Board of Ed April 15 Hearing

Thanks to all the PTAs for organizing and parents and teachers for partipating in the Emergency PTA meetings that have been going on the last week or so.

Your involvement is our greatest guarantee that your school and the rest of the Hamden Public School system will make it through whatever setbacks come our way.

As you have all now discussed, teacher layoffs, larger class sizes, elimination of many programs and redistricting, are just a few possible sacrifices we may be asked to make if the Town Council does not fully fund the Superintendent's recommended budget.

Here are actions we need you to take:

Stand with those that feel a strong public school system is a "must fund" investment on Wednesday, April 15 at Town Hall at 7PM, where there will be a public hearing for the Board of Ed budget.

You will need to sign up to speak between 6 and 6:30. Expect there to be a line to sign up, so get there even earlier.

The hearing starts at 7 PM. The council will not be answering back, but simply hearing comments on the Board of Ed's budget and arguments to give the BOE as much funding as possible.

Feel free to bring your children and show them what being an advocate really means. However, be aware that this event could go well past 9 PM.

If you can't go, sign the petition at www.supporthamdeneducation.org or contact your local representatives www.hamden.com/content/43/default.aspx. You could also have your children write letters or draw pictures to send to council members.

April 15 is just the beginning of the deliberation process, so continue to be in touch with your councilperson(s) over the next several weeks. There will be other opportunities for public comment and you will be notified of those events.

In addition, please contact your state representatives. While the local government is working on their budget, the state is working on their's, which is not due until mid June. Every call or email represents several dozen more. Remember that they work for you and will vote based on what they hear from their constituents. They won't know what you think if you don't call. Find and contact your reps at www.cga.ct.gov.

Finally, once the Board of Ed has it's allocation from the town in mid May, they will begin the process of figuring out where to spend that money. Your input in that process is greatly appreciated. All meetings of the Board of Ed are posted at www.hamden.org. They are held at 60 Putnam Avenue and, with the exception of the executive session, are open to the public to listen and comment.

If you have questions or comments about anything regarding our public schools, Superintendent Rabinowitz has an open door policy and welcomes your calls and emails. She can be reached at 407-2090 or frabinowitz@hamden.org.

Thank you for your attention and participation,

Marjorie Clark
President, Hamden PTA Council
http://www.hamdenpta.com
http://www.hamdenpta.ning.com (Join Your PTA's Group)
288-6831
marjorie@littlefishstudios.com