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lhhs May 25, 2013 at 04:20 pm
Mr. Williams, you are absolutely correct, although it is not the entire BOE that's an embarrassment.…Read More I am an Independent voter, but have always voted Republican when it comes to electing our BOE. All the Democrats seem to do year after year, is continue to add money to a school system that needs a complete overhaul! You are so right about the teachers not being able to teach. The administrators continue to disbelieve the teachers and are constantly taking the child's side. Giving rewards to children who are unruly, while the majority of students who do the right thing day after day get nothing, but wonder why if they are doing what they are supposed to do, they get nothing. When a child asks you if they start behaving poorly, can they receive rewards during the day instead of working, there is a problem with the system and when students are moved into a different classroom because a teacher is too strict or the child's parent isn't happy with them being disciplined, there is a major problem. It's about time the administrators start having a backbone and standing up to these students and their parents. We are doing these students such a disservice and giving them the worst lesson they could receive. Students need to be held accountable for their actions and learn to take responsibility. I dare any administrator to take the place of a teacher for one day and see the difficulty they endure day after day! This town is so top heavy with administrators that aren't doing their job. The amount of money spent for administrators that don't deserve a job is unbelievable, but the town doesn't have the backbone to terminate them but instead creates another position for them. Scores are never going to improve unless we start respecting teachers and holding our students responsible as well as their parents. I also do not believe that the budget will pass until Dr. James' contract is terminated. Residents are not happy that we, as taxpayers, were never given the opportunity to voice our opinion and have a vote on whether we wanted to put our taxpayer money toward such a study that has already been done and didn't work the first time!
John Williams May 25, 2013 at 10:02 am
This BOE along with the school system is a complete disaster. Having given them the majority of…Read More all tax increase dollars over the past ten years, it’s sad that we have continually seen the quality of education, along with State of CT standings in academics, fall lower and lower. I'm still trying to figure out how our technically new superintendent of schools was given a raise , fairly substantial, without showing to have overseen any improvement in our entire school system, while in fact, the State academic scores went down. I'm not sure how it works here in Windsor, however, in my multi-national employer, you are given merit increases based on performance...not what other employees are making around you. It is just an example of inappropriate spending. The BOE needs to figure out that taking teachers away, not that it really matters, isn't going fix anything, howerer, removing positions in house, ie: admin positions within the system, positions that were created in fat and robust times, need to be eliminated. It's really not that difficult. By the way, if anyone thinks money will fix our school systems...they are sadly mistaken. School begins in the home, teachers need to actually want to teach and not feel beaten down by kids whom do and say whatever they want w/o consequence, and lastly, our administration needs to stop looking the other way when it is time to discipline these disruptive kids who are creating a hostile learning environment. The no kid left behind thing wasn't meant to protect trash, it was meant to ensure everyone whom needed and wants an education gets one. The BOE is an embarrassment.
Mary Ann Overbaugh May 24, 2013 at 10:39 am
$90k of taxpayer money to pay for a horse shoe pit should be used for a fund to help people fix…Read More their properties, or to give scholarships to children or to maintain infrastructure....for the good of the whole. What a frivolous waste of taxpayer money.
Al Simon May 25, 2013 at 03:59 pm
@Tim- the Fed grant money we have used for years for the housing rehabilitation program may no…Read More longer be there for us (Heard of sequestration?) In fact, if we do not get the grant money this coming year, our ongoing efforts to improve housing stock may die completely, and our Community Development depart (which uses virtually NO Windsor tax dollars) may lose its reason for existence. That would be bad for our community.
Mary Ann Overbaugh May 24, 2013 at 04:14 pm
I too grew up in this town, that is why I frequently visit a facebook site discussing all the warm…Read More memories of growing up in Windsor. Those were good times.
George Slate May 22, 2013 at 06:45 pm
Yes, success has many parents. I truly do not want to taint your story, but my question is: Does…Read More WEF have enough money to fund an EER by a legitimate researcher (or are you willing to start up a collection?)? If you do, maybe in five years you can do a similar story about our High School.
lhhs May 25, 2013 at 04:31 pm
I am just curious, and I'm not trying to take anything away from Sage Park, but how many middle…Read More schools actually applied for this honor. I know it says they were chosen from a possible 150 eligible schools, but how many took the time to apply? Does anyone have the answer to this question? It would be an interesting fact to know.
George Slate May 25, 2013 at 01:55 pm
Tim - It is good to see you commenting here again. Your comments are always calm, well reasoned,…Read More and insightful, and add to a good discussion. I am told that the Windsor Public Schools (WPS) have longitudinal data so the best course of action, instead of creating that data (in summarized form), is to do a FOI request. I will wait on that until the budget passes. What you write I have heard consistently for 23 years. The problem is, if I am not mistaken, is that the State of CT does not care if the student has been in your system for a short time, or a long time. Also, the data that you mention can only be obtained by WPS staff since it would require information about specific students. I want the data out in a public domain so we can all look at relevant information.
Tim Curtis May 24, 2013 at 03:31 pm
George, Bill Generous has a good point, and that fact has a significant impact on test scores. i…Read More know that one year the BOE did a study of standardized test scores at the HS, separating the scores of those who started in our system vs. those who came in later. The differences were tangible. I taught at East Granby High School. I don't know the exact number, but a very significant number of my students had been together since third or fourth grade. So they were exposed to the same vertical curriculum all the way through. Definitely not the case in Windsor where mobility is pretty high. Students come and go in Windsor. And sometimes they come back, making it very difficult to get the new students up to speed. I also point out that a number of my students started out in Windsor.
Albert Williams May 20, 2013 at 03:40 pm
Just curious...any relation to Griffin Land, Imperial Nursuries, River Bend Associates?
R Eleveld May 21, 2013 at 03:44 pm
@Slate The BoE originally said they did not believe the Town Ethics Commission had purview over the…Read More BoE. Yes in November the voters can choose to continue the behavior with the current party in the majority. See the comment of WR who says a Councilor accepted responsibility here: http://windsor.patch.com/groups/schools/p/council-approves-reduction-in-education-funding
George Slate May 20, 2013 at 02:27 pm
R Eleveld - Just to clarify, The Town Ethics Committee ruled (1) that the BOE is subject to the Town…Read More Ethics Code, but (2) they do not have jurisdiction over violations of BOE by laws violations. When someone is brought in front of an Ethics Committee, and comes out vindicated, one of two things happen. They are humbled, or emboldened. The BOE President, and the Superintendent of Schools are emboldened because virtually nothing stands in their way of two person absolute rule, until November 2013. The only obstacle is for one of the Democrat BOE members joining the other four BOE members to reign (the pun works all too well here) them in (this appears unlikely). What is the old saying, Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely? So we have to wait until November to try and fix this situation. In the meantime the voters in Windsor can keep voting NO on the referenda to send the message that we do not want dysfunctional BOE oversight. Or we could get back a functional BOE. Since September 12, 2012, this possibility grow less likely each day.
R Eleveld May 20, 2013 at 10:18 am
@Michele, you are correct. The TC can only provide the BoE an amount of money, it can not in anyway…Read More tell the BoE what to do with that money. It could make suggestions, however they carry the same weight as any citizen making any suggestion to the BoE. State law has created the BoE as an island unto itself. They do not even think they are subject to the Town Ethics Code. The voters do have the power to change what they do not like in November. The question is will they again repeat the prior behavior and vote in those that will not make change. Remember Einstein's definition of insanity. It applies here.
R Eleveld May 20, 2013 at 10:22 am
They did a good job of investigation along with Ms. Fissel. in the article: Some investigation…Read More yields more questions.
I ask some questions about the timing of this whole situation. It is now become an embarrassment to Windsor, Loyola, and Dr. James. The idea of this research/study is important, however this execution is fraught with problems and serious concerns.
http://windsor.patch.com/groups/r-elevelds-blog/p/some-investigation-yields-more-questions