Forum with Hamden Legislators January 8, 2009

On the first draft of our January 8 PTA Educational Forum announcement (below), one of the bullet points was "lower quality of schools and lower test scores." Supt. Rabinowitz commented that she didn't think that a diminished education budget would have any impact on her ability to maintain the quality of our schools and their test scores, so I took it out. I really hope she's right; if anybody can work that kind of magic, it's Fran.

Even with such a miracle worker, we need every able-bodied person in Hamden to insist that educational funding at the State level be maintained. We're not asking for more, just to maintain the status quo. If they want to cut 12% from ECS funding, cut it from what WE SHOULD GET not what we DO get.

Make sure your legislators and Governor Rell hear your opinions and suggestions on how to do that. Here's your opportunity:

Tell your legislators “NO! You can’t reduce

Hamden’s educational funding!”

at the Hamden PTA Council/Board of Ed Forum

with CT Legislators
Thursday, January 8, 6:30 PM
Hamden Middle School Cafeteria

Babysitting provided by Hamden High Cheerleaders

For Hamden, cuts in educational funding at the state level could mean:

• Fewer teachers and larger class sizes
• Wintergreen Magnet losing its charter and becoming a Hamden Public School
• Less funding for art, music and TAG programs
• Less electives and career programs
• Fewer offerings from Adult Education
• Higher property taxes

This could lead to:

• Resident flight to other towns
• Hamden High dropping out of top 35 high schools in the state
• Hamden no longer being #33 in Fortune’s top 100 towns to start and own a small business

“How can I stop this threat to my thriving town?
I’m just one person.”

You are ONE of MANY who will voice your opinion and solutions to our state legislators and the Governor. YOU elected them and they work for YOU.

Join us on Thursday, January 8th and/or…

Call or email your legislators.
· Sen. Martin Looney, 800-842-1420
Looney@senatedems.ct.gov
· Sen. Joe Crisco, 800-842-1420
Crisco@senatedems.ct.gov
· Rep. Brendan Sharkey, 800-842-8267 / 203-281-4647
Brendan.Sharkey@cga.ct.gov
· Rep. Peter Villano, 800-842-8267 / 203-562-5251
Peter.Villano@cga.ct.gov
· Rep. Cam Staples, 800-842-8267 / 203-773-9123
Cam9123@hotmail.com
· Rep. Elizabeth Esty, 800-842-8267 / 203-271-3248
ElizabethEsty08@gmail.com

Write letters to the editor of the Hamden Chronicle and New Haven Register.
· hamdenchronicle@ctcentral.com
· letters@nhregister.com

Review the budget and give Governor Rell feedback at www.ct.gov/governorrell.

Share this information with your friends and family and ask them to take action with you.Things always work out better when we work together

We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, January 8, 6:30 at the Hamden Middle School.

Marjorie

Hamden Public School Brag Sheet

• Hamden High School is named #32 out of 139 CT public high schools ranked by Connecticut Magazine in October 2008.
• Hamden High had a “Cool Day” where over 650 students showed up at 5 AM, complete with live news coverage. Principal Highsmith got pies in the face.
• Church Street’s Principal, Joyce Kossman, awarded the Hamden Chamber of Commerce 2008 Educator of the year award.
• Grace Griffin, a Church Street school teacher was given the prestigious Milken Award and a $25,000 grant. Griffin and other teachers at Church Street have helped to boost student performance in math, writing and reading on state mastery tests.
• More info at Hamden Public School's site, http://www.hamden.org/

Please comment to share your school's accompolishments.

Education Budget 2009 - All Hands On Deck

The following were ideas we shared on how to increase awareness of all the great things you do for your schools, and ways to frame the argument for fully funding the upcoming education budget:

• Get kids involved in the process, as spokespeople for their school. What has their experience been like? What do they get out of it? Tim Nottoli has will lead a kid letter writing campaign in early spring.
• Always accentuate the positive and offer solutions, rather than just complaining.
• Make the correlation of property values and town prosperity to educational system.
• Build / talk about alliances between the Hamden business community and Hamden Public Schools.
• Get testimonials from parents, alumni and grandparents. Where are they or their children now and how did HPS help them get there? Ask council members, Mayor Henrici and his staff, BOE members, teachers, staff, business leaders, HHS alumni group and family members.

Please Post Testimonials in Comments Below ...

How to Make Lemonade - Hamden PTA Idea Bank

The faculty basketball game between Dunbar Hill and Shepherd Glen was an “off-the-hook” success.

Who’s pairing up next?

The following is the start of a list of fundraising/family fun ideas:

• Inter-district ball game


• Bottle collection/return


• Crazy hair / clothes / hat days


• Skate party
• Duckpin bowling
• Collect receipts – Big Y, Shaw’s
• Faculty and student waiters at Applebee’s, TGIF’s
• Hamden / School Pizza Night – get a bunch of area pizzerias to pledge 10% of bills from HPS families one or two nights this year
• Walk-a-thon / Dance-a-thon / Read-a-thon
• Talent show – parents, teachers, kids, pets
• Silent Auctions
• Movie Night
• Game Night
• Father / Daughter Dance
• Themed Festival or Fair
• Bingo
• Alumni event
• Local Pro Baseball, Basketball, Hockey Games (Sun, Bluefish, Wildcats, college)
• Coco Keys (at Waterbury Holiday Inn) – discounted rates while they are building clientele
• ESPN free tours

More ideas at:

• www.pta.org/pta_great_idea_bank.asp


• www.ptoideas.com/category/1/Fundraisers


• www.globalideasbank.org/site/home/

Remember to have a membership table at all events

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Make Lemonade

If you are being kept awake at night by the fact that your PTA fall fundraiser only brought in half what it did last year, you need to come to our next meeting, on Thursday, November 6.

This correction in the economy is an opportunity for us as an organization to lead by example about what’s truly important. To quote Suzy Orman, “People first, then money, then things.”

Even though we act in the best interest of children, that may not be what is perceived at the unit level. Parents who do not sit on committees, or are constantly involved, only see the fundraising flyers. Even if they are involed, myself included, when the message from the larger world says to conserve, they recycle the flyer instead of getting out their check book.

So now that we’ve experienced a couple months of the new economy, let’s put our heads together and share strategies for how we’re going to keep our commitments to the children of Hamden.

We will also discuss a communication strategy for PTAs to get our message to parents, politicians and taxpayers, in advance of budget season. If you thought last year was tough, just wait.

I’ll see you at the Middle School, Thursday, November 6 at 7 PM. Please bring your current budget and some low-cost-high-fun-factor ideas to share with everyone.

Election Day Opportunity

I hope everyone is working on their Election Day Bake Sale plans. The CT Secretary of State, Susan Bysiewicz, says that 2 million voters are now registered in CT (out of 3 million people) and that she expects turnout to exceed 90%.

Needless to say, this is a huge economic opportunity.

Please have healthy choices available - local apples and pears. Perhaps even harvest decor like pumpkins, gourds and Indian corn. http://www.buyctgrown.com/

If you have not yet reserved a space at a polling place, please send your request, in writing to the Registrar of Voters, Peggy Rae at PRae@Hamden.com and follow up by phone at 287-7081.

October 2 - CMT/CAPT Forum Recap

Thanks to Supt. Rabinowitz for enlightening us about the CMT/CAPT exams, numbers and process. Those that took the 6th grade math primer now have a much greater appreciation for our children's stamina and test scores.

We will make it through these lean times, but our success is only guaranteed if we work together.

Have a great Halloween and Election Day and I'll see you on November 6, 7 PM in the Middle School cafeteria.

CMT/CAPT Forum October 2

Have you ever wondered how to interpret your child’s CMT or CAPT scores?

Why are these test scores so important?

How are they used to shape my child’s education?

At the next Hamden PTA Council meeting, on Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 7 PM in the Hamden Middle School Cafeteria, Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz will answer these and any other questions you have about the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). We will no doubt touch on No Child Left Behind and the effect its mandates have on school choice and what options parents' have.

We are so grateful for Fran's willingness to help parents understand the public education process. Between the news stories about "failing schools" and parents' worry about "teaching to the test," this kind of honest dialog is an incredibly valuable resource.

We look forward to seeing you then!

Marjorie Clark

Hamden PTA Council Meeting

OUR FIRST MEETING... will be next Thursday, September 4th, 7 PM at the Middle School.
I need everyone to attend for two reasons:

1. This is the best opportunity for all of the units to exchange ideas and information, before we get too far into the school year. We have decades of experience between all of us and it would be wrong not to share. :)
   
2. Hamden Lights for Life will be presenting their fundraising campaign for Hamden's Father Michael J. McGivney Cancer Center. They have asked for all PTAs to help sell luminaries that will be placed all over Town Center Park on the eve of September 28th. The Hamden Cheerleaders are leading the charge and are available for presentations to your school. Come get more details....
   
3. We need to plan our year. I've got some ideas, but I'd like to hear your ideas as well.

A REMINDER...
If you haven't already done so, please submit your officer information sheet to CT PTA, even if your roster is the same as last year. Email them at connecticut.pta@snet.net or call 281-6617.

I look forward to seeing you there - the public is welcome, but only PTA members may vote.

PTA in Transformation

The new National PTA CEO, is Byran V. Garrett, not only a man, but an African American.

In addition, the new national president-elect is a Charles J. Saylors. For the first time, since it's inception, PTA will be run by a dad. Considering that a child is 40% more likely to earn A's if a male role model is involved in their education, I think it's a great thing.

To that end, I would encourage all units to specifically invite dads and the male adults in your school community (uncles, grandfathers, etc.) to contribute time to your schools. Have them read a story, run a car wash or chaperon a baseball game: stuff they’re comfortable doing that doesn't require a lot of meetings. :)

National PTA has launched a new initiative called PTA MORE — Men Organized to Raise Engagement to help units with this idea.

If you haven't already guessed, this is NOT your mother's PTA. It is no longer a gaggle of moms who sit around gossiping over tea in the afternoon. In fact, nationwide, PTAs are finding it increasingly difficult to get members together to talk about what's going on or about getting organized. Our time is divided by multiple jobs, school and/or aging parents; a two hour meeting in the middle of the week, ten times a year is more time than most parents can afford. Not only that, but it's a relatively poor use of their time. After all, Rome wasn't built by having meetings, right?

Our children's generation is the first to never have experienced life without iPods, cellphones, IM, email, Ethernet and social networking. Our adaptation of these tools for running our organization will not only give us the technological knowledge to keep up with our kids, but keep us relevant as an organization.

This is the moment when we evolve or become irrelevant.

Hamden Public Schools has created a space for all Hamden PTAs on their website, www.hamden.org. The hope is that units and HPS will use this platform as a way to keep the vital link between children, family, teachers, administrators, school board and town strong. Please subscribe to their newsletter to be notified of happenings and emergencies via email.

And the winner is...

Thank you to all who made our annual Hamden PTA Council Dinner a tremendous success:

• the executive committee: Mary Clough, Melissa Stasiak, Karen Leeper and Cheri Brooks
• CT PTA executive officers: Presdient, Melissa Johnson, 1st VP, Marne Usher and VP of Legislation, Mike Taylor
• Hamden Lights for Life and the Saint Raphael Foundation
• Mary Marrindino, Hamden Partnership for Youth
• Stephen Beck, 1000 Friends of CT
• Jim Pascarella, on behalf of Mayor Henrici, Hamden Town Council and Hamden Education Foundation
• Superintendent Rabinowitz and Assistant Superintendents, Dr. Portia Bonner
• Kelly Reilly, Nancetta Walker Scholarship Award Winner

Congratulations to all the Meg Nowacki Hamden PTA Council Recognition Award nominees. We are a greater school system because of all of your accomplishments and contributions. Thanks to the nominators for such heartfelt and compelling nomination speeches. The nominees were:

• Cathy Crowe, Bear Path School
• Sue Foraker, Dunbar Hill School
• Melissa Tommaselli, Hamden Middle School
• Jennifer Marchand & Susan Martinez-Sendroff, Ridge Hill School
• Andy DeBenedet, Shephard Glen School
• Evelyn Neuber & Elizabeth Shack, Spring Glen School
• Ruth Croll, West Woods School

And the winner is....

When asked about the nominee, one of her students said this:

“She’s really good at math. She’s always fair. She’s really into birds. She makes learning fun with math and spelling games. She knows when to give the right test to each kid.”

Mrs. Ruth Croll has been teaching at West Woods School since its opening, starting as a 3rd grade teacher in 1974. In those 34 years, she’s also taught 2nd grade, a readiness class and a combination 1st and 2nd grade class. But she’s been teaching 1st grade for 27 years. It’s her favorite grade because she loves to watch the kids grow, as they learn how to read and write and be part of the West Woods School family.

Since the beginning of her tenure at West Woods, she has been a representative from the teaching staff to the PTA. Whatever we ask of her, the usual response is “No, I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.” In return, we supply her with as much bird seed and field trip money as we can afford.

As an avid bird enthusiast Mrs. Croll, or “The Bird Lady” as many students know her, has instilled in our children an appreciation for the natural world and all its wonders. Almost twenty years ago she joined forces with naturalist Flo McBride and integrated her bird watching and feeding habit into the fabric of life at West Woods.

The courtyard in the center of our school is the ultimate observatory for Project Feeder Watch, coordinated by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, to monitor the distribution and abundance of winter bird populations. She and her fledgling bird watchers have sent their data from November to March to Project Feeder Watch for the last ten years.

In addition, Mrs. Croll heads the Bird and Nature Club, a group of 3rd to 6th graders, which meets in the trails behind our school every Thursday morning. Not only does she lead the group in enjoying the natural classroom, but also helps them to maintain the trails.

The first graders are one of the most mobile classes in our school. Mrs. Croll and the other Oak Teachers always make good use of their PTA allotted funds and free transportation. The children annually go to:

• Lighthouse Point Park for the fall hawk migration
• the local fire station
• The Peabody Museum
• East Rock Park / Mill River for spring bird migration
• The Beardsley Zoo

Mrs. Croll’s class also has a thriving publishing company, producing 20 class books per year about their travels, family traditions and curriculum projects, with each child contributing a well written sentence or two and thoughtful illustration.

Lastly, here are five more reasons why the West Wood PTA recommends that Mrs. Croll be given the Meg Nowacki Hamden PTA Council Recognition Award:

1. She’s dedicated to her students and school (arriving at 7 am, often not leaving until 7pm), and to our PTA, attending nearly every meeting.
2. She balances curriculum requirements with the learning abilities of each student. It is a fortunate child who has benefited from an individual educational plan with Mrs. Croll.
3. She shows her classes how to practice gratitude. One PTA member put it best by saying “I'm going to miss those nice ‘thank you’ notes her classes always write us!”
4. She has taught parents, as well as their kids, how to identify a sharp shinned hawk from a red tailed hawk and a barn swallow from a chimney swallow. (Just wait, that skill will come in handy one day!)
5. Mrs. Croll is retiring this year and we feel this honor is fitting for a woman who has given our school, our children and our PTA so much of her passion, knowledge, integrity and dedication. The West Woods PTA’s relationship with Mrs. Croll is the epitome of what all parent/teacher relationships should be: a shared involvement in our children’s education, doing whatever it takes to help them achieve great things.

Congratulations, Mrs. Croll!

What are your kids doing this summer?

We've brought together 30 day and overnight camps to help you figure it out.

The Hamden / North Haven PTA Council Camp Fair
runs Saturday from 11 AM – 2 PM
Thornton Wilder Auditorium @ Miller Library Complex
2901 Dixwell Ave, Hamden, CT 06518

It's totally free and open to the public.

It’s going to be a great time, so I hope to see you there.

Marjorie

Ode to Teachers

After the public hearing on the Hamden town budget on March 24, I kept thinking about a conversation Melissa Stasiak and I had with a gentleman about the "return on investment" for the BOE.

Our discussion centered around teachers' salaries. He thought that they were overpaid and not doing enough considering that Hamden's CMT scores, that is, the average for the district, were not very good.

BTW - there is no way to make a correlation between test scores and money spent because you're comparing last year's fourth grade to this year's fourth grade (apples to oranges), rather than last year's third grade to this year's fourth grade (a.k.a. a growth model).

He tried to convince me that teachers had a cushy job, that they only worked 180 days a year and that we should just say, "Enough is enough, here's what we're paying you; get the job done or else." (That's what prompted me to ask if he had kids. What a way to inspire people to do better. Not. BTW - the primary failing of NCLB.)

You know this already, but it bears repeating: teachers teach because they want and need to teach. They don't get rich and often have to supplement their incomes during the summer months. A teacher's day doesn't start with the first bell or end with the last. Days off for kids are most likely professional development days for teachers and staff. And at the end of 35 years of giving nearly 1000 kids the best of themselves, teaching each one how to read, write, add, subtract, think, debate, create, sing, share, dream and innovate, teachers deserve to be rewarded for their service with a pension and benefits.

As for the actual wage and benefits...if you want to see test scores go down, freeze the wages and benefits. Just like any other business, HPS needs to keep its compensation competitive in order to get the best skilled and most effective team members.

Many folks at the hearing were so myopic in their comments, picking on the Board of Education's budget request. Yes, we need accountability and more money doesn't solve the problem (of lower than desired test scores – see above). However, the BOE is not asking for more money, just enough to cover the increased fixed expenses. In doing so, we maintain our excellent teaching team and acknowledge the value they bring to our school system and therefore our town.

If you're reading this, you obviously care, at least a little, how this all comes out. So why not make sure it's a happy ending?


Join me on Wednesday, April 9, 7PM at Memorial Town Hall.


Kids are more than welcome to state their own case for their current education and their future Hamden. The town coucil has an open ear for ways to save money and energy, so bring your ideas. It's not enough that we say "more, more, more" we have to be part of the solution as well.

And don't forget to put in a good word for your teachers.

Raising our Voices

What are you doing on Monday, March 24 or Wednesday, April 9 at 7 PM? I'm hoping that you're planning to tell the Town Council to fully support the Board of Education's budget.

Fortunately our arguments have already been put forth by Superintendent Rabinowitz and her staff. They have done an amazing job of reaching out to the local legislators, educating them about what's in her budget. She's made a very strong case for why the Council needs to trust her and give the Board of Ed what they're asking for.

So let's give her some back up, shall we?!

The Hamden PTA Council has been working hard to make our collective voice heard all through the year, not just at budget time. However, if there is one time when we need to get up and speak truth to power, this is the time.

Not only does the Town Council need to hear from us, they EXPECT to hear from us, and have added an additional hearing date (Monday, March 24th, 7 PM).

We have many issues that we'd like dealt with, most of which have to do with laws and funding from the state (as talked about in previous posts and more to come). Here's what we need to focus on at these hearings (that is also being distributed via backpacks):

• The health and reputation of a school system is important to all Hamden residents. Preserving the quality of our schools is imperative to our local economy.


• If the Board of Education is underfunded and the school system falls into disrepair, property values go down.


• Small class size is a key factor in keeping students engaged and productive. This is a priority in the current budget and needs to remain a priority.


• Wintergreen Inter-District Magnet School is an asset that we should protect.

The proposed Board of Education budget needs to be fully funded in order to:

• improve student to teacher ratios.


• improve state testing scores (which qualifies Hamden to KEEP Federal funding).


• attract and keep quality teachers and staff.


• maintain enrollment of Hamden students at Wintergreen.


• invest in the future by teaching students the skills they need for the 21st century.

I predict that the Town Council is likely to hear and struggle with this mantra: "I want the best education for my kids but I don't want my taxes to go up."

Nobody, including the Council members, want their taxes to go up. However, that's totally unrealistic. Your utility bills go up, your grocery bills go up, the price of a movie goes up, and so does the cost of giving children a quality education in a safe and beautiful town.

The Superintendent and the Hamden state delegation are doing all they can to bring more education dollars, as well as property tax reform/relief, to Hamden.

In the meantime, we may have to pay a little more, but it's still a bargain. Currently, our household pays around $7000/year in taxes. Compared to private school, for two kids ($30,000 would be cheap), receiving public education and all the services the town provides for $7000 is an amazing deal.

When our kids are gone it will still be a bargain because investing our tax dollars in other families' kids will keep our town competitive with area towns, thereby making our economy thrive. We'll still need garbage pickup, snowplowing, a great library and town parks, as well as first responders.

The Town Council has a really hard job ahead, and those members I've spoken to say they "don't want to cut the education budget, but..."

Your job is to show up, with your 2nd, 4th, and/or 11th grader, and have them tell the Town Council what they love about their school and what would be missing if the Council asked the BOE to get by with less.

Fran has said that staff is the first thing to look at for cuts. We fought hard for media center specialists, art teachers, IT personnel and lunch aides. We need to keep our excellent staff intact, as well as add a few new crucial members in reading and math. We need to keep our class sizes reasonable.

You know the drill - unfortunately it is a drill. I look forward to the day when we don't have to push so hard for something that makes so much sense: fund the BOE, invest in the future.

Hamden 2008 BOE Budget - The Next Step

Susan Murphy, WIMS (Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School) PTA President, put together an amazing presentation on letter writing for our March 6th meeting. She covered why letter writing is important and the best ways to make it effective.

I recently sat next to former Hamden Councilwoman Ann Altman at Rosa DeLauro's fundraiser (with Speaker Pelosi!!! My 4th grader said it was better than the Hannah Montana concert!!!). Ann's opinion of printed letter campaigns was that she preferred email and that individual comments were better than form letters.

It's a delicate line to tread: using email to save paper is a good idea, but email has become so prolific, even bothersome, that it is often ignored.

In light of all that, perhaps the best way to influence your elected officials is to pick up the phone!

• http://www.hamden.com/


• http://www.ct.gov/

Regardless of your mode of communication, the important thing is that you act. Our Mayor, town council and state representatives work for us. The only way they will truly know that they are "doing the people's bidding" is if we tell them how we feel about issues.

I've had a lot of help from Hamden Public Schools' finance "go to guy," Jason Lathrop, in coming to understand the intracies and inequities of Hamden's education funding situation. Yes, it's complicated, but don't let that keep you from letting your voice be heard. Speak to the folks who control the purse strings, from the heart, parent to parent.

I’ve spoken to Mayor Henrici, who will be recommending that the Town Council fully fund the BOE budget. Thanks, Craig, for understanding that the future of our town lies with our schools. His request goes to the Town Council on March 12. The BOE makes their case to the Town Council on April 2.

Parents and students, please join me on April 9, at the public hearing for the BOE section of the Mayor’s budget before the Town Council.

In the meantime, please contact any and all town council representatives, and encourage them to support the Mayor’s recommendation to fully fund the BOE's request.

Hamden BOE Budget Fowarded to Mayor

Wow! What an incredible show of support for the Hamden Board of Ed's budget on Monday, Feb 25. Special thanks need to go to Sue Murphy, Melissa Stasiak and the Wintergreen parents. It was standing room only in the gymnasium (!), with over 100 people.

The BOE passed a revised budget that asks the Town for $77.7 million, a mere 3% increase over last year's budget. That is AMAZING considering that the fixed costs of salaries, healthcare, fuel, services and utilities will all go up at least 3%.

The reason so many Wintergreen parents were there, was because, if the BOE needed to make deeper cuts, Wintergreen would be the most affected. They stand to have kindergarten enrollment reduced, their 7th and 8th graders moved to the Middle School and possibly, the Board could take back the entire school.

At this time, there will be no changes at Wintergreen. So what's next?

The BOE budget goes to Mayor Henrici. Craig is a practical man who is both a product of and a great supporter of Hamden Public Schools. He understands that underfunding education is short sighted and counterproductive to maintaining the health and longevity of our town.

Immediately write Craig (chenrici@hamden.com) or call him (203-287-7100). Tell him, parent to parent, why you feel he should include the full amount the BOE is asking for in his budget.

The PTA Council would like to thank Superintendent Rabinowitz and her finance team, and the BOE Finance Committee, especially chair Ed Sullivan, for crafting such an austere and effective budget. Further, the documentation at meetings and on the HPS website (http://www.hamden.org/) is helpful and easy to understand. We greatly appreciate the effort the HPS Central Office has taken to make sure that we are all informed and included in this process.

We were preaching to the choir on Monday night; the BOE is totally allied with the parents in giving the best education they possibly can. They are also on the side of the tax payer, because just like a house, if you let the school system fall into disrepair, the property value goes down. The health and reputation of a school system is integral to property values and our economic vitality. If people start to flee because of a failing school system, there are less people to foot the bill and the taxes will most definitely go up.

The BOE budget hearing was a dress rehearsal. Besides the Mayor, the elected officials you need to encourage to fully fund this budget are on the Town Council. On the eve of (new date) April 9, 2008, I hope to see all of the folks who spoke so passionately about Wintergreen and all the other schools in our district at that public hearing for a repeat performance.

Not only do we need to make sure our local legislators fully fund education, we need to ask our state legislators to do the same. In an earlier post I outlined a number of funding issues that are determined at the State level.

On March 12, the Connecticut PTA will be sponsoring a "Day on the Hill." A bus from Hamden (and maybe even a bus just for Wintergreen!) will be going to Hartford (am to afternoon). There will be a rally and we will meet with the Hamden delegation. More details to follow.

Just like the crowd the Town Council can't ignore at a budget hearing, our legislators cannot ignore a mob of parents demanding proper funding of education on the Capital lawn. (You can also access all members of the CT House and Senate, as well as the Governor at http://www.ct.gov/.)

More details on this field trip will be forthcoming here, or you can send me a quick email to let me know you'd like to join the Hamden PTA Council email list.

I look forward to seeing you at our next Council meeting, Thursday, March 6 (location TBA), the Hartford trip and/or the Town Council hearing on March 12.

Thanks for your support and activism.

February BOE Meeting Postponed

Hamden Public Schools have cancelled all evening activities for Tuesday, February 12, in anticipation of some nasty weather.

The BOE meeting scheduled for tonight has been moved to Monday, February 25(6:30 for Finance Committee & 7 PM for the public hearing)
Meetings are held at 60 Putnam Street (off Whitney, behind the Post Office)

While you've got your calendar out...
The Board of Education will present its budget to the Legislative Council on Wedenesday, April 2; the public hearing will be on Wednesday, April 9.

Click here to reveiw the full Hamden BOE budget presentation and schedule

It's Time to Come Together

Here are the highlights of what we learned last Thursday at Superintendent Rabinowitz's budget presentation to the PTA Council:

• She's gotten her budget increase request down from 6.95% to 3.19%.
• If she has to cut more out of the budget, she may have to do something drastic that would affect Wintergreen (i.e. freeze kindergarten enrollment and/or return the 6th grade to the Middle School). This would reduce the budget by approximately $700,000.

Before we all get our knickers in a knot about what Wintergreen and the rest of the district schools do or don't have, let's realize why we need to even consider such a step.

Charter and magnet schools were created, with great financial incentives from the State, as a court ordered remedy of Scheff vs. O'Neill. In 2006.2007, after seeing that the charter and magnet schools weren't doing any better (in terms of academic performance) than the traditional schools, the State passed legislation to take away the financial incentives. Our legislature passed a bill that would reduce the amount of money per pupil in a charter or magnet school, basically saying: "If you want it, you have to pay for it."

My personal feeling is a public school, is a public school, is a public school, and the STATE should pay equally for it. Neither we, nor any town, should not have to sacrifice a viable and necessary school because the state won't help us fund it.

In addition to coming together in Wintergreen's defense, we need to join together as district and demand that the State fund in-school suspension. This is a great idea and we thank our legislators for recognizing that a child will not benefit, and will probably get into more trouble, if they are out of school. However, the cost for the staff needed to attend to and teach these children is a line item that we have never had before. We need to ask our legislators to either repeal the law mandating in-school suspension or offer financial assistance in implementing the program.

Lastly, and this is on the local level, we need to make managable class sizes and teacher to student ratios our number one issue. The fact is, we have a great town and a good school system, so we are steadily growing. A teacher and an aide CAN manage 25 students, but a single teacher and a group of 18 is better for the teacher and the students. Keeping class sizes small is a key factor in keeping students engaged and looked after.

This is the part you need to impress upon our Town Council: If we let our classes get too big and impersonal, well, its a downward spiral: from poor test scores, to poor attitudes, to burnt out teachers, to failing schools, to resident flight, to falling property rates, to economic loss.

Now that I have you throughly depressed and/or upset, ask yourself, "Am I just going to compain, or am I going to do something about it?"

I'm hoping you chose the latter and here's what you can do as an individual or a PTA unit:

1. Speak up at the public hearing on the BOE's budget this Tuesday, February 12 (6:30 pm - finance committee; 7 PM - public hearing)If you can't attend, please send your comments and suggestions to any BOE member and/or Superintendent Rabinowitz (www.hamden.org)

2. Write a letter to the editor of some or all of our local papers:

• Hamden Journal (hamdenjournal@hersamacorn.com)
• Hamden Chronicle (www.hamdenchronicle.com)
• Hamden Daily News (www.hamdendailynews.com)
• Quinnipiac Valley News (QVTimes@comcast.net)
• New Haven Register (adematteo@mail.nhregister.com)

3. Join CT PTA for a Day on the Hill - Wednesday, March 12 (there will be a bus...more details to follow / www.ctpta.org)

4. Contact your local legislators and the Mayor (www.hamden.com)

5. Contact your state legislators and the Governor at www.ct.gov
Or in person this Thursday, February 14th, 8:00am at a breakfast offered by the Hamden Chamber of CommerceNew Haven Country Club, 160 Hartford TurnpikeCall the HCOC to RSVP no later than Tuesday at 288-6431. (admission $25)

Click here to reveiw the full Hamden BOE budget presentation and schedule

This is not an impossible situation; we simply need to stick together as advocates for the educational system and longevity of Hamden to find an equitable solution.

Thanks for you attention.
I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, 7 PM at the BOE meeting.

Sincerely,

Marjorie Clark President, Hamden PTA Council

February Council Meeting, Thursday 2-7-08

Just a quick reminder that our February Council meeting is Thursday, February 7th, 7 PM. We're traveling to Ridge Hill Elementary School and you will find us in the Cafeteria.

For those who have never been, Ridge Hill is NOT the school behind the firehouse on Ridge Road (that's a North Haven school). Our Ridge Hill School is off of Ridge Hill Road at 120 Carew Rd., south east of Bassett Park. Directions

We'll be discussing :

• The Superintendent's Budget, the budget schedule and a plan of action.
• What's happening at State PTA
• Revisit membership / volunteerism building

Click here to reveiw the full Hamden BOE budget presentation and schedule

I cannot stress enough that your input as parents and taxpayers is vital to this process, so I encourage you to attend, and speak up at, as many of these meetings and hearings as you can.

If you can't attend these meetings, please forward your comments and suggestions to any BOE member and/or Superintendent Rabinowitz.

I would also encourage you to draft letters to the editor as PTA units and submit them to our local papers.

***************************************************
For those who would like to join the West Woods' community in celebrating the life of Donna Festa...

• Wake: Friday, February 8, 2008, 4-8 PM
  Abriola Parkview Funeral Home
  419 White Plains Road (Route 127)
  Trumbull, CT 06611203-373-1013

• Mass: Saturday, February 9, 2008, 11 AM
  St. Therese’s Church
  5301 Main Street
  Trumbull, CT 06611203-261-3676

***************************************************
Thanks for you attention.

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, 7 PM at Ridge Hill.

Marjorie Clark President,
Hamden PTA Council

Hamden Forum with CT State Legislators

First a generous thank you to all of our representatives, Rep. Alfred Adinolfi, Rep. Brendan Sharkey, Rep. Cameron Staples, Rep. Peter Villano, Sen. Martin Looney and Sen. Crisco, for joining our forum tonight. It might have seemed like an ambush, but we really do appreciate all you have done for our town.

Next thank you to our knowledgeable and level-headed moderator, Meg Nowacki.

Thanks to all the representatives from the Hamden Board of Education for articulating the pressures they are under to do more with less: Chairman, Michael D'Agostino, Secretary, John Keegan, Policy Chair, Myron Hul , Cirriculum Committee members, Lynn Campo and Adam Sendroff, and Superintendent, Fran Rabinowitz.

Thanks to PTA members, parents, taxpayers and town government representatives for sharing their concerns about rising costs and the state supplimentation not keeping up with those increases.

The reason the PTA Council held this forum is basically this:
If the school system goes, so goes the neighborhood, right?

Yes, they have increased funding; yes, they have given us as much as they could given the general budget spending cap; and yes, we will be frugal and do more with less.

But what more can be done?

The legislators talked about the House and Senate 's "super majority" they should be able to use to override a Governor's veto. However, even though the Democrats out number the Republicans two to one in both houses, it's difficult to get two thirds to agree on putting their constiuentcy's agenda before the Governor's.

If they were able to exercise that veto power, here's what they'd do to relieve local property taxes:

• pass legislation to create a progressive income tax instead of a flat 5% for every taxpayer
• keep moving municiple employees to the state health plan as their contracts are renewed, creating a larger group which makes costs go down, ultimately forming a universal health care system

The bad news is that the budget for 2008 has already been set, and our delegation warned us that Governor Rell is likely to want to cut the budget to prepare for an economic downturn.

They also warned us that the Governor might propose a municipal property tax cap. That doesn't sound very helpful when your trying to raise more money. (Generally speaking, legistlation with the word "cap" in it is bad news.)

So, as a few folks asked tonight, "What can we do?"

Well, we took a very big action tonight by getting all our legislators together to let them know how worried we are for the health of our town.

After that, you need to write letters, make phone calls, and visit to each of your representatives, and those on the committees that speak to your specific issue. The key is often getting the ear of their aide. Contact the Governor's office as well.

Try not to just complain, but bring ideas on how to make things better. In order to be informed on the issues, you can subscribe to bill and calendar updates at the Connecticut General Assembly web site.

Both the Connecticut PTA and the Connecticut League of Women Voters have an active legislative team that focus on many of the issues we discussed tonight (educational funding, tax fairness, healthcare, regional development and cost sharing).

Finally, at our next PTA Council meeting (Thursday, February 7 @ Ridge Hill), we'll present a resolution that outlines what we'd like to see happen at the local and state level with regards to funding our school system, as a goal to aim towards.

The key is simply exercising your right to express your opinion and the privilage to take part in the democratic process. Use it or loose it.

As always, thanks for your support and attention.

Marjorie

But Wait! There's MORE!

More Lunch Aides

Not only has Ridge Hill acquired five new lunch aides, but we have also contracted with Qunnipiac's work study program to employ education majors to help out with lunch and recess. Thanks to Superintendent Rabinowitz for understanding the importance of this part of the school day and acting on a lasting solution to a lingering issue.

More Educational Funding from the State
(details at January 17th Forum)

Rep. Brendan Sharkey and Sen. Martin Looney have been diligently working on remedying the damages done to Hamden by the Education Spending Cap. We will see an 13% increase of educational funding this year. In addition, they are both committed to true tax reform; redistributing the burden from local tax payers to a graduated state income tax. Both of these issues are directly to related to their work on Smart Growth - economic development with a sociological and ecological conscience.

Please join us at 7 PM on Thursday January 17th, at the Hamden Middle School Cafeteria for a conversation with ALL of our state legislators about the work they are doing and their thoughts about the future.

More Information on the Hamden Public School Website
(like Wintergreen Applications)

And PTAs! How fabulous it was to discover that my wish for all the PTAs to be online would come true so quickly and easily. If you haven't already visited, please go to http://www.hamden.org/

More Fun Testing Like the Geography Bee at Spring Glen School (January 4th)

Hats off to Principal Ditta! I found out about this when I (innocently) asked, "What happened to the spelling bee?" that was talked about in past Council minutes. We'll let that sleeping dog lie. However, congratulations to Spring Glen.

I would like to see the Science Fair come back to life next school year. More on that later.

More Gregarious PTA Council -
February 7th Meeting at Ridge Hill

We're still making the rounds, bringing our fame and celebrity :) to get the local unit members out to compare notes.

More Exhibitors at the Summer Camp Fair (Saturday, April 5)

In the last two years, this event has grown exponentially and it is THEE place camps want to exhibit. If you haven't figured out your summer plans by April 5th, you won't want to miss this!

More Fun With Other PTAs - CT PTA Convention (May 1 & 2)

I went to a planning meeting last month, figuring there would be a dozen or so people working on the convention. Instead I found myself sitting at a little table with the CT PTA executive board putting the finishing touches on a brochure and marketing tactics.

The slate of presenters is great, especially...wait for it...Anita Renfroe (of "Mom's Overture" fame). She'll start off the session on Friday AM. Thursday evening will be inspirational speaker Bryan Fiese, and lunch on Friday is Gina McCarthy, Commissioner of the CT DEP.

Last but not least, I've volunteered to lead a workshop on website design Friday afternoon.

Look for another post with more details soon. In the meantime, save the dates, it should be very fun as well as informative. Registration info will be coming soon.