As students prepare for the first round of testing under the state’s new Common Core standards, parents and educators are questioning the tests and why states seem to be in a rush to implement them. Reply

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Critics say reforms go too quickly
Parents, teachers question pace of program’s testing
BY ANDREW LARSON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

WOLCOTT — As students prepare for the first round of testing under the state’s new Common Core standards, parents and educators are questioning the tests and why states seem to be in a rush to implement them. On Thursday night, Wolcott school system’s Director of Curriculum Frank Purcaro presented an overview of Common Core, including the accompanying Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests, to parents and members of the public. Students will take the tests in grades 3 through 8 and in the 11th grade. This year, they’re considered pilot tests. In 2014-15, the tests, which are taken on a computer, will become “adaptive,” meaning the questions become progressively more difficult until they reach a student’s ability level. Common Core is intRA_Mastheadended to help standardize the skills students are expected to learn at certain grade levels, allowing achievement to be measured uniformly across the nation.

School board urging state help with budget-North Canaan Board of Education January 9 Reply

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BY RUTH EPSTEIN

REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

CANAAN — With another large assessment looming for the town in the proposed 2014-15 Region 1 Board of Education budget, local school board members ex­pressed the need to let the state know that help is need­ed to curb the rising costs.
During its meeting last week, the North Canaan Board of Education heard from Ned Gow, its represen­tative to the Region 1 board, that the preliminary figures show an increase of $460,000 for the town’s share. This comes on top of a $300,000 rise in the cur­rent plan. The proposed to­tal for Canaan is $4,641,430 out of a total $15,592,880, which reflects a 7.98 per­cent increase. Gow said the town’s percentage is rising from 30 to 32.3 percent of the total, but also the overall budget is higher.

When he pointed out that the town’s share of the state Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) grant is more than other towns, member Karen Riccardelli noted while that’s true, their revenues from the grant have remained stagnant as their percentage of the costs has increased over time. She said she is sure the high school is as important to the other five towns in the region as it is to Canaan and all have an interest in mak­ing sure it’s affordable. She suggested as a group they go out to Hartford to ex­press their concerns.
She suggested that before the costs become too much of a burden to Canaan the town should request the state either increase its share of the ECS grant or allow it to be more flexible and do what it thinks necessary to keep the school affordable.
Gow said he’d be looking at where cuts can be made without hurting the students.
But Riccardelli, noting that if the current proposal goes through, the town would have a $760,000 increase over two years

 

 

The Region 1 administration is considering offer­ing early retirement incentives to staff members 4

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The Region 1 administration is considering offer­ing early retirement incentives to staff members, Business Manager Samuel Herrick told the Board of Education Wednesday.Twenty three teachers would be eligible if they use the same formula that’s been used in the past in which years of service and age add up to a cer­tain number. Of the 23, 11 are employed in the pupil services department. Depending on what is offered and what positions need to be filled, there may not be savings.
Herrick said the district has been fortunate in being able to bring in youthful, qualified people.

Region One Budget Hearing January 8 2014 Reply

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The Region 1 Board of Education was presented a preliminary 2014-15 budget on Wednesday evening.

The initial total for the three sections of the budget is $15.5 milion, an increase of 7.9 percent above the current plan. The high school proposal is $8.6 million, a 9.2 per­cent raise, while the pupil services budget is $5.9 million, a 8.1 percent increase. The central office budget of $1 million is a reduction of $25,527 or 2.44 percent. At the end of the meeting Canaan representative Ned Gow, who is new to the board, said, “I’m going to be lynched in North Canaan. This is a substantial increase after the $300,000 one last year.” Chairman Andrea Downs of Falls Village said, “I think you’ll see significant changes.”

The plan also includes the enrollment numbers for each of the six towns in the region and their assessments. For next year the proposed per pupil cost is $24,901, up from the current $23,106, which Herrick termed “pretty significant.”

Delores Perotti..Back To The Future? Change seems impossible for Dolores Perotti..read below the story from this mornings Republican American and see “back room-strong arm” politics in pratice, let’s hope the BOS in North Canaan does not cave and resume the mistakes of the past on the Region One BOE 6

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With some confusion about who is being recom­mended to serve as the North Canaan alternate to the Region 1 Board of Education, the selectmen decided, after making a motion on one candidate, to take up the matter next month. The Republican Town Committee recommend­ed that Laurie Perotti, who has been in the posi­tion, continue on, so the selectmen approved the recommendation.

But a letter from Dolores Perotti, chairman of the North Canaan Elementary School Board of Education, put forth the name of Laura Freund, who had been the town’s representative to the board. She did not seek re-election this fall. In her letter Dolores Perotti said Freund would be the logical alternate since she has the experi­ence and is a good listener. “She has worked hard in a difficult public service position,” she said, adding that since a large percentage of the Region 1 vote belongs to Canaan, it makes sense to have someone knowledgeable sitting in at the meetings in member Edwin Gow’s absence.

Perotti said Laurie Perotti was agreeable to having Freund serve. “There is some confusion here,” said First Selectman Douglas Humes dur­ing a recent selectmen’s meeting. Humes said as far as he’s concerned, if Perotti is still interested, she should continue. He said Gow told the Republican Town Committee he could work with her.

Call and write Doug to tell him to stand his ground and  keep Laurie as the choice…all over the region, including North Canaan it was obvious that “the status quo is no longer acceptable”. And Laura Fruend is more of the same, stale thinking that led the Region One Board to where it wound up before the election. 

As a matter of fact, Mrs. Perotti puts her own position as the ABC Chair in jeopardy with this knee-jerk reaction to the elections. The people have spoken in the elections Mrs. Perotti…it’s NOT YOUR CHOICE.

Here are Doug’s numbers, please get as many people as you can from North Canaan to call Doug and tell him not to revert back to what was just rejected by voters

860-824-7313 office
860-824-0141 home

Region 1 closed today…… 3

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Here are the snow predictions for today…

Our meteorologist Pat Pagano 1-2 inches north and 2-4 inches south and east
Channel 3 calls for  2-5 inches the higher amounts to the south and east
National Weather Service 1-3 inches possible
WVIT call for 2-4 inches statewide

This appears to be one wasted snow day..how many snow days do we have this year in Region 1?

 

 

Happy retirement from all your friends in Region One, Lucille! Reply

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Happy Retirement Lucille, thank you for your dedicated service to Region One…

Lucille Paige was celebrated at a special dinner at the Venetian Restaurant Friday hosted by a group of women admirers. Lucille worked as executive secretary to the superintendent of the Region One School District for more than 20 years under three different superintendents. She agreed take an administrative leave — with full pay and benefits — after filing a lawsuit earlier this year against the current superintendent, Patricia Chamberlain, alleging discrimination and harassment in the workplace and assault and battery. Lucille agreed to drop the assault and battery charges as part of a settlement agreement that has been calculated to total more than $180,000. She retired officially this fall after the settlement negotiations were completed.

Again! Happy retirement from all your friends in Region One, Lucille!

Marshall!!!

Here is a Region One Report first!!! The Region One Report Quiz!!!! 7

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Who wrote this? (no cheating or Google please!)

The three women now in control of the Region 1 board can be expected to retrench the old positions of the strong Housatonic faculty and their supporters. The new budget will likely show a substantial increase. And Housatonic already has the highest per pupil cost in the northwest corner, in excess of $23,000 per student. The state average is around $15,000. Further, academic expectations will likely be lowered as new technology efforts were defeated last year. Housatonic has the some of the lowest state test scores of all the regional schools in the state.

 

And why did they not make this  comment about the current administration, and Matt Harnett of Region 1 before now? (bonus points if you can answer this question as well!)

Housatonic already has the highest per pupil cost in the northwest corner, in excess of $23,000 per student. The state average is around $15,000. Further, academic expectations will likely be lowered as new technology efforts were defeated last year. Housatonic has the some of the lowest state test scores of all the regional schools in the state.

 

A Clean Sweep, a breath of fresh air, the new Region One Board states loud and clear…”the status quo is no longer acceptable” Reply

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Andrea L. Downs, new Falls Village Representative on the Region 1 school board, defeated incumbent Region 1 Chairman Jonathan Moore of Kent during Monday’s first meeting of the new board. Moore lost in a weighed vote of 73 to 27. Two other new members besides Downs took their seats Monday as  Jennifer Weigel of Salisbury and Edwin Gow of Canaan took their seats. Returning board members are Philip Hart of Cornwall and Marilyn Yerks of Sharon, along with Moore. Weigel, new representative from Salisbury, said she’d met with each board member before the meeting and after thinking long and hard decided to support Downs noting that both she and her townspeople were dissatisfied with the way the previous board operated and that it was time “to throw out old habits.” Yerks, returning to represent Sharon, reminded people that this is not the same board. “This board has never existed before. We need a fresh start and Andrea has the experience.” Moore also failed to get the nomination for vice chairman, which went to Weigel on a nomination by Downs. Yerks was elected secretary and Gow, treasurer. A video of the meeting will be posted on the Robin Hood Radio/CATV 6 YouTube page later today, and will be aired on CATV 6 beginning tonight.A more detailed report on the meeting will be posted later.