When Sal Corda appeared before the Common Council urging his projected budget to be adopted at the “full” amount, he claimed that the school enrollment was rising. Now, months later he claims that he was right in his projections because the school enrollment has stayed flat. Of course, in describing Corda’s earlier positions I have reduced the Corda-speak into simple sentences so that we have an understanding of what he meant. Corda does a very good job of speaking in circles so that people lose track of what he is supposed to be answering, but his basic tactic is to over project, bloat his forecasts and then seem reasonable when he “adjusts” them to fit his 20/20 hindsight.
There are some members of the BOE who are too stupid to figure this game out. Some, notably Bruce Kimmel and Greg Burnett are on to his game. The Rick Fuller “let’s trust the professionals” school of rubber stamping wasn’t limited to him.
“The budgeted number turned out to be exactly what we need,” schools Superintendent Salvatore Corda said. “The net is what we thought.”
The Board of Education had budgeted an extra $76,700 for an elementary reserve teacher. But after tallying the number of students transferring in and out of the district along with those held back, the position won’t be needed, Corda said.
The salary set aside for the reserve teacher can be used elsewhere, but its purpose must be discussed with the board before it is spent, Corda said.
Corda and Director of Elementary Education Hugh McKiernan met Friday to determine the final enrollment numbers, which were affected by a new state law.
The law requires that first- through third-graders determined to be “substantially deficient” in reading skills must attend summer school and those that don’t pass after the summer help must be held back.
The new law meant 352 students from kindergarten through second grade were mandated to attend the district’s state-funded summer school.
After summer school ended Aug. 3, 21 students were retained.
Those students plus some new students to the district meant the number of teachers shifted at two schools but canceled each other out, Corda said.
At Tracey Elementary School, one less teacher will be needed but one additional teacher will join the staff at Silvermine Elementary School.
Twenty-four students is the limit allowed for each classroom section; any more requires hiring an extra teacher.
At Tracey, only three classroom sections were needed; the school had been close to requiring four.
At Silvermine, two additional fifth-graders meant adding a new teacher.
Despite the new state law, the yearly balancing act was no more difficult this year, Corda said.
“We’re always on the bubble some place,” he said.
The infamous bubble. I see nothing but bubbleheaded decisions and forecasts coming out of Corda.
source: Advocate, Student population holds firm in Norwalk, By Alexandra Fenwick, August 12 2007
