board of ed has hell to pay for. I want to see where all this money is being spent. Carpeting, expence accounts for lunches & gas, no show jobs, etc. - Alas, but not enough for the childrens education. What a JOKE!!

  • 7 Rational Dem // Apr 10, 2007 at 1:44 pm

    If the current 100% Democrat BOE thinks that their behavior merits re-election, I think they are wrong.

    Their inability to control the runaway spending is rationale enough to put in a more balanced board. the BOE is the ONLY control we have over Dr. Corda and his Mr. Yes (the COO).

    For the BOE to simply rubber stamp Corda’s demands in spite of the lack of results is unconsionable. Dr. Corda’s unabetted spending of over $140MM while not stymieing the flow out of the public schools and sad performance by students needs to be severly looked over.

    Dr. Corda is the highest paid Norwalk employee. But he is an employee- who should be evaluated for results.

    His logic that the average Norwalk taxpayer would be happy to pay $2 a week or $100 a year (forget the fact that the math is abysmal) is vacuous. How about $5 a week, or less than a dollar a day? How about $1 a day- less than a price of a cup of coffee? $7 a day or $365 a year — get the point? Those are sound bites and a manipulation as bad as convincing people to buy a new appliance on the layaway plan or on a credit plan because it is only $XX a month.

    I would think Dr. Corda would have more respect for the average Norwalker’s intelligence.

    A less arrogant leader would be more appealing. One who wants to roll up her/his sleeves and aggressively work with the teachers to build a strong well educated student population. One we can point proudly to.

    The right BOE can help us do this. We need the checks and balance, not blind loyalty to a party (The Dems).

  • 8 anonymous // Apr 10, 2007 at 1:47 pm

    Concerned for life you might want to recheck your buddy there, Moccia, he’s saying to Corda that he’ll add a million or two to the budget. Apparently he has more than a vote, a million of them infact.

  • 9 huh? // Apr 10, 2007 at 1:49 pm

    What? Corda is not KING? Just an audacious arrogant free wheeling spender who will do anything or say anything to keep his fiefdom?

    You mean we can get rid of him? The BOE holds those cards and has not been playing them?

  • 10 anon parent // Apr 10, 2007 at 2:15 pm

    #7 If Moccia adds another 1-2M to the BOE budget he should go with Corda. He doesn’t have the support obviously of 10 council people that we elected and he would probably not get much support from them in the future. He’s been lucky up til now but if you have ever heard some of them speak on this subject, he would be hard pressed to push this on them. One would hope that he wouldn’t go against his own council on this important subject.

  • 11 Moccia has the strength // Apr 10, 2007 at 2:32 pm

    He may be affable, but Moccia is not going to simply give Corda more bucks to “play with.”

    It takes a lot of strength and work but there is plenty of fat in that school budget which can be trimmed.

    He knows this. Even if Corda did start slicking golf and tennis, etc. the parents will find another way to babysit their children.

  • 12 anonymous // Apr 10, 2007 at 2:51 pm

    Sports programs are not babysitting services. They help to give a child a well rounded education and are a much needed part of their education process as much as reading, writing and rithmatic folks. A student who plays sports has an incentive to learn and to excel much as they do on the playing field. They know the rush they get when win and they know the agony when they lose and this gives them the push they need to get the grades they need to compete. If Sal Corda removes one sport program, one AP program or any other program that is in our childrens best interest, he and every one of that BOE needs to go immediately and we as taxpayers can make sure that happens. He has the highest paying job in this city and uses it to undermine the progress of our schools and the well being of our kids. Aint gonna happen any longer. Not if the taxpayers and parents get together to make sure it doesn’t. Stop falling under his threats and start standing up for our kids.

  • 13 Anonymous // Apr 10, 2007 at 3:07 pm

    Once again wrong, Did you not read the headlines where Moccia said no money from the reserve fund. What he did say that if the state gave extra money to the city, which is not likely, and if that money could be used for education he would give that to the Board of Ed. Also where is this stuff coming from that Moccia might cave, he has been in the press, on the radio saying that the Board will have to live with the 3.8 and that he could not cut other departments anymore to give them more money. Lets see all the adjectives, he is affable, he is arrogant, he too tough, he is not tough enough,he is an empty suit, he is a hardnose poltician. What he is, is the Mayor who according to almost everyone that we talk to is doing a great job.

  • 14 Sports // Apr 10, 2007 at 4:35 pm

    Sports programs are great. But has anyone taken a look at the entire sports program? How much is spent against it? What sports are included? What is the participation? On a per child basis, how many hours do they spend in sports- on a max and min level.
    How many kids do not play any sports? Who are those children?

    Are we picking the right sports? Does tennis, golf, etc. belong in a public school program?

    Instead have an citywide afterschool program that parents pay to participate based on income and have scholarships for the children who can’t afford it.

  • 15 anonymous // Apr 10, 2007 at 7:31 pm

    For the poster named Sports. Are you kidding? Look I did not play sports but my sisters and brother did and with out them in the sports programs in the high school they would not have gotten scholarships to UConn and Southern. Our ADs work hard and give countless hours to our schools to ensure that our students are achieving both on and off the playing field. We have coachs that at times live at our schools and take care of students with around the clock help towards their imporvement. Some students only come to school because they have a game to play. After school city wide programs are okay for elementary students but we can not slip out of the sports scene without making a big dent in the growth of our older children. It is the American Way, you know Apple Pie, Baseball and Love of Country?

  • 16 anonymous // Apr 10, 2007 at 11:30 pm

    With the budget cap set and the BOE facing tightening of their belts, its now time for Norwalkers to step up and make Sal Corda responsible for his actions. Cutting teachers and doubling up on classes is absurd in the least this Mr. Corda will NOT be tolerated. If Mr. Corda cuts even one sports/jobs of those associated with them or academic program for this he should be fired. Get rid of the fat at the top and put the dollars where they belong. Get the administrators into the schools or if not, they too should go. There is absolutely no reason for 75 employees in central office. This my fellow Norwalkers is criminal. If Mr. Corda threatens the jobs and programs of special ed and Ap classes this too is reason for him to go. In other words Mr. Corda, head our warning, make any cuts that will affect our kids and we will cut you out of the equation. If you are listening Mr. Corda, we’re talking to you!

  • 17 anonymous // Apr 11, 2007 at 4:56 pm

    #16-I certainly hope not only Corda is listening but the BOE as well. Its election year and you can go just as quickly as you came and we will be watching what happens to our kids programs Mr. Corda, and we will be watching what happens to the sports/jobs of those associated with them, AT programs, the special Ed programs and any of the teachers, the threat of over crowding our classrooms(don’t even think about it) or we will demand that you go too. This is not a threat, this is a promise. School/education/sports is about our kids, not those of you on the 3rd floor. I would like to thank the council for all they did to keep our taxes down and to make us all aware of what is transpiting in the central office, and show us just what Sal Corda has done not only by adding layer upon layer to the central office but by using our kids as pawns in a high stakes poker game. No Cuts in programs and No CUTS in teachers. Cut the fat!