As Usual - Newsday Loves To Create Drama

Quote from Newsday 12/18/1010: “...Stephen V. Waldenburg Jr., president of the Northport-East Northport school board, said he would consider every option in an effort to provide his students the best education at the most reasonable cost. ‘I think we may be interested to hear what they've got in mind," he said. "It never hurts to listen. I can't say what will come out of it. It would need to be beneficial to the Northport district.’...”

Ohh Newsday and Mr. Waldenberg, the Elwood BOE has nothing specific in mind; we are simply looking at the grim news coming out of Albany and asking ourselves what would it look like if we consolidated with a neighboring school district from both an educational and financial perspective. We want to explore every possible solution to protect our children’s opportunity to have a competitive 21st Century education. Elwood residents have an abundance of pride in our school community - academically, athletically, and artistically. Our children are well served and there is little doubt that many residents have a continued desire to take care of our own. Nevertheless, the current economic conditions and the intent of our new Governor to take away the will of the people and impose a tax cap have us exploring every possible solution to maintain the principles of education that we hold sacrosanct in Elwood. In other words, the only thing we have in mind is an exploration of possibilities to be considered as a community.

EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES

If you have not heard already, there is a loud buzz in the Elwood community about the merger, or as the NY State Education Department refers to it, “consolidation” of the Elwood School District with one of the neighboring, contiguous districts in Huntington Township. As usual, the rumors seem to take on a life of their own filled with political gaming, exaggerations, and partial facts that can completely distort the real story. So, as a member of the Elwood Board of Education I can give you some plain perspective and a little insight to my thinking, and the thinking of the Board and Superintendent on the reality of the situation.

First, my initial reaction is that I have NO desire to merge the Elwood School District with any of the potential candidates; i.e., Harborfields, Northport, Commack, Half Hollow Hills, or South Huntington. Furthermore, while it has not yet been discussed in detail by the members of the BOE, I would be surprised if any of my BOE colleagues had a strong desire to consolidate. The Superintendent made it clear in a statement during the December 2nd BOE Work Session that this has nothing to do with the desire to consolidate districts; rather, it is an exploration to educate the Board and Elwood community on the process of school district consolidation.

It is necessary to explore big ideas and to make sure that we move into the future prepared for anything rather than scrambling in a reactionary, impetuous fashion if the financial crisis worsens and the constituency of Elwood is no longer able to support education over the long-term as we have always done in the past. The fact is that the will of the people to support our schools may be taken away by state legislation. The legal process that currently exists gives communities the final say on funding their public schools, but now there is an inclination in our state government that it must mandate and control the will of the people. (This outrages me on many levels, but I will save that opinion piece for another time.)

The BOE supported Superintendent Scordo’s thinking that the current fiscal crisis for public education is not ending anytime soon. The looming combination of further reductions of state aid funding along with a tax cap that has been promised by the new Governor can bring apocalyptic results to public education, to an Elwood education, as we know it. The Board simply wants to be knowledgeable of all alternatives as we look into the future. I would hope that regardless of your personal stand on taxes, education, and community, that you would want the Board of Education to explore and be knowledgeable of every possible alternative that will allow us to hold onto educational opportunities that offer our children a competitive K-12 education in an abysmal financial situation. This is our collective mission, our pledge, to the children of Elwood.

District consolidation is one “big idea”, but is it the right idea for Elwood? Does it provide superior educational opportunities to children while achieving greater financial efficiencies and lower tax rates in the future? Would one of our neighboring districts even be interested in consolidation? How do you merge unions and collective bargaining agreements? What does the State Education Department look for in a feasibility study? These questions must be answered and approval must be sought by multiple Boards, the State Education Department, and the voting constituency of both districts before any merger can take place.

In case you want to know where I stand on this personally, I can tell you that without the necessary information on the process and a review of all the facts, I will keep an open mind. Nevertheless, I do not currently believe that district consolidation is something I would want to embrace. I strongly believe there is an intangible value in a school / community environment with a specific identity, a specific culture, a sense of heritage and pride that profoundly affects children. However, this is just one opinion of many and it is the collective decision of two school communities that make the ultimate decision.

To begin the education process, the entire community has been / will be invited to a panel discussion that will take place on January 6th to hear from, and dialogue with, State Ed experts on the subject, Elwood administrators and the Board, and possibly administrators from neighboring districts, on the details and process of district consolidation.

While few things can be considered certain, I can guarantee you this: we will learn together and decide our future collectively, as a community.

Sound School Facilities @ The Cost of a Venti Caffe Misto

I have been approached a number of times over the past week about the building repairs and improvements referendum that will be left up to the voters to approve on December 9th. As we experienced last May, no one should expect that this is a done deal and that people will naturally see the value of keeping our school buildings in good condition, secure, and maintaining a healthy environment for approximately 3,000 students and staff members that basically live and learn in these buildings 10+ months of every year. So it is important to come out and vote.

The District website and communications will provide you with most of the details on the project; but I wanted to give you just quick overview of the proposition.

The district wants to utilize the balance of the “EXCEL” funds that were appropriated to the Elwood School District a few years ago. EXCEL funding was provided to every school district in New York State and can be used, along with building Aid to fund certain projects. There are no salaries or staffing as part of this proposition, only building, technology and security projects can qualify to utilize the EXCEL aid from NY State. Furthermore, even though this aid has already been allocated to Elwood, under regulations, every school district must bring these “improvements” to district voters via a bond referendum… In other words, the community must approve the project and a bond, and then the State gives you the aid to pay off the bond.

The district has project estimates that will provide $1,468,000 in repairs and improvements to all of our buildings (collectively); however, the total future contribution by the Elwood taxpayers will be only a fraction of this amount (approximately 6.5%, or $96,050, including interest). Moreover, some of this $96,050 (approximately $30k) will be paid by the taxpayers in the near future, but the balance will be spread over the life of the bond. (The State dictates the term of the bond and that is yet to be determined.) Nonetheless, one can reasonably say that $66,050 spread over time among all residential and commercial properties in the district will have a negligible impact on the property taxes of the Elwood homeowner. In total, the cost of this project on your future tax bill will have a grand total of approximately $10 - $30 dollars (depending on your specific property’s assessed value) spread over a number of years. So, as far as your school taxes are concerned, this referendum, if approved, can provide needed repairs and improvements to our school facilities (The house needs to be kept in good repair) and it will literally impact your annual property tax bill in a similar amount to buying a Venti Caffé Misto at Starbucks.

Remember, the comments and views expressed on this blog are solely the opinion of Dan Ciccone and not necessarily shared by the Elwood Board of Education.

Moments That Define Character

Our Long Island Champion John Glenn Girls Volleyball team played smart and with great heart in Glenn Falls, but did not grab the trophy. The John Glenn Knights Football team started slow, but finished in dominating fashion to become the Suffolk County Champions and the only undefeated team in Suffolk County. They face the only other undefeated team on LI, The Seaford Vikings, next Saturday in LaValle Stadium for the Long Island Championship. In life, the moments of victory and disappointment are always only seconds apart, but how you face both define character. It is the character of our John Glenn teams that fill the entire community with great pride. Go Glenn!

Remembering The Glory

Today our Long Island champion John Glenn High School Ladies Volleyball Team, the Spiders, play for a NY State Championship, and the John Glenn Football Knights play for a Suffolk County Championship. In 20 years from now these young women and men will not remember the grade they got on their report card, but they will hold the glory of this day in their hearts and minds forever! Go Glenn!

THE ENEMY WITHIN

On Thursday May 20th, about 400 - 500 residents that live within the Elwood School District attended a special meeting of the Board Of Education to hear and participate in a discussion about the next steps of the school district’s budget process for the 2010 / 2011 school year.

The audience was mixed with some very familiar faces of regulars including PTA members, teachers and administrators, but there were also many unfamiliar faces. Considering BOE meetings usually have no more than 20 – 50 people in attendance, if that many, you could imagine that there were many unfamiliar faces in the crowd, and frankly, I thought the BOE would be getting an earful about taxes being too high and an overall outcry for more cuts. However, the vast majority of the people in attendance this night were advocating for the Board to make few cuts to program or staff and became fearful of what the future may bring when they realized the cuts that must be considered to bring the tax increase lower by just a few percent. They were passionate and energized, and reacting to the now very real prospect of going to a contingency or “austerity” budget this year.

The austerity budget is set by law at a rate commensurate with the CPI of December 2009. For the 2010 / 2011 school year an austerity budget would actually be a slight decrease from the prior year’s budget; nevertheless, it would still bring forward a tax increase of +1.36% because of a reduction in revenue from NY State Aid, interest, Etc. Therefore, the school district would have mandated and contractual increases of expenses next year that the BOE would have to support within the financial constraints of a lower budget and less revenue.

Pressure is mounting for the BOE to make a decision and it is being lobbied from three different interests. There is pressure coming from people that represent the majority of voters from last Tuesday’s election to stop spending and keep taxes from escalating; others are saying to put the same budget up that failed by 148 votes. The more practical and risk adverse advocates that want to keep our schools competitive and strong realize there must be some additional reductions to the tax levy in order to ensure a successful outcome of a second election. They realize that economic frustrations, displaced anger, and complacency can easily send the school district into the abyss of austerity, which would require draconian cuts that would result in a sea change in Elwood Schools. Nevertheless, even among the more practical and risk adverse, there is debate about what cuts to make. Some people believe in holding onto extra-class programs – i.e. sports and music programs, and the annual school plays, while others are lobbying for holding onto to staff so that class sizes do not rise and create an environment that can diminish the quality of instruction.

The leadership of the BOE and central administration of the school district are accountable to make the decision of what budget will be put in front of the constituency of Elwood and are up to the task.

The voting constituency of Elwood will make the decision on whether we increase funding to our schools or go to an austerity budget. The election will take place on June 15th, 2010. The ultimate decision in this democratic process of the community voting to fund their own schools is up to YOU, the voter. The BOE is accountable for the budget, but you, the voter, are accountable for the outcome of the election that will fund Elwood Schools - its academic and elective programs, and the extra-class programs….

The outcome of our collective accountability will shape our schools, and will affect your financial resources, your home values now and in the future, and the education of your children and your neighbor’s children, so it is no wonder that these are emotionally charged decisions.

The other night a Dad who did not vote on Tuesday and is now exercised and anxious about his children’s school program came up to me and said, “Dan, I am not clear on where you stand on the issue, you seem to walking on the political line.” My response was direct. I shot back at him and said, “Where do I stand? I am the one who voted to make cuts that would remove people I care about from their employment. I am the one who was heartbroken because I voted to limit the Cultural Arts program that pushed down on the spirit of children who have a passion and talent for the arts. My colleagues and I are the people who spent days and hours going over how we can keep class size down and ensure the quality of instruction in our classrooms. We anguished between raising taxes and providing extra-class programs that speak to the passions within all of our children, and the development of their self-expression and sense of camaraderie, and their connection with their school community that lasts a lifetime; because these are the elements of our program that build the character of a child and of a Nation… And, without this level of character, academic proficiency is squandered. I am part of a team of Board members that put a budget and tax increase forward that was among the highest in both Suffolk and Nassau Counties and got verbally abused and beat up for it. Now, I want to know, WHERE WERE YOU on Tuesday May 18th ?”

Please do not sit on the sidelines, get into the game. Come to the BOE meetings or communicate with the Superintendent of Schools in the central office to get first hand facts and clarify any uncertainties with pertinent questions. Get answers directly from the source.

Ignorance, misinformation, and political manipulation of facts are the enemy. And, our enemy’s allies are complacency and apathy - the enemy within.

TAKE THE TIME TO REFLECT AND PLEASE, THINK RESPONSIBLY BEFORE YOU VOTE.

TAKE TIME FOR REFLECTION AND THINKING RESPONSIBLY

The Superintendent of Schools, Central Office Administrators, and the Board of Education have publically discussed the budget in terms of line items and various accounting codes and you heard us talk on and on about fund balance… You have also been bombarded with messages in the media and around town about the increases in other school districts, the Superintendent’s compensation package, and teacher givebacks - not to mention the demand for reforms in public education and the NY State Retirement Systems. Nevertheless, I can tell you with great certainty, that none of these important issues will be affected by your vote next Tuesday.

I will not give you any argument about the needs for some reform. The long-time systems and structures of public education such as a defined-benefit pension plan with relatively little contributions, issues of accountability in the classroom, and to a degree, the curriculum itself, are anachronisms of the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s and need to be updated to meet that needs of a 21st Century education and future economic realities.

The Board of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding last fall with the NYSED to embrace these reforms to improve public education… President Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and New York State Education Department Commissioner David Steiner are committed to the changes that highlight the “Race to the Top” initiatives, and have already put words into action… The Elwood Board of Education unanimously embrace the necessary reforms proposed in the Race to the Top initiative and will do everything within our authority to see that these reforms are implemented for the good of public education and the certainty of value in the taxpayers’ investment in their neighborhood schools.

The school district is obligated by law to support mandated and contractual expenses, so they must, and will, be supported regardless whether or not the budget passes or fails. It is understandable that you may believe that the mandated expenses need to be reformed, and that could make for a spirited debate with valid arguments coming from a variety of perspectives; but none of these reforms are on the ballot for Tuesday’s election… If you want to make sure these changes to public education go forward, or if you feel it necessary to make a political statement at the polls, I can assure you that November is the time to make that statement, not May18th.

So, now that I told you what you are not voting for, let me engage you for a moment more to tell you what we are voting for…

On May 18th, the choice that you are making is simply and definitively funding your community’s schools, ELWOOD SCHOOLS, the schools where your children attend and/or your neighbors’ children attend. The funding is applied to providing programs that enrich students at many levels and provide them with opportunities to learn, explore, and grow. The funding is to keep class size at a level that is just barely acceptable after the cuts that have already been made to ensure an environment of quality instruction.

On May 18th, it does not really matter what is happening in Washington, Albany, Commack, or Northport, or any other district, your choice is only about Elwood.

So on the subject of Elwood; let’s focus for a second on our teachers and their commitment to our community… They did not wait for a public outcry from the media, or follow the lead of our neighbors to the south in Half Hollow Hills… Our teachers did not follow along; they blazed the trail for others to follow.

Last year, Elwood teachers changed the terms of their existing contract one year before it was to expire and made a long-term contractual commitment to make a greater contribution to their health insurance premiums. That commitment resulted in a 28% increase in their contribution - money that contractually would have had to come from the Elwood taxpayer in fiscal year 2009 / 2010. To put a number on it, a teacher with single coverage is paying approximately $240 more this year. Moreover, those with family coverage are paying almost $470 more this year than last - a concession in their contract that will grow at least another 14% over the next few years. This is a concession that is greater than or equal to, in many instances, the tax increase proposed to the average homeowner in Elwood. And, there is more...
Those who know me best know that I like to focus on the bottom line. So, here is the bottom line: beside the increase in health insurance, our teachers also took over $500,000 in salary that we owed them, and took it out of their pocket over this current 2009 / 2010 school year and put it in the pocket of the Elwood taxpayer in 2010, and I, for one, am very appreciative!

At Board of Education meetings you hear talk about programs and opportunities for students; on this point, I would like to give you a little perspective – perspective that at the end of the day motivates my commitment as a trustee on the Board. It is a story of one child, but there are many 100’s more that have similar stories in Elwood with a variety of talents and interests that they want to explore. This is a story about Casey Drum. Casey was just a typical student within a classic curriculum. Casey, however, did have a passion and a recognized talent in music. So Casey auditioned into the Cultural Arts Program as a high school senior, a program that we had to limit next year due to budget cuts that we had to make…. In this program, Casey began to explore her talent and take it to a new level… I am pleased to say that as a result of her work and the specific opportunities provided by the cultural arts program, Casey will be attending Molloy College next fall and has earned a music scholarship. Now I am not sure if Casey has, or had, aspirations to perform in Carnegie Hall one day, but I do know that the Casey was accepted into Molloy’s Music Therapy Program. Furthermore, beginning as early as her sophomore year, Casey will be using her education and gift of music as a therapeutic tool to rehabilitate and teach people with challenges in life, and in a multitude of settings. For instance, she will work with children with autism, with elderly people with Alzheimer's disease, accident victims, and veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Casey was allowed to explore her passion in a program outside of the core curriculum and will give back to those who perhaps need it most.

So in the future, when you are unaffected by our constant use of the words “program and opportunities”, think of Casey Drum and the enrichment that she received, and the gift she will give back. The enrichment for all of us that lies within our ability to fund Elwood Schools.

Unlike the decisions that government imposes on the constituency that we read about in the headlines or see on the television news about healthcare reform, or the bailouts of banks and other corporations by the U.S. Government, or a beverage tax, your annual school district election is the purest form of the democratic process in our nation and the great state of New York. The residents of the Elwood Community are the ultimate decision makers on funding educational opportunities and experiences that are offered to children in Elwood Schools – an education that is the foundation of their future and ours.

The Board of Education is accountable for the programs and instruction that are provided to all children that live within the Elwood Community, and is also responsible for the budget that has been put on the ballot; nonetheless, you, the voters, are accountable for the outcome of the election. It is up to you to choose how much the community is willing to fund our schools, and we should count our blessings that we live in a democracy that allows us to make such a choice relating to our community and the education of our children.

What comes along with this privilege of choice is a responsibility, an obligation really, to become informed and aware of the facts and the consequences of your vote.

In closing, I hope that I have given you some additional insight to the significance of your vote this Tuesday and would like end with one of my favorite quotes that I believe is appropriate to this situation:

“To doubt everything, or, to believe everything, are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.” - Henri Poincare

So please take the time to be informed. Take time to reflect on your personal value system, your resources, and your community. If you have questions, Mr. Scordo is available to answer any questions you may have, as are members of the Board of Education.

Now that I have said my piece, I have only one request: PLEASE THINK RESPONSIBLY BEFORE YOU VOTE!