Milford Musings

1. The room is not filled with parents because the school administration does not use their “e-blast system” to rally them about test scores.

   That system is reserved for when pay raises or new high-level administrator positions are on the line. Then parents are rallied to go to city hall and tell their Aldermen they don’t care about kids unless the next multi-million dollar increase (its never a cut) is further increased.

   Comment by Greg Smith — October 12th, 2011 @ 12:52 pm

2. Jack. Your fellow Republicans cut 80 teachers over the last two years. Why the surprise about the low CAP scores.

   And Greg – I just love the outrage you display against the “e-blast system.” Also, Go talk to Jack. He seems to be mad at you for cutting the Education Department budget request.

   Comment by Michael Brown — October 13th, 2011 @ 7:14 am

3. Mike,

   There are 623 less students in the school system over that time. The administration is planning for the loss of 150/year for the next 10 years. They laid off teachers and closed my school, Simon Lake, and still have huge increases in spending with dropping test scores. Somethings wrong and it isn’t the funding. Are you helping our students by providing excuses for the system? Don’t you think it’s time to have a real discussion on our failing school system? If so, step one is to behave like adults and stop using the parents as pawns in a funding war.

   Greg

   Comment by Greg Smith — October 13th, 2011 @ 10:08 am

4. Here’s the math. 623 students divided by 25 students per class equals 25 teachers. Your actions set in motion the layoff of 55 more teachers than should have been laid off. And in actuality, low 10th grade test scores show that we need more teachers, not less.

   We will be glad to see the end of the “Republican tough love” funding of Milford schools. Too bad you couldn’t see your way clear to cut one cent on the city side.

   Comment by Michael Brown — October 13th, 2011 @ 7:03 pm

5. Mike,

   You are sadly misinformed of the facts, or a political shill, or both.

   Greg

   Comment by Greg Smith — October 13th, 2011 @ 11:26 pm

6. Tell me more. Tell me why 10th graders scored so badly. This is your legacy and that of the Republican Party in Milford.

   Comment by Michael Brown — October 14th, 2011 @ 7:56 am

7. I don’t understand why Jack Fowler says he wants to clearly not blame this board, previous boards, or previous administrations.

   The Republican dominated Board of Education doesn’t fight for the teachers and the money to employ them. And the Republican controlled Board of Aldermen keeps cutting the education budget requests to force teacher lay-offs.

   Jack Fowler also doesn’t understand why parents aren’t crowding the room.

   They are tired and disgusted.

   Comment by Tessa Marquis — October 14th, 2011 @ 8:40 am

8. Only 5 members of the Board of Education attended the October 11, 2011 Board of Education Meeting. There weren’t enough members attending to form a quorum, therefore, they couldn’t vote. The business of Milford’s School System has been delayed because 5 elected Board of Education members neglected to attend this scheduled meeting. Here’s what they missed:

   VI. Superintendent’s Report
   1. Budget Assumptions and Priorities (1st Read)
   2. Simon Lake Elementary School: Relinquishing Control Back to City
   3. Instructional Division – Mr. Michael Cummings
   a. Enrollment Report
   4. Operational Division – Mr. Philip Russell
   a. Summer Projects – Mr. Patrick Bradbury
   b. Quarterly Budget Report – Mr. Philip Russell
   c. Human Resources Annual Report – Mrs. Wendy Kopazna
   d. Personnel Report – Mrs. Wendy Kopazna

   VII. Consent Agenda Items
   a. Voucher List (Disbursements): Administration recommends approval of the Disbursement report. (EL-6, EL-7)
   b. East Shore Addition/Renovation Project: Administration recommends approval of the Final Plans and Specifications for ESMS Addition/Renovation Project.
   c. Overnight Field Trip: Administration recommends approval of the Joseph A.Foran High School Band trip to Orlando, FL from February 16-20, 2012 to participate in Music Educators National Conference (MENC) Standards Based Workshop.
   d. Overnight Field Trip: Administration recommends approval of the Joseph A.Foran High School ski trip to Jay Peak & Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont fromMarch 2-4, 2012.
   e. Overnight Field Trip: Administration recommends approval of the Joseph A.Foran High School Music Department trip to the Connecticut Music Educators Association All State Music Festival from April 12-14, 2012.
   f. Overnight Field Trip: Administration recommends approval of the Joseph A. Foran Concert Choir trip to Boston, MA to participate in a performance tour from March 30, 2012-April 1, 2012.

   VIII. Action Items
   1. Unfinished Business
   Policy Revisions
   1. Five Recent Policies Adopted by BOE
   a. Use of Cellular Telephones – Policy 5131.81 (2nd Read)
   b. Acceptable Use of Computers and Technology (Cert./Non-Cert.
   Staff) – Policy 4118.5, which will subsume Social Networking –
   Policy 4118.41 (2nd Read)
   c. Acceptable Use of Computers and Technology (Students) –
   Policy 6141.321, which will subsume Social Networking –
   Policy 5132.82 (2nd Read)
   2. Bullying Policy – Policy 5131.911 (2nd Read)

   Comment by Laura Fucci — October 14th, 2011 @ 8:42 am

9. Gregory L. Oliver, Jr., 2nd District (R)and James Tranquillli, Jr., 1st District, (R) are running for re-election.

   Why weren’t they at the meeting?

   Comment by Michael Brown — October 14th, 2011 @ 12:01 pm

10. If you walked door – door in Milford, you’d know why parents are not attending BoE meetings. They know that no one is listening. I think Mr. Smith’s approach is part of the reason for that belief. Apparently, given that lack of quorum; the parents are right. Our schools are failing; and it’s good to note that at least Mr. Fowler realizes that if Mr. Smith does not.

    Comment by P. Given — October 14th, 2011 @ 12:15 pm

11. It seems to me that the BoE has been dragging its feet. Can’t vote due to lack of interest on the part of republican members of the BoE? Blame parents because time and time again, the Chair of that board can’t get business done because he can’t get his own party to show up? I’d really, really love to hear Greg Smith or Jack Fowler explain why the Board of Education cannot hold a vote because 1/2 of the republican members had better things to do? And I’d love to hear from Mr. Smith why harping on an email blast to get parents to the BoA meeting has caused him months and months of hostility and anger, but falling test scores have caused him no such concern.

    Comment by P. Given — October 14th, 2011 @ 3:01 pm

12. Jack Fowler is absolutely correct to complain about the ever dismal at best performance of Milford schools where now over half of Milford students do not achieve “passing” grades on minimal performance tests.

    Milford’s educational failure did not happen overnight. The objective documentation of such failure has long been available albeit now getting so bad it cannot be kept hidden – by law. (NCLB)

    Who is to blame? Everyone of course, especially, those whom in fact did directly cause, did contribute, and those whose callous indifference allow it to get worse. Dare, I say that the silence of parents most effected is the most disturbing of all.

    Money?
    How do we fix this complex problem? Money? As Jack identified we are tops in funding yet lowest in performance. Excessive funding may even be a cause – not the cure. The only correlation between funding and performance is that excessive funding has a direct inverse relationship on educational achievement. (Look up the Kansas City experiment for one shocking example.) We might try less funding.

    Large Class size?
    Is the problem that class sizes are too large? Again there are no scientific studies that confirm the old warhorse that large class sizes inhibit learning for most children. Studies instead show that large class sizes have little to no effect on learning for the majority of children. So why do we continue to hear such excuses and except them?

    Accountability?
    There are no consequences for educators and failing schools: we instead reward failure with budget increases and pay increases. Why?

    My opinion of the root causes includes those of attitude and total lack of accountability, problems significantly at play in the administrative layer. A number of experts, Mike Commings included, have said students need more time in school, not less, if learning is to improve. Isn’t this intuitive and supported by studies? Yet we decrease learning time and are aghast when learning decreases.

    Federal and state laws are routinely ignored. These laws restrict programs and teaching methodologies to those that are proven effective with scientifically based. Instead, educators will still trot out the educational plan du jour with much fanfare in hopes that maybe this new unproven experimental plan might have some positive serendipitous effect.

    I have been attempting to alert the public to the longstanding and documented failure of schools to properly educate students with learning disabilities. This group was even kept from being measured until recently. Children with learning disabilities have the most difficulty learning and are the hardest to teach. Duh! But, we now know how to better and more effectively teach each of them. Do we put that in place for them? Not very often. Do we take lessons from the group most difficult to teach and apply it to all children easier to teach? I don’t believe we do.

    I have observed Milford educational system for far too long. I am certainly no expert after such observation. I hope that we might turn to teachers first for their knowledge as to how to improve education. Let me be clear, teachers, not their unions, and not their administrators.

    Those in control of Milford’s educational system routinely threaten and retaliate against those who simply attempt to inform the board about problems. Teachers in the system, and there are many dedicated and talented teachers, are also prohibited from publicly commenting on problems and solutions. The board has even placed muzzles on its own board members from talking about systemic problems. The system does not tolerate criticism well. At every meeting, the board chair still warns those who would speak that criticism is not permitted and they will be removed should they try. The board only wants to hear praise and good news. That has to stop. We have grave problems.

    Parents, teachers and the public have got at long last to be permitted to freely talk about this issue to the board without fear of retaliation. Some systems allow the community to actively fully participate in board discussion throughout the meeting. Milford’s board decidedly does not. Milford has shown little recognition of any problem and refuses to look at solutions. The same old, has not worked, and will not work in the future.

    Milford needs someone to spearhead long overdue change with Milford schools.

    Comment by Michael Selvaggi — October 14th, 2011 @ 9:23 pm

13. I am not hostile or angry. I am, however, frustrated that our children’s education comes second with people like you. Your politics always comes first. I don’t believe you are interested in hearing what anyone other than yourself thinks or listening to facts that do not support your demands. I don’t believe you are interested in working to find solutions. You like the circus atmosphere you create and you care more about it than you do about the children in our schools.

    Comment by Greg Smith — October 15th, 2011 @ 11:38 am

14. ” Mike Commings, Elizabeth Fezer, Greg Smith, Jack Fowler, Mike Brown, Rocco Frank and others of similar caliber. Could there be a more disparate, intelligent, feisty, and contentious group? Yet, with striking similarity, all have long demonstrated their true concern and dedication for Milford and Milford’s children. Sharing the frightening yet inescapable consensus that Milford schools are in real trouble and in need of significant changes. It gives me hope a group of this stature admits there is a problem, can offer intelligent suggestions, and come together in the true spirit of non-partisan politics to start working together on finding and instituting the solutions. Its time to have at it because if you don’t no one will.

    Go for it. Please.

    Mike Selvaggi “

    Comment by Mike Selvaggi — October 18th, 2011 @ 8:59 pm

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