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Norwalk: Community Involvement


by turfgrrl


June 13th, 2007 · 12 Comments

I guess I’m still bothered by Sal Corda’s persistence in blaming the community, the common council, and any one else for not “understanding” his budget. He must have thought he was being clever when he pointed out, during the BOE finance committee meeting that the “public” was not there in great numbers. All I could think was that he was as masterful as Dr. Evil in his island hideout bemoaning the fact that only his henchmen were there.

If Corda wanted the pubic involved he would be publicizing his meetings, or as Bruce Kimmel has repeatedly pointed out about the finance committee, holding meetings monthly. Instead the opaque budget is presented last minute without details and people like Rick Fuller think that is just a-okay because they are professionals. Of course they are not financial professionals, and as Corda danced around the topic that he over estimates his budget so he can have enough “slush” to move money for unanticipated expenses, Fuller had nothing to say. In my corporate life, I’ve been known to creatively use office supply budgets to fund pizza parties for my staff, but at a department level, its understandable. A 147 million dollar school system? I think there’s a better way.

Anyways, here’s the list of cuts Corda has recommended.

I still find it outrageous that he proposes to eliminate BOE meetings from having minutes taken. A further erosion of public involvement, since it removes the ability to check the record of who said what, albeit, not has great as a video of the meeting, but at least searchable.

I sent an email out to the BOE members yesterday with questions about the meeting. Only Bruce Kimmel replied. You may want to reach them directly at let them know that want more transparency from Corda and less blame spreading.

Jody Bishop-Pullan
(Chair)
Home Phone: 852-1655
Email:
JPullan@optonline.net

Rosa Murray
(Vice-Chair)
Home Phone: 847-0498
Email:
RosaM3@aol.com

Susan Hamilton
(Secretary)
Home Phone: 866-9996
Email:
Susanhamilton203@sbcglobal.net

Robert Polley
Home Phone: 866-0215
Email:
Robert.Polley@snet.net

Richard Fuller
Home Phone: 956-6748 Email:
RFuller6@optonline.net

Tom Vetter
Home Phone: 847-7396
Email:
Vettert@snet.net

Migdalia Rivas
Home Phone: 981-7367
Email:
MRivas1219@yahoo.com

Greg Burnett
Home Phone: 840-1931
Email:
Greg.Burnett@sbcglobal.net

Bruce Kimmel
Home Phone: 847-2301
Email:
brucekim@optonline.net

Tags: Education · Norwalk

12 Responses so far ↓ “Norwalk: Community Involvement”



  • 1 Vet Park Junkie // Jun 13, 2007 at 1:56 pm

    I find it outrageous that the list of cuts is not published in our newspapers. With those lame comments!

    I am livid with anger. I am disgusted with the cuts and still reeling in disbelief at the 0 = 50 logic.

    Is it Corda’s plan to ensure that our children are underachievers; condemned to a life struggle, uncertain futures, and hopelessness in matching their parent’s lifestyle?

    Time to revise my own friggen budget.

    God help our teachers.

  • 2 Mr Greenpeace // Jun 13, 2007 at 2:18 pm

    Just thought i would prove networking works,,Mr mayor is at the Kendall school in a 4th grade class as I write this ,,shows we have some out here that do read what it takes to be involved.I will share as time passes the other mail I am reciecing on a daily basis..

    norwalk.news@yahoo.com

    see or here something interesting email me, don’t know what I can do with the info but I’ll pass it on..

  • 3 Jeff Hall // Jun 13, 2007 at 3:10 pm

    “All I could think was that he was as masterful as Dr. Evil in his island hideout bemoaning the fact that only his henchmen were there.”

    Thank you, thank you, thank you. This observation made my day.

    http://createdthings.blogspot.com/

  • 4 Aunt Bertha // Jun 13, 2007 at 6:16 pm

    I see no administration was cut from the budget. I also see that teaching positions were cut. Along with supplies and maintance. So our children will be sitting in a dirty unheated classroom with no books and no teacher? HHHMMMMMMMMM, what is he thinking?

  • 5 Anonymous // Jun 13, 2007 at 6:25 pm

    Interesting blog, Jeff. Looks like you have legal connections. Any input on the Norwalk Museum/Soo Gunn debacle?

  • 6 Jeff Hall // Jun 13, 2007 at 8:16 pm

    > Interesting blog, Jeff. Looks like you have
    > legal connections. Any input on the Norwalk
    > Museum/Soo Gunn debacle?

    Thank you! No, I don’t know anything more than the average person (which is to say, nothing at all except that out tax money pays for the museum.) But I have noticed that the people who should be “in the know” about Ms. Gunn and the Norwalk Museum all sigh and roll their eyes when I mention her tenure there. Maybe they all have hay fever. It’s been a bad year for that.

  • 7 turfgrrl // Jun 13, 2007 at 8:50 pm

    Jeff Hall: Glad I made your day. Cool blog you have there.

  • 8 Watchdog // Jun 13, 2007 at 9:06 pm

    #4:

    Aunt Bertha, you forgot the radon.

    Four literacy specialists. Unbelievable!! Literacy speicalists who DIRECTLY work with students! In the midst of NCLB, does it make ANY sense to rid the schools of the very support staff they so desperately need to address reading issues?

  • 9 George Benton // Jun 13, 2007 at 9:55 pm

    Dr. Corda is a fiercly loyal man, just not necessarily to the students. Time and again he has proven that he will make each and every effort to protect those close to him, even if it means sacrificing those most important. While in previous comments he suggested that all of the administrative positions exist as critical pieces to our educational puzzle–primarily because of the exhaustive evaluation process, he fails to recognize that it is the teachers that walk the line each day and need his support.

    Students enter the buildings each day looking for inspiration, looking for something to make them better. They certainly do not go crawling into an administrator’s office to find it; instead, they search the classrooms for the one person in which they can believe.

    Corda knows that no matter what he does with the budget, no matter how difficult he makes it on the teaching staff across the city, that the teachers will make it work because they will not sacrifice what is most important. It is sad but true: He knows they’ll do the job regardless of what he decides; therefore, he can protect his interests, hide inside the politics, and feel safe that even without critical literacy specialists his administrators will still be able to read.

    Imagine what they could do if he valued them unconditionally.

  • 10 Watchdog // Jun 13, 2007 at 10:21 pm

    Thank you, George. You’ve touched a nerve… or two. Apparently, you understand the teachers who “make it work because they will not sacrifice what is most important.”

    Thank you for your kind words.

  • 11 Aunt Bertha // Jun 14, 2007 at 6:42 pm

    Sorry Watchdog, I spent may years in one of the buildings that was found to have the Radon. I guess I was blocking that out. And George you are right with you posting, we will not give up on what is right for the children we teach. Even if it means working harder with less and for a larger population.

  • 12 Mr Greenpeace // Jun 14, 2007 at 7:34 pm

    Radon was a subject back in May I trust it will help any discussion on it,

    ok so I have been flushed out but I brought up a thread from May 16th that clearly pointed out my concern with radon, and not to write another novel ,,(oh so tempting) I have it up on the menu maybe some of it will help the its under Opdahl proven inept I still have concerns but the thread only touches it..