As part of the ongoing coverage of meetings, here’s the paraphrase of the Norwalk Democratic party meeting. As usual, I attempted to capture what was said, as best I could

DTC Meeting:

04/16/07

Roll Call called at 7:43

Agenda Item: Fill vacancy in District C appointed Alex Knopp.

Approval of minutes: Donna King added as attended, voted on unanimous

Treasurers Report: paid postage no other activity voted to accept was unanimous

Report From Chair (Galen Wells):
1. Trying to find a venue to hold a rally for healthcare. April 28th, (will send email out when and where it is) Foundation for Healthcare CCAG.
100 people there … Donna King suggested Mill Hill and to call Gail Wall about if (historical society)

2. Establish an editorial board for the web site. Used for things that “we have general agreement on” Someone suggested Galen and 5 district chairs. Vote was unanimous.

Legislative Report: ? (no council members)

Council Report

Bill Krummel: It’s on everyone’s mind to increase the cap of the budget. Most of the entire increase is for the BOE. 2.8

Walter Briggs: urges everyone to go to the public participation portion of the meeting tomorrow.

Bill Krummel: Last week council meeting had a low turnout. Moved to the concert hall, but there were very few people there. More flooding people there. One of my concerns too, when the council cut back on the cap, $2 million, half was BOE half city services. The resolution to restore and go beyond, it upsets me because there is a critically small amount that could be used to alleviate the flooding issues.

Bruce Kimmel: It’s only an advisory or recommendation, it still has to go to the BET. They will make decisions on whether its spent at all. So there is still room for a flexibility. There are people who are still in this building who understand the fund balance and that what it can be used for.

If the cap is altered, we keep the discussion going. When the cap was made, it made it more difficult to address the flooding issue.

Mel Silverstein: What about the sate funding, does anyone know this.

Bruce Kimmel: We don’t know yet. Rell said 2.3 million, but latest form the appropriations committee that they are only allocating 200k to Norwalk.

Rick Fuller: Mayor said publicly that the money will go to BOE.

Gwen Briggs: It still depends on our setting a budget cap, no matter what. If there’s no budget for it, it goes straight to the general fund.

Tom Vetter: The 3.8 they are talking about, it only gets us 1.6%. If we ran the exact same programs we ran next year, we …

Galen Wells: last thing we need is to go backwards.

Stuart Wells: It comes out of the high schools, because it is the most expensive place to run.

Tom Vetter: elementary school costs 2.8 million to run.

Stuart Wells: Nothing to cut because of state laws on the number of teachers.

Brice Kimmel: A lot has been said about where the cuts need to take place. When the BOE does the budget, the cuts will be as fair as possible. No one on the board is really going to take money from classrooms or program that directly impact kids first. We’ll do everything we can to find efficiencies and reorganization. Shame that discussion was where the cuts were to be made, instead of whether to make them.

Rick Fuller: As cuts come down, worse thing parts of BOE fighting games with each other. That’s the worse thing that can happen. We have a working plan to identify the priorities and directives. It’s within our own party too.

Bill Krummel: Is full board working with Corda?

Bruce Kimmel: Yes, but for the purpose of the budget there is a committee

Bill Krummel: Was the Mayor part of that?

Bruce Kimmel: Yes

Bruce Kimmel: But we got blind sided with the cap.

Bill Krummel: Concerned about the people being involved, like the mayor.

Bruce Kimmel: Final say is the BOE members.

Bill Krummel: If the council passes the increased cap you still might make some reductions.

Brice Kimmel: yes in some areas, our option of last resort is to cut kids programs.

Bill Krummel: That’s not Corda’s position

Rick Fuller: Class size is 28, we have functioned at 24 … Corda has instructed all of principals to make class size 28 not 24. You can have to be within the contract. Teachers are not happy with that.

Stuart Wells: Class room size is not insignificant

Kevin Poruban: Couple of questions: What were the comments of the mayor when the budget was presented.

Bruce Kimmel: I don’t recall

Rick Fuller: Moccia was higher at 4.2%

Kevin Poruban: Couple of comments, Rick you were bringing about increase in the classrooms, Teachers are really upset about that. Went to ROTC competition and cadets said that if their sports were cut that they’d go to another school for their sport (private or otherwise) ROTC program has to maintain 100 cadets to stay viable. He’s been issues a warning letter about the size of the (junior ROTC programs)

Kevin Poruban: Another issue is that the teachers are mad. My son is at Norwalk high, he has new teachers who energetic and full of knowledge, they are demoralized over the classroom size and whether they’s have their job.

Rick Fuller: Corda has set a curriculum program. We have a contract. We have to explore all the areas, somebody may be upset , these are the types of things that you have to do to explore all areas. Joan Romano’s daughter is complaining that she won’t have extra curricular activities.

Stuart Wells: Two people aren’t here tonight. Miklave will have to fly back to make the vote tomorrow, and Hilliard for keeping the issue alive, deserve some sort of praise for keeping it alive.

Bruce Kimmel: We didn’t cut it, every time something is mentioned, you can’t cut sports, you cant cut extra curriculum program. You could a dozen out of central office, you are lucky to get 1 million out of that. You’d end up being a violation of state and federal mandates. You can’t cut sports, ROTC, you can’t cut this or that. I agree, I don’t want to cut anything, but you have to balance you budget one way or the other. I think it was unfortunate that the superintendent took a hard line position in the begging. But since he’s been working with the board, when we’ll do everything we can to work with the budget. Corda will have another article In the Hour this week.

Galen Wells: Talking to a housemaster supervising 35 people. You can’t have it happen by using email.

Rick Fuller: You have state regulation, federal mandates and local funds. Until that changes, this is going to be an issue. Until that changes and that can be done here, line item issue are determined by the state. Until they realize it people don’t understand it.

Bruce Kimmel: back to the housemasters thing: Just imagine if we had no housemaster tings, how do we get to reaccredidation, because …. That’s the end, you can’t play around with those positions.

Joe Tamburi: The problems that the BOE is having, why does the BOE not have a finance director. Is this the root of all the problems that we have. We don’t we have a finance director:

Rick Fuller: That was one of those cuts, it was a duplication of services with the city.

Joe Tramburi: But this is about numbers.

Rick Fuller: Typical of a budget. Don’t need it.

Bruce Kimmel: Was on both sides of the issues. Didn’t think that last finance director wasn’t that good. Thought you guys really needed one, Corda and Opdahal are certified, they are very capable.

Joe Tamburi: In any organization that is the focus/basis.

Bruce Kimmel: We never had a finance director that didn’t follow the mayor. Jack Miller in his private moments would work for the mayor. Our finance folks work with the superintendent, they work closely with Tom Hamilton. Without a director of curriculum you can really screw up.

Joe Tamburi: Hamilton worked on the budget?

Rick Fuller: His recommendation was higher than the council cap.

Crosstalk:

Kevin Poruban: Corda was provided a finance list of everyone in central office, if you add them all up, you won’t find the savings. There are 79 individuals, 5 of them are funded through grants. That brings you downs to 74 people. It breaks down to (lists breakdown) and the IT computer. There are 6000 computers in the public schools, there are only 6 techs to support those computers.

Joe Tamburi: All that information needs to go out there.

Kevin Poruban: Yes, we have to have certain requirements by contracts, they tell you what we have, and in just about every case we are at a minimum. I find it interesting that there are folks that say we are top heavy and cut staff, but they say hire a finance director.

Rick Fuller: One thing that Sal has done has put the curriculum people in the schools, all this gets charged to to the schools. So if you look at it by schools, instead of levels up here, its vertical, and people tend to look at it horizontal.

Bill Krummel: The major thing here is perception. Corda said he wouldn’t cut central administration, he was going to cut sports and academic programs.

Crosstalk: (no he didn’t say that)

Bill Krummel: Housemaster reviewing teacher. That used to the Department chairmen were critical to evaluations of the teachers. Housemasters were taking care of the kids.

Bruce Kimmel: Evaluation of teachers is much much different than it used to be. It is contractual that is has to be done a certain way. I don’t know what it is in Norwalk, but some department head only taught 2 periods. Now it’s a very big thing, pre observation, post observation, it goes on and on …it is continue now, that’s the difference. If it is done correctly, (if you have an overworked department chair) they they are not done well, (because they have to evaluate text books etc.) You have to to do it right to evaluate teachers.

Bill Krummel: I don’t think there’s any person more important that the dept. chair.

The reports that I’m hearing, the teachers here in central office do not get into the schools, It s a perception problem. It gets reinforced when things like the third floor take off in a snow storm.

Crosstalk: Fuller and Poruban argue and …..

Kevin Proruban: Krummel is right there is perception problem.

Rick Fuller: storms out. [disagreeing with Krummel]

Kevin Poruban: Here’s an example, the mens bathroom has paper, it looks like there’s extra paper, and so the copy center is next to the bathroom. They move it there right before they have to make

Rick Fuller: [returns]

Rick Fuller: Fred Bondi is on the toilet paper end of it.

[room laughs]

Discussion Ends:

Walter Briggs: Moving forward on master plan, public hearings on master plan.

Bruce Kimmel: You keep qualifying that it will never happen

Walter Briggs: They will be in the month of may

Joe Tamburai: 2 greens under water. But …

Bill Krummel: On Oak Hills golf, west Norwalk neighborhood association is holding an open house, at Quarto Pazzi, good thing for people to go. April 30th.

Brice Kimmel: In 1997 ran for Mayor his issue was deferred maintenance David Korevaar. In Colorado now. [The deferred maintenance] It was right on the mark.

District Committee Reports:

B: (Geake) in association with NEON we are putting on a memorial community day BBQ. Tired of Ryan park being an open air drug market. Get police and little events happening You can see drug deals form Joe Mann’s office.

Brigss: Don’t you need to work with Parks and Rec.

Geake: Feelers to get performance at amphitheater down there. Still in planning stage. Trying to get community service funds.

Galen asks about District E fundraiser.

Taxing District Reports:

CT Clean Energy fund named second taxing district to get generator. Still working on it, nothing is signed, but they were selected.

Old Business:

New business: Sal is running the Kucinich campaign, if you have questions see me.
Watts: Support for HB 7395 The gay marriage Bill which passed the judiciary committee by a 2 to 1 margin. (lists sponsors) It’s a very important issue, it’s a civil rights issue. $0 years I couldn’t marry my wife, because there were laws that prevented interracial marriages. Asking for a letter of support. Q poll 70% say people support. Respectfully ask our legislators to support the bill.

Briggs: is there are motion.

David Watts: make a motion

Walter Briggs makes motion to table takes precedence. Tamburi seconds it.

Bruce Kimmel: We generally let people discuss it…

Walter Briggs: withdraws and Joe Tamburi withdraws it …

Dave Murchie: thanks Dave for bringing it up, to not support separate but equal … we should take a stand.

Mike Geake: it is a civil rights issue, it has been couched as a religious issue. It is recognized by the state of ct. Nothing in the bill requires an y religious performance of a gay marriage., it grants that the rights be recognized under state laws.

Galen Wells: they already have that under civil unions

Mike Geake: No that’s true

Kevin Poruban: I think its inappropriate to take up before this body. I’m not to sure Coffey would approve this. If you do want to have support, bring it to the mayor bring it to the council. I don’t think we should take a position as a town committee. I don’t want to force this on every one.

Bruce Kimmel: I wouldn’t vote on something sight unseen. I’d have to see the letter itself.

David Watts: I respect that, I wouldn’t vote on something that I didn’t see either. 70% of the voters according to the pool, says its ok to vote for it. You are probably going to table it, but I want you to talk away thinking about how it will effect people who are affected by this. Separate but equal is unequal. Labels are important to certain people.

Gwen Briggs: I strongly for it, but will vote for table.

Dave Watts: Says he had to sent it to the town chair.

Mel Silverstein: Motion to table to a time and date.

Peter Thor: This means it will be on the agenda.

David Murchie: This committee has expressed options on many issues. I think the time of for string others on this issue, I echo what Dave and Michael says …

Donna King: You can watch the public debate at CT-N at my desk. I did have the privilege of listening to it its been interesting and educational. It’s more than just the word marriage, Love Makes A Family, it would give couples in the state of CT to challenge the federal law. I marry people all the time for civil unions, from out of state. It’s lovely and quite nice. I think it is really important that the federal law will be the key. I will ask to make a separate motion, we’ve had these things in the past, I’m going to ask that an agenda item be created on this. David can give you language tonight on this. I will vote against a tabling motion.

Kevin Poruban: In regards to what Donna said anything that is presented that it also be presented early enough to be presented to district committee.

David Watts: Introduce a resolution in support of HOB 7395, that the Norwalk DTC is in full support of

Mike Geake seconds

Walter Briggs: Move to table the motion to the next town committee. SO district chairs have an opportunity to discuss this.

Joe Tamburi: seconds.

Votes counted by show of hands: favor 7 opposed 10

Resolution in favor 12 passes 3 opposed abstentions 1 (I think Galen mumbles the count)

Sal ??? asks if there is a candidate for mayor.

Donna King: Suggested that new resolutions should not go under new business, that they put on the agenda, so that there is a courtesy of time.

Peter Thor: State budget, I think its important that we contact our legislators supporting the budget, (Cafero is not) it’s an important budget, republicans are railing against it, but the fact is that those who are making less than 150k will see a cut. It really and truly does establish a progressive income tax. Its important to contact our legislator to say that we support it.

Bruce Kimmel: We should contact our legislator whether we support tit or not or if it is terrible to Fairfield County. You tell you representative that, I’ll tell mine something different

Adjourns at 8:56pm

Following the meeting

Bruce Kimmel wanted to go on the record with the statement that he is not looking for, or planning to take a Board of Ed job. He says that there should be no rumor to that effect. He also said that the resolution mentioned in a previous post was the Patriot Act, not an Iraq war resolution and that he was correct in that it would not pass if 2 clauses weren’t dropped. I have updated that post as well.