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Post by john on May 5, 2009 8:46:18 GMT -5
Lilly, You must refer back to the July 31,2008 Board of Ed meeting minutes to find it.It is there,if you'd like to see it. All The Best Thanks. I know it's on the minutes. Was it on the agenda that night? If I can find my agenda copy, I'll let you know. If I remember correctly, the 7/31 BOE meeting wasn't on the district calendar? The purpose of scheduling that meeting was to accept SOS funds for fall sports. If you didn't have a district brochure or have BAC notes with you at that particular meeting, no one would have been able to detect the $1.3m difference. Transparency shouldn't be that hard to come by. It shouldn't require that much work by community members to get info. I was at the meeting.I will look for the agenda,but I sometimes throw things away,how much paper can you have around,after a while. It was a pretty busy meeting for the summertime,due to the SOS work. Going forward with the new wantaghschools.org web site ,it is all pretty well laid out there for all to see.I applaud the new school web site,it is a pleasure.....And Quite Transparent! Take Care.
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Post by lilly on May 5, 2009 9:23:57 GMT -5
Going forward with the new wantaghschools.org web site ,it is all pretty well laid out there for all to see.I applaud the new school web site,it is a pleasure.....And Quite Transparent! I'll give the district posting 2009/10 budget info on the district website huge kudos. Thanks. Why Ralph made such a stink about why I asked for it at a BOE meeting when it was posted on the district website just a few days later, I'll never know. However, look at the BAC page. Last time it was updated was 4-5 months ago, back in December 2008. Last BAC minutes posted were 11/20/08. Wow. Where was that BOE to community transparency? It's not like Carol Ann and Gene were negligent in circulating the minutes and such. That aspect of transparency must have fallen off the district/BOE radar.
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Post by lilly on May 5, 2009 9:32:49 GMT -5
Lets not forget that the BAC vote 22-13 in favor of this budget,so making assumptions for the entire BAC is simply not fair. Thanks for the niceties but I'm not making assumptions. Look what is in writing on those BAC reco's. Look at the consideration and response they were given. A question was asked at Meet the Candidates night about the open meeting law. Ralph said the BOE must discuss things like contracts and discipline in private, which is reasonable. But last week, after the Board received the BAC recommendations and voting results, they decided in private to adopt one BAC recommendation and not any of the others. Isn’t there supposed to be public discussion by the BOE before they make that kind of decision? I think so, don’t you?
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Post by john on May 5, 2009 11:29:29 GMT -5
Lets not forget that the BAC vote 22-13 in favor of this budget,so making assumptions for the entire BAC is simply not fair. Thanks for the niceties but I'm not making assumptions. Look what is in writing on those BAC reco's. Look at the consideration and response they were given. A question was asked at Meet the Candidates night about the open meeting law. Ralph said the BOE must discuss things like contracts and discipline in private, which is reasonable. But last week, after the Board received the BAC recommendations and voting results, they decided in private to adopt one BAC recommendation and not any of the others. Isn’t there supposed to be public discussion by the BOE before they make that kind of decision? I think so, don’t you? Lilly, This is how I feel.You can sit in a room with 20 people and have a discussion.Somehow,some way you are going to satisfy 10 on one issue and P.O .the other 10 on the same issue. I think hashing things out in public will NEVER make everyone happy.And for the BOE it is a hard enough job hashing it out amongst themselves.It can not be easy,either way. Different people have different wants,needs and desires.They come from different schools of thought.You may take it as not caring,others see it as the right way. You know as well as I,that some adoptions regarding recommendations DO transpire over time.Doing something to satisfy one contingency,well I have to say,will Piss off the other and So on.That is the way of the world.If they could all make everyone happy all the time,there would be no need for discussion and money,would never be an issue and we could give everyone,everything they would desire. The perfect scenario for everyone will NEVER exist! We definitely have different views,but I always wish you the best and you can actually have a nice conversation with those who don't always have the same views.Your candidate,IF elected will be up against the same things.People don't leave,they metamorphis and stay around to suit their own desires.We have seen this most recently. We truly are a great community,and all through the mud slinging and I will NEVER lose site of the big picture,OUR KIDS! One thing I have learned in my personal and professional life,my Grandmother always used to say,"YOU GET MORE BEES WITH HONEY,THAN YOU DO WITH VINEGAR".I am nice and will always continue to be so,even when I disagree. ;)But this is a tightrope for us all to walk,Not an easy task at times...Enough said.
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Post by lilly on May 6, 2009 7:54:00 GMT -5
john, I think the lack of communication and transparency hurts this district. That is with good and bad (of course everyone will have different opinions on good & bad). Quite frankly, I want to know what individual BOE trustees think so that I can form educated opinions about their service. That is every individuals right in this town. There is no reason for the amount of closed door conversations this district has. Read the Citizen. Seaford and Levittown conduct very different BOE meetings than we have here (not that I'd want some of what goes on in Levittown either).
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Post by john on May 6, 2009 8:06:38 GMT -5
Lilly, I hope you information is from your own experiences attending other district sessions or it can not be accurate...,don't know where you would find the time.I have to see things with my own eyes.As for the citizen,well it is in the business of selling newspapers,I read that with a grain of salt as I do this blog. I am active citizen like yourself,nothing more,a parent,a taxpayer,someone with my own opinion too,but I see things very differently,thats all! Must attend to my job now,enjoy the sunshine,if you can!
Once Again,it's always a pleasure.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on May 7, 2009 5:55:55 GMT -5
Ah...sunshine!
We all recognize sunshine, especially after a lot of cloudiness and nasty weather. Bright, warm, enticing.
But are those brief glimpses of recent sunshine causing a strange exuberance among the school district leadership, as they take their dog-and-pony show budget presentation around to the various venues and groups?
(Oh gosh! Now what is he talking about?)
I am talking about the Leadership Team giving the BAC one list of what's in the budget and what's not in the budget...then telling the Sport Boosters that stuff which they had told the BAC was OUT of the budget is really IN the budget.
Sort of like last Fall, when they put the District Photographer on the list of "CUTS", when in reality the Photographer position was not cut, but only had the pay frozen from the prior year.
There was a list of PAY FREEZES, but that's another story, isn't it?
Dazed and confused on A1A...
Chris Wendt
(...got me thinkin' 'bout some Conch fritters and Coronas, watching a small formation of pelicans glide silently past a pale pink sunset, out on Anastasia Island!)
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Post by john on May 7, 2009 6:33:24 GMT -5
Ummmm Chris,
You weren't at the Booster Club meeting? Maybe you were somewhere on Anastasia Island enjoying your Conch Fritters and Coronas,Enjoy!
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Post by ourkids on May 7, 2009 6:59:20 GMT -5
Good morning Mr. Wendt. I will agree with John and state you were not at the Booster Club meeting held on Tuesday, May 5th. Is it ok to report on a meeting that you did not attend? I would question if your comments are accurate because you did not attend the meeting. The minutes of our meeting have not even been typed by our secretary, so where is your information coming from in your early morning post? What specific items are you talking about where you feel there is a conflict about what is in and what is out of the budget? One final thought: The Booster Club invited members of the Board of Education and the Administration to come to meet with our members to discuss the budget. The purpose was to give a clear picture of the budget and for our members to ask questions regarding the budget. At the end of the presentation the Wantagh Sports Booster Club voted to support the school budget for 2009-2010.
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Post by lilly on May 7, 2009 8:06:32 GMT -5
Lilly, I hope you information is from your own experiences attending other district sessions or it can not be accurate...,don't know where you would find the time.I have to see things with my own eyes.As for the citizen,well it is in the business of selling newspapers,I read that with a grain of salt as I do this blog. I am active citizen like yourself,nothing more,a parent,a taxpayer,someone with my own opinion too,but I see things very differently,thats all! Must attend to my job now,enjoy the sunshine,if you can! Once Again,it's always a pleasure. I don't need to have attended BOE meetings in neighboring communities to make my observation. I speak the language, can read and write. You really don't need to look much further than the editorial treatment of Wantagh vs. Levittown or Seaford BOE meetings in the WS Citizen and speak to neighbors and friends in surrounding towns to make that observation. Additionally, just read Merrick Life or Bellmore Life's school coverage. They seem to have real reporting more similar to the Citizen's accounts of Levittown and Seaford district coverage. In fact, even more "plain facts". And yes, when my friends and I from those towns discuss BOE meetings, yes they do tell me their impressions and experiences with their BOE's. I do read those other community papers from time to time. If you'd like to read them yourself, you can get a sense of them online. Apparently, I am not the only person to notice this as someone else on this thread hinted at a similar impression. Additionally, I saw the most bizarre publishers note in the letters to the editor of the WS Citizen a few weeks back. It really defied all journalism norms, even for a small town community paper.
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Post by lilly on May 7, 2009 8:18:50 GMT -5
chris, are you referring to this budget reinstating intramurals for 6th grade and all the elementary schools? Someone emailed me that asking me to confirm as they were told that.
ourkids, I've sat through way too many "clear" budget presentations in this district. Last night, did the BOE and administration mention that the sports investment in this budget is at an all time record high for Wantagh? It's hard to detect from the 9/10 budget data given to the community. I don't know about you, but that really really pisses me off that they can be so myopic to do that and risk passing this budget. Besides the kids that have been excluded from this proposed budget, not passing another budget does affect all our kids.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on May 7, 2009 11:26:56 GMT -5
'John' laid down the following challenge to me:
"You weren't at the Booster Club meeting?..." and 'ourkids' decided to pile-on, with this jab:
"...I will agree with John and state you were not at the Booster Club meeting held on Tuesday, May 5th. Is it ok to report on a meeting that you did not attend? I would question if your comments are accurate because you did not attend the meeting....." I think it was you, 'John' who coined the catch phrase "Ask Chris" soon after I began participating, here. Maybe I'm thinking of someone else, but I don't think so. Anyhow, "Ask Chris" has morphed into "Tell Chris". You can verify this with my wife: between the voice mails, the cell phone calls, the IM's and emails, people stopping by the house, plus riding the train, picking up my cleaning at Concord, mailing my bills at the Post Office, shopping at King Kullen or grabbing a roast beef sandwich at Otto's Deli...some people just like to "Ask" and other people really like to "Tell" Chris what's going on. Look, it doesn't matter whether or not I attended a meeting in person, or read the minutes. Here is what does matter: At some point, "WE" the Wantagh Community need to arrive at a point where we can trust, absolutely, what we are told by the Board of Education about things such as what's "IN" and what's "OUT" of the school budget. If the BAC is led to believe, by a direct statement from the Board of Education, that intramurals is OUT of the budget, then the BAC would have absolutely NO reason to discuss intramurals or to propose or vote upon a recommendation to CUT intramurals. But, when it turns out that intramurals was really IN the budget, after all, then the BAC and its members could rightfully feel...misled, to put it nicely. Anyway, this paragraph started out with a BIG "IF".... We'll find out tonight, though, so no need for the three of us to get all weird about this particular item. Remember, "It's nice to be nice to the nice!" - Major Frank Burns, M.A.S.H. 4077 Chris Wendt
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Post by john on May 7, 2009 11:53:19 GMT -5
Chris,
Not much of what your saying rings true to me.I will look in the notes and get back to you...Believe it or not I too have many people who want to pick my brain as well.It at times can become overwhelming,as I am sure you know.
I am in the habit of always trying to be respectful and nice,sorry some have issue with this.Personally,I just have issue that the constant confusion this Blog has on people.
It also sounds like people actually post issues and pander back as someone else,so they can get their position heard.Do you think that MIGHT be happening.Many who lurk seem to think so.There are many in this community who try to do the best for it and OUR kids,not just you,me and some of our other regulars.....I have respect for those who at the least give it their true effort,I am sure you do too.
I will try to get back to you regarding the said issue.
Thank You.
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Post by john on May 7, 2009 12:11:04 GMT -5
O.K. Chris,
I went to the BAC minutes for March 4,2009
This night was the presentation by John Ciuffo,The Athletic Director.He is the one who said at that time that Intramurals was NOT included in the budget.The budget at that time was still in the planning stages.
Can you enlighten me as to when the BOE communicated that this item would not be in the 2009-2010 budget.
Thank You.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on May 7, 2009 13:21:41 GMT -5
Not at this moment.... However... Not to make more of this than is necessary, but part of the situation here is and has been the proclivity of the Board of Education to do budget planning in private rather than in public sessions. Please believe that I understand and appreciate why this happens, but all the familiar understanding or sympathetic appreciation in the world does not make that situation correct, or lawful. At some point, intramurals got added back into the budget, but the deliberations, discussion, and debate among board members apparently occurred out of public hearing. I have no particular problem with intramurals getting added back in, once I understand how much the cost is to do that, what else was cut to pay for it, or, where did the 'revenue' come from to allow it? But isn't that why the BAC exists, after all? So here's a radical new idea for next school year. Instead of the Board meeting secretly to noodle out some version of a budget, then giving that version to the BAC to noodle out some more, but all the while the board is still secretly meeting and changing things unbeknown to anyone on the BAC... ...instead of all that duplication or wasted efforts, frustration for the BAC members and board secrecy beyond the scope of the OML, in the name of TRANSPARENCY, the Board should consider doing this with the Administration and the BAC: - Hold an OPEN Planning Session with the BAC invited.
- At that session, the Administration presents the Draft Budget to the Board and the Board starts discussion of all non-confidential items, which is mostly all items
- Follow-up OPEN Planning Sessions with the BAC until the budget is sufficiently well-developed for the Board to request the BAC start subcommittees to look into various aspects and then deliberate as the BAC to compose their recommendations.
- Or maybe there should not be any separate meetings, BoE vs. BAC, but have all budget development discussions participatory among the BoE and the BAC
I know this is, like, wow...that could never work! But if someone pushes the Opens Meeting Law issue, it would have to work. But then, everyone is doing it under objection, coming to meetings kicking and screaming, so to speak. It the BoE took the lead, however, then they would look very good indeed. What do you think? John? Anybody? Just full of ideas... Chris Wendt
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