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Laurie Bajorek April 11, 2013 at 11:03 am
The vote for the elimination of 3 of 7 teacher coaches was Arn, Bush, Nicholson, and Percy for; Kemp…Read More and Fischer opposed.
tdm April 11, 2013 at 10:09 am
Were each item taken separately? I am wondering the teacher coach vote break down. Thanks.
tdm April 11, 2013 at 10:06 am
I think it is easy for those of us not sitting in the elected chairs to make comments and…Read More assumptions. I think elected officials get just as frustrated as taxpayers do and sometimes that shows through. Mr. Houle is not exempt from something similar (June 2012 he had a similar outburst during a public comment portion of a board of education meeting because he did not like what was being said). Elected officials are human and have to consider numerous groups to make decisions. There are many reasons why this district is considered a bottom 30 that does not mean learning is not happening here. It just means one measure - standardized tests- are used to grade us. Common Core is not going to change that. The way we test all categories of students needs to be revamped. Most of our students perform where expected. It is my understanding that it is a small number of our students who are challenged by the test for various reasons. That is the problem with a one size fits all test. We need to petition the federal and state government to change the mandates if we really want to see things change where teachers can teach and students can learn again.
Paul Stansel April 9, 2013 at 03:20 pm
Elections are held for Board Officers at the first meeting after a new election.
Mark Kalina April 9, 2013 at 01:55 pm
As a follow up to Carl's question- what is Mr. Houle's status as board chair?
Concerned Citizen March 29, 2013 at 11:57 am
Coffee Connection is a new initiative. It would be interesting to know at the end of the year how…Read More attendance has been. Residents have concerns and opinions about the course of Vernon Schools. Do they feel they can express them to Dr. Conway in this forum?
Mark Kalina March 29, 2013 at 01:32 am
Maybe those are questions that could be asked as well.... I am not sure why folks are asking these…Read More questions here- and do so behind the veil of a screen name.
Vernon Q. Resident March 28, 2013 at 10:22 pm
MK- I did not take some guys comment as someone too afraid to ask but merely a list of issues that…Read More the Superintendent should address publicly. The only people who should be afraid to ask tough questions are those working in the district for fear of calculated retribution. Maybe we should ask who sat on the committee that hired her. Maybe we should ask why Plainfield made no effort to keep her. Maybe we should ask how she could possibly accept that large raise and annuity without feelings of guilt.
Mark Kalina March 29, 2013 at 01:34 am
Ultimately, it appears your mileage may vary... Some like it, some don't and some just don't really…Read More care one way or another. Pretty much normal, I would guess.
Matthew Bilmes March 28, 2013 at 10:13 pm
As a student at Rockville High School, I can say that many students, including myself, simply do not…Read More care about these letters. Maybe if they were personalized (which would be a complete waste of time) that would be different, but it's not special to receive a mass letter no matter who it's from. When I get the letter it goes right in the trash. The town should save its money.
JP March 28, 2013 at 03:35 pm
Works for me. An email with a PDF attachment would work too. I understand that some enjoy the…Read More recognition. My kids don't care one way or the other and that is not meant as disrespect to the Mayor. They do it for themselves, as parents we don't reward them for good grades.
im4vernon April 10, 2013 at 12:59 pm
@JP - Lets at least agree that if we are in the bottom 30 for education as well as athletics (per…Read More you) isn't change needed? I'm happy to see status quo is not happening in our schools.
@Some Guy- Your comments "flatten the hierarchy" amounts to "fewer people doing more work." is everyday reality where I work and you mention the bad timing on restructuring... Is there ever a good time for restructuring when our economy is in the tank? As far as observations in the class room, I LOVE it... If I hear one more time my child watched a movie in class today...
Some guy March 27, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Thank you.
The Athletic Director issue reveals how deeply misguided the Superintendent's plan is-…Read More but it's only the tip of the iceberg. The Superintendent's stated desire- endorsed by the Board- to "flatten the hierarchy" amounts to "fewer people doing more work." Every bit of the new work assumed by department heads and teachers means less time available to instruct, interact with and meaningfully evaluate students.
The timing of this restructuring is awful, as it coincides with the implementation of new evaluation mandates, and the transition to Common Core standards and new assessments.
For example: the new evaluation system requires six observations per teacher next year, with a similar increase in goal setting meetings and pre and post observation meetings. That's approximately 1,980 observations that must be conducted, documented, and incorparated into the final evaluation before the end fo the year. Beyond the observations, there must be numerous meetings with each teacher to set goals and track their progress. There are only approximately 180 school days to conduct these observations (minus those days where observations would be impractical or uninformative).
So, there's all of the above PLUS the design and implementation of new curricula and assessments.... PLUS the fact that reductions in staff will result in larger classes for most teachers.
Concerned Citizen March 29, 2013 at 11:35 am
Thank you for your service. I know that the turnout for BOE meetings isn't always as large as some…Read More people feel would be appropriate but there are parents who care about education in this town and try to stay informed. I appreciate the time you took away from your family. The BOE meets to determine the best course of action to improve the schools and the mayor immediately tells you to cut 1.5million dollars. No matter what budget was submitted he probably would have demanded more cuts because lower taxes will make him more popular. I can't imagine how infuriating that must be after the time the BOE put into developing this budget.
Dan Nevelos March 26, 2013 at 10:10 am
Thank you for your service to the Vernon Public Schools and our town Kyle. We appreciate the…Read More sacrifice of hundreds of hours you've made being away from your young family. I have know Kyle my entire life, from Center Road School all they way up through the University of Connecticut and to the present. I cannot think of a more honorable, honest, and disciplined person. I can assure all readers and posters, anonymous or not, that the decisions he made were in what he deemed to be the best interests of the students and the integrity of the Vernon Public Schools.
Michael March 25, 2013 at 02:40 pm
@ Paul the BOE job is to present a proposed budget and the Town Councils job is not to rubber stamp…Read More it, they are to review and make their recommendations to what they would like to see the budget come in at. It is now the job of the BOE and town council to hammer out the differences.
Dan Nevelos March 26, 2013 at 10:03 am
Hi Laurie, I believe the Finance director said meeting on the 16th that they are assuming we will…Read More still be getting the car tax dollars. I think he also said it would be phased in even if it was passed and wouldn't effect this upcoming budget year. From what I've been reading the state legislature seems very unlikely to pass that part of the Governor's budget plan.
Laurie Bajorek March 25, 2013 at 03:05 pm
Is the Mayor's estimate of a 5.3% tax increase with the assumption that we will or will not have car…Read More tax? I'm not sure how that estimate can be made without the State budget - and the Town's reimbursements from the State - known at this time?
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