Category Archives: POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

$14.5M Region 1 spending plan rejected for third time (Litchfield County Times) Reply

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By Kathryn Boughton
kboughton@ctcentral.com
@thelct on Twitter

The third time was not the charm for the Region 1 Board of Education in its attempt to pass its proposed budget for fiscal year 2013-14. The budget, which stood at $14,525,284, down $163,811, or 1.12 percent from current spending, had already been rejected by voters in two previous referenda when it went down to a third defeat Tuesday.

Click on link below for full story
http://countytimes.com/articles/2013/06/25/news/doc51ca56dae6865462512738.txt

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Third time not the charm All 6 Region 1 towns vote against budget BY LYNN MELLIS WORTHINGTON Republican-American Reply

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ban_home3FALLS VILLAGE — It is back to the drawing board for the Region 1 Board of Education after the $14.5 million budget for 2013-2014 was defeated for a third time Tuesday.

Voters in all six towns defeated it, 623-452. The vote was Canaan, 118-111; Cornwall, 79-67; Falls Village, 80-17; Kent, 86-63; Salisbury, 162-141; Sharon, 98-53. The Region 1 budget is actually made up of three parts: funding for Housatonic Valley Regional High School, Pupil Services costs for special education in all seven schools, and the Regional School Services Center, also called Central Office.

Region 1 Board of Education Chairman Jonathan Moore said Tuesday after the vote the board will need to meet to decide the next step. Because the new fiscal year begins July 1, the current budget will remain in place.

Here is the link for the full story (pay wall)
Third time not the charm All 6 Region 1 towns vote against budget BY LYNN MELLIS WORTHINGTON Republican-American

This was forewarded to me from the CCN…a great read as to the depth of problems in our region 4

by • POSTS, COMMENTS, VIDEO AND AUDIO

In his note to CCN on May 30, Gordon Ridgway expressed his pleasure with Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain in the search for a new CCS Principal. His “pleasure with the new principal search” completely omits the disastrous previous principal – Mr. Vaughan. Mr. Vaughan who was recommended by – wait for it: Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain and Becky Hurlburt. What he omits is that the mostly smart search committee – Dave Dolinsky, Nick Givitovsky (rest his soul), Susan Romeo (formerly Vanicky), Bonnie Burdick, and others never even considered Robert Vaughan as a serious candidate.

The almost unanimous choice to succeed our beloved Dr. Fitz as new CCS Principal was Maryann Buchanan. Yes, Maryann Buchanan, a highly respected educator could have been our next Principal but Becky Hurlburt and Superintendent Patricia Chamberlain overruled the committee. Mr. Vaughan had something that was important to Pat and Becky. He had no fight and would do as told. Principal Vaughan admitted to me directly that Patricia Chamberlain made him sign the falsified evaluation of one of the the best teachers in the Region. Patricia used our money to pay Attorney Meuser to rewrite Mr. Vaughan’s positive review into something negative and slippery.

Principal Vaughan was clear that jealousy of the teacher by Becky and another townswoman was the reason for the attack or as he put it, “witch hunt.” Why me? Because I sat in on the actual evaluation as a witness. During it – I popped the door open very quickly and part-time art teacher Diane Dupuis fell into the office. Gordon – if you are going to recall your enjoyment of the principal search – please do not be so casual about your omission. Failing to achieve the hire of Maryann Buchanan – who was even Dr. Fitz’s choice – was a big loss.

I am voting “No” again because as in the first two referendums – the issue is not five or ten thousand one way or another. The generosity of the Region 1 voters for providing the best for all the students is again – pure unselfish magic. I so admire the people here, including our weekend community, who without question push their assets toward these amazing kids, teachers, and staff. “No” and “No and “No” proves our commitment to eliminating the weak, disingenuous, unprofessional, bullying Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent. “NO” Region One Board Chairman Jonathan Moore – you may not continue ignoring the majority of voters and burying the major issue of opening those contracts. I question the validity of Superintendent Chamberlain’s contract – with raises and term extensions – that she negotiated while concealing significant pending litigation while also failing to inform all members of the Region One Board of the same. Voting “No” is the moment where the voter gets to speak.

Lawrence Van Valkenburgh

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Region One Report Exclusive: POWERSCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION GETS AN “F” at year end 6

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Region One Report has learned from many parents at the end of the school year that NO TRANSCRIPTS will be available for graduating students or their parents for at least a month….it seems their is a problem that has to be worked out. This system, operating at many schools with success, seems to be problematic for Housatonic, and for the region right now. Even after a year of school, its obvious big problems remain. We have heard other horror stories, but, until confirmed, will not post about them for now. But parents and students have come forward to contact us and explain their transcript problems. Once again, it’s not the program that has faults, it obviously is the implementation. And that is what worries us about the iPads, not the technology, the administrative implementation, it seems as there is no solid plan for teachers or students. Will the same happen with iPads that has happened with Powerschool?

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The Superintendent Knows that the ABC Committee is Only Advisory Reply

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The Superintendent Knows that the ABC Committee is Only Advisory —
But She Uses It to make End Runs around the Board’s Authority

First, here are the Region One Board minutes from September 28, 2005

In the discussion of examples of tasks and charges to the Region One Board,
Superintendent Chamberlain stated that “authority” cannot be delegated to another
committee, but “tasks” can be delegated. The insurance coverage for Region One
Schools was an example of an issue that was of a concern for all seven schools and the
results of the recommendation from the RSC to the Region One Board was engaging an
insurance consulting firm to come in and analyze the schools’ needs/costs.

REGION ONE BOARD OF EDUCATION
And
RSC
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
A special meeting of the Region One Board of Education and R S C was held on
Wednesday, September 28,2005, at 6:00 p.rn. in the HVRHS Library. A quorum was
present: Vice Chairman, Judge Manning, Sharon; Jane Sadowski, Kent; Susan
Warner, North Canaan; Philip Hart, Cornwall; Virginia Kruger, Salisbury; Margaret
Ruotolo, Falls Village. Present from RSC: Roger Rawlings, Salisbury; Barbara Gold,
Cornwall; Kent Allyn, Falls Village. Karren Garrity, Kent and Martha Scott, North
Canaan were absent.
Also present were: Patricia Chamberlain, Superintendent; Thomas P. Gaisford,
Assistant Superintendent; Samuel J. Herrick, Business Manager; Theresa Terry,
Director of Pupil Services. Two candidates for Region One BOE were also present:
Gale Toensing, Falls Village, and Vivian Nasiatka, Salisbury.
Mr. Manning called the meeting to order at 6 :00 p.m. There was no public comment.
The packets distributed to those in attendance had included, Region One Board’s 7000
Policy Series, Public Act 405 (Legislative).
Superintendent Chamberlain gave a power point presentation on the RSSC (Regional
School Services Center/Central Office). She then had all in attendance form a team to
answer five (50) questions, using the materials is their packets:
What is the purpose of RSC?
What are the responsibilities of RSC?
What is the RSC relationship to the Region One Board?
Questions you have generated: Concerns? General Comments .
What is ADM?
The consensus of the group: “What is the purpose of RSC?” was “advisory
committee to the Region One Board”. “What are the responsibilities of RSC?” were
Evaluation of the superintendent, establish superintendent salary, personnel
recommendations, receive disburse grants, policies that govern RSSC, present annual
RSSC budget, receive requests for new programs or withdrawal from programs. “What
is the RSC relationship to the Region One Board?” the consensus was “advisory”.
“What is ADM?” Average Daily Membership.

By Gale Courey Toensing

Yes, the Region 1 Board of Ed has the statutory responsibility and authority to act on all issues regarding Region 1, that is, the high school, pupil services and the Regional School Services Center (aka “central office”). That responsibility and authority it CANNOT be delegated — and the superintendent knows it.

The attached minutes above are from 2006 when the ABC Committee was still called the RSC–Regional Schools Committee. The minutes are from a joint meeting of the board and committee — and the superintendent clearly says that the board’s authority cannot be delegated and the ABC/RSC committee is strictly ADVISORY. Furthermore, she clearly states that “tasks” can be delegated to the ABC Committee — meaning the Region 1 board IF IT CHOOSES may ask the committee to do something — but the committee does not automatically get to weigh in on all board decisions.

So what changed to the point that the superintendent and her unconditional board majority supporters — board chairman Jonathan Moore from Kent and representatives former chairman Phil Hart from Cornwall and Laura Freund from North Canaan — now continue to spew foolishness about the ABC Committee’s alleged power? Around four and a half years a ago a few board members, myself included, began to question the actions of the superintendent and her assistant. When the Pingpank Report was issued, concern about the top two administrators began to spread to the public throughout the district. That’s when the superintendent and her assistant began to cultivate the support of the ABC Committee, particularly the chairs from North Canaan and Cornwall, in order to create a buffer between herself and those on the board who were asking questions — and she also cultivated the board majority to back up the committee. The public needs to ask these questions: What do the chairs from North Canaan and Cornwall get in return for their undying “loyalty” to the superintendent, which allows her to call them out any time she needs them to attend meetings and read letters of praise for her or condemnation for board members who seek accountability from her, or have them write logically questionable and bizarrely written letters of support to local newspaper. How does she get the board chairman Jonathan Moore from Kent and representatives Phil Hart from Cornwall and Laura Freund from North Canaan to unconditionally support her? What do the four of them talk about when they allegedly hold what would be illegal meetings before board meetings and decide who will make what motions and how they will vote?

But the main point of this posting is to show that the superintendent knew in 2006 that the ABC/RSC is an ADVISORY committee that can only make recommendations to the Region 1 board and the board can’t delegate its authority, even if the majority wants to. She knew that in 2006, so either she’s forgotten in which case she may be unfit to carry out her duties as superintendent or she’s lying to the public and making an end run around the board’s authority when she empowers the ABC Committee as she did recently by asking it to act on a board motion to reopen the administrators’ contracts. It’s time for the superintendent and especially the chairman of the Region 1 Board of Ed — who churns out supercilious nonsense about the ABC Committee representing “the autonomy of the towns and it’s backed up by six special acts and two statutes” — to stop the foolishness. Watch the video at http://tinyurl.com/mly4vd4 to see all this play out.