Category Archives: POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain…our local boards of education DO report to local boards of finance, and do have a responsibility to the taxpayers…. 2

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Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain comment to the Kent Board Of Education on local boards of education power in a story in this mornings Republican-American….

“You report to the state Board of Education,” she
said, stressing that while the boards need to work together,
the education board does not report to the Board of Finance.

Our superintendent forgets that the local school board does indeed “report” to boards of finance. They request money, and the board of finance either approves the request or not. The local boards of finance have no authority on HOW the money is spent after they approve the request, but the local boards of finance do have the legal authority to represent taxpayers and inform local school boards the amount of money much they will be allotted in their budgeting.

The A.B.C. Push For Power Has Set A Bad Example:Kent Board Now Non Cooperative With Board Of Selectmen 1

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From the Republican-American
Full story available at http://rep-am.com

Boards continue to squabble
BY LYNN MELLIS WORTHINGTON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

KENT — The Board of Education chairman does not
believe that his board has to make a capital “request” to
the Board of Selectmen with regards to the five-year capital
plan, another example of the ongoing friction between
the boards. The selectmen held their first meeting Monday on the
new capital plan that will cover the fiscal years from 2016-
17 through 2021-22. Traditionally, the selectmen ask all
capital requests be submitted in December so that the
board can review the document and then approve it before
it goes to the Board of Finance. In recent years, the selectmen
and the Board of Finance presented the five-year
and 10-year capital plans to residents for discussion only
at the annual town meeting in January. The capital plan is
voted on with the budget at the budget town meeting in
May. Board of Education Chairman Paul Cortese was asked
Monday why his board had not voted on the capital requests
before the information being presented to the Board of Selectmen and the Board
of Finance. “There were no requests made regarding the capital
plan,” Cortese wrote in an email Thursday. “The Board of Selectmen does not approve Board of Education capital so it is not a request.”
The school’s capital information was presented to the
finance board and the Board of Selectmen by John Mauer,
who is not a member of the Board of Education but said
that Cortese had asked him as a member of the school’s
Building Committee to attend the meetings

Region One..the region of “buyouts”….WHY WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP IN REGION ONE (and have for years) Reply

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From this morning Republican American

(full story available on line http://rep-am.com)

Former Cornwall Consolidated School art teacher Diane Dupuis claimed she was “harassed, bullied, ostracized,\humiliated and intimidated” by Principal Michael Croft in her complaint to the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.
In her complaint dated Feb. 28, 2014, which was obtained through
a Freedom of Information request to the commission, Dupuis
claimed she was the target of age and sex discrimination at her job.
She claimed her gender and age — 62 at the time — were the motivating
factors in Croft’s behavior toward her, and that she was aware
of other older female teachers being treated similarly by Croft.
Croft declined to comment on the complaint because it was a
personnel matter. Dupuis left her position in May,and a settlement between her and the Board of Education was reached on June 8. Terms of the RA_Mastheadsettlement called for Dupuis, who had been at the school since 2007,
to be paid $40,000 — $10,000 from CIRMA, the board’s insurance
carrier, and $30,000 from the board. She also is receiving
health benefits until November 2016. According to the settlement,
Dupuis and the board decided to come to an agreement
to avoid the uncertainty and expense of litigation.

No leadership or correct advice from Region 1 Administration, A.B.C., Region 1 Board or the past NCES local board 3

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Is ANYONE in Region 1 looking out for the taxpayer..or just looking out for the administration? See the answer in the story below.

From this mornings Republican-American

(full story available at http://rep-am.cm)

Because of declining enrollment, the North
Canaan Board of Education appropriated less for its
share of the budget at Housatonic Valley Regional
High School in Falls Village, but that has resulted in it not
meeting its state-mandated minimum budget expenditure
requirement. Region 1 Superintendent
Patricia Chamberlain told board members at a recent
meeting that Canaan’s enrollment dropped at the high
school last year, and therefore the amount appropriated
was $134,781 less than the previous year. That figure
was too low, however, for state law. The state penalizes
districts that do not meet those requirements.
Chamberlain said that due to declining enrollment, there
is an understanding that budgets may be lower, “but
not that much.” The state has said it could take away about $45,000 from
the town’s Educational Cost Sharing grant.

Housatonic Hosts Debte Reply

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From the Republican American, full story on-line: http://rep-am.com

FALLS VILLAGE — The Housatonic Valley Regional High School Debate Team hosted the monthly tournament of the Connecticut Debate Association on Saturday and while it didn’t come out on top, members kept up with the other participants.

Seven teams with approximately 125 students met throughout the day to debate the topic of “The U.S. should approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty.”

The two-member teams go for three rounds: one in which they take the affirmative side, the other the negative side and the third time the side is determined by a flip of a coin.

The Connecticut association is an extemporaneous policy debate league for high schools. Judging is conducted by volunteers. The style used is parliamentary, which is based on a British model. The other is policy debate, which has a more philosophical bent. Housatonic’s team is in its third year and is advised by social studies teacher John Lizzi.

Team members are co-captains Jonathan Miller of Salisbury and Karl Grannan of Canaan, both seniors and the only ones from last year’s team. Others are Scott Dignacco, a junior from Sharon; Riley Simmons, a senior from Canaan; Jared Taylor, a sophomore from Kent; Spencer Krenitsky, a sophomore from Sharon; Cameryn Caruso, a junior from Cornwall and Abbey Hansell-Baumgarten, a junior from Sharon.

Lizzi said he was pleased with how the team fared. Miller and Taylor ended up winning their first two matches before losing a close round three, he said.

The final round, which is held in the auditorium before all attendees, was won by a Simsbury team over a team from Hartford Classical in a 2-1 decision by the judges.

(photo ctsy Rep-am.com)

Ruth Epstein Republican-American The Housatonic Valley Regional High School debate team members, from left, Abbey Hansell-Baumgarten, Cameryn Caruso, co-captain Jonathan Miller, co-captain Karl Grannan, Riley Simmons, Spencer Krenitsky, Scott Dignacco and Jared Taylor.

Ruth Epstein Republican-American The Housatonic Valley Regional High School debate team members, from left, Abbey Hansell-Baumgarten, Cameryn Caruso, co-captain Jonathan Miller, co-captain Karl Grannan, Riley Simmons, Spencer Krenitsky, Scott Dignacco and Jared Taylor.

Another Buy Out In Region One…3 In 4 Years! 2

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As reported in the Lakeville Journal today, the Cornwall Art Teacher left the school abruptly in May, and then filed a law suit against the region and Cornwall Consolidated School for discrimination. A $40,000.00 buy out, and more was approved so the suit ws dropped. That makes 3 buy outs and three lawsuits int he region in four years…And that does not even include the legal action now between Falls Village and Region One or the loss of the law suit in Kent.  The A.B.C., Region One Board, and Region One administration remain confused, rudderless and they should be ashamed. As the saying used to be: Is this any way to run a railroad?