Norwalk: Moccia’s $2 Million Dollar Challenge

by turfgrrl

March 11th, 2008 · 14 Comments

Tags: Education · Norwalk

14 Responses so far ↓ “Norwalk: Moccia’s $2 Million Dollar Challenge”

• 1 anon // Mar 11, 2008 at 2:05 pm

  Why not cut the the assistant principals at elementary schools?

• 2 Anonymous // Mar 11, 2008 at 2:43 pm

  Why not cut the Principle at West Rocks, at Wolfpit, Bruce Morris, Sal Corda and Opdhal
  Now there’s progressive thinking and will kill 2 birds with 1 stone. get rid of the dead weight and save money!

• 3 anono // Mar 11, 2008 at 3:12 pm

  How about enrollment overstated by 250-300 students. Of course Corda will state “won’t affect teachers when spread over 19 schools”. Only affects teachers on way up not down.
  Since the principal’s allocation for expenses is based on overstated enrollment, all the expenses included in the allocation are overstated.
  Also, administrators are provided with 20 additional days pay in budget over 2007-8. “In case we need them during summer”.
  Does that tell you something about the thinking that goes into the budget?
  And these are only two of the many areas where the budget is padded.
  BUT LET”S FACE IT. MOCCIA KNOWS THE BUDGET IS BULGING WITH EXCESS. BUT THE DEAL WAS MADE: COME IN UNDER 5% AND YOU”LL GET 4 1/2%. THAT’S WHY THE BET WILL DO NOTHING.

• 4 anonymous // Mar 11, 2008 at 6:05 pm

  I thought we knew Corda routinely padded the BOE budget for contingencies. The game is to find where… Mike Lyons! Where are you!

• 5 Anonymous // Mar 11, 2008 at 7:31 pm

  Mayor Dannel Malloy is requesting a $447.8 million combined city and school operating budget next year, a spending plan that would increase property taxes by 9.38 percent - one of the largest increases he’s proposed during his 12 years as mayor.

  then Malloy goes on to say

  I believe full disclosure requires that people in the city of Stamford know where their dollars are being spent. And for them to assume that dollars that go to the city side are being spent on city services when in fact they’re being spent on education services doesn’t seem right to me. So the purpose is transparency. We’re now disclosing it and letting the chips fall where they may.”

• 6 Anonymous // Mar 12, 2008 at 6:41 am

  # 2 said it all not much more to say. We are spending all this money for one of the worst school systems in the state, why? Save money and close down briggs school. Pay the school leaders based on the rating of our school system so Corda and his staff should be making around 28K per year with benefits. Make their benefits equal to corporate America’s. The leader of our school system or any city job ie police fire should live in Norwalk so he or she has a vested interest in Norwalk.

• 7 Anonymous // Mar 12, 2008 at 7:08 am

  The illustration of the types of cuts shows why the district is in trouble. BMHS is the largest school in Norwalk, and it has a professional development budget of just over $10 per teacher and administrator. I am assuming that other schools’ professional development will be cut in proportion. What successful company would invest so little into professional development for its staff?

  I disagree with the people who say that Norwalk has a bad school system because there are many good teachers and administrators (most of them in the schools) who are committed to the kids. However, cutting professional development, which was inadequately funded even before this cut, is ridiculous. Moreover, the cut demonstrates how little the central office knows about what it will take to improve teaching and learning in this city.

• 8 CTYankee // Mar 12, 2008 at 11:58 am

  I can think of at least a few employees at the schools that are all but useless… Well they do emit 50-Watts of body heat in the winter.

  As I see it the system has become so used to looking at the left of the bell curve… that’s the diminished expectations side that there is little else that can be done without drastic actions.

  Let’s evaluate the entire system the way the system evaluates the student fodder it tries to process. With a 15% dropout rate in the northeast, 9% in CT, there are no simple answers.

  If the system was a manufacturing concern, the schools would be charged back for “scrap” in this case students that fail to graduate or are unable to handle the 3R’s(am I dating myself?).

  But we all know students are not manufactured goods. They are *much more valuable*. And we can also ask them what they think of their captors.

  As an aside, it’s terrible to contemplate that students have fewer rights than the prisoners at gitmo.

  Given the long retention time of the “product” (students) there are no really fast solutions. However 3-4 years for a complete turnaround is not out of the question.

• 9 Anonymous // Mar 12, 2008 at 1:06 pm

  How about reducing the number of school bus stops.

• 10 Homeboy // Mar 12, 2008 at 7:50 pm

  I would like your readers to vote by a reply whether they want to cut the Board of ED budget or not.
  What kind of budget increase would they expect.

  Turf Girl how about a vote tabulation like the Hour has.

• 11 nrwkr // Mar 12, 2008 at 8:29 pm

  cut back on the mass of supplies that arrive almost every hour in May & June for the BOE. Is it just to use as much money as possible. They don’t need it all and they don’t even have room for it.

• 12 Anonymous // Mar 13, 2008 at 3:17 am

  Mr Mayor a challenge, you were recently quoted on gangs in Norwalk in a seperate article that was mailed to every house in Norwalk. Would you please take the time consult our local police dept about the facts they have provided and get back to us and explain exactly what you said about gangs in Norwalk.There seems to be some confusion with what the Hour has reported today with what you have said.

  Perez ran through a list of nine active gangs in the city and a further nine that operate in other parts of the state, then showed a half-dozen photos of cash, drugs and weapons seizures from Norwalk.

  I would imagine we as a city we will want to clear up some things before tourism starts in a few weeks and clear up some of the warnings that have been issued for travelers to Norwalk.I can’t think of anyone better versed to clear up any bad press we are receiving than you sir.

• 13 ME // Mar 15, 2008 at 7:44 am

  How about ignoring Corda when he says there are maybe 6 or 7 out of town kids stealing educational services, and facing the reality that it’s more like 6 or 7 PER SCHOOL, and put some teeth into the enforcement efforts. This could include giving school system employees “whistle-blower” anonymity. We’re the ones who hear the kids talking about the “drive on the highway” to get to school, and how “I’m not allowed to tell you where I live”, etc.
  ANOTHER nice idea might be a requirement that the big shots making the big bucks actually live in Norwalk and pay taxes in Norwalk. Might make them a little more accountable if they were wasting their own money.

• 14 ME // Mar 15, 2008 at 7:46 am

  Oh, I forgot, although it wouldn’t make up 2 million - DEFINITELY eliminate Bruce Morris. Not just him - his position. Since he is currently not doing anything anyway, and we’re functioning anyway, that pretty much proves that his position is unnecessary.

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