Thursday, October 1, 7 PM
Hamden Middle School Cafeteria
Hosted by Hamden PTA Council and League of Women Voters.
Moderated by Nancy Beals.
RSVP and send questions via this post.
Questions due by Saturday, September 26.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
It's Working...but it's not over yet
Reminder that the Board of Ed Finance Committee is meeting at 6:30 at 60 Putnam Ave. tonight.
There will be teacher layoffs and additional cuts. The BOE is welcoming and expecting any input from PTA and parents on how to get creative with the resources available. I hope to see you there.
Also…
Please contact our state representatives to keep up the pressure to:
· Pass legislation that changes the Wintergreen 55% rule to 60%, or some variation that allows us more funding for less Hamden students.
· Keep their promise to maintain ECS funding at it’s current level.
You saw how well pressure at the local level worked and heard from Rep. Esty at our dinnner last week how well it was working at the state level. Keep it up.
Here’s the contacts, so you have excuse not to act:
Hamden State Representatives (www.ct.gov)
State Senator Martin Looney
11th State Senate District
800-842-1420
State Senator Joseph Crisco
17th State Senate District
800-842-1420
State Representative Brendan Sharkey
88th State Assembly District
800-842-8267
State Representative Peter Villano
91st State Assembly District
800-842-8267
State Representative Cameron Staples
96th State Assembly District
800-842-8267
State Representative Elizabeth Esty
103rd State Assembly District
800-842-8267
There will be teacher layoffs and additional cuts. The BOE is welcoming and expecting any input from PTA and parents on how to get creative with the resources available. I hope to see you there.
Also…
Please contact our state representatives to keep up the pressure to:
· Pass legislation that changes the Wintergreen 55% rule to 60%, or some variation that allows us more funding for less Hamden students.
· Keep their promise to maintain ECS funding at it’s current level.
You saw how well pressure at the local level worked and heard from Rep. Esty at our dinnner last week how well it was working at the state level. Keep it up.
Here’s the contacts, so you have excuse not to act:
Hamden State Representatives (www.ct.gov)
State Senator Martin Looney
11th State Senate District
800-842-1420
State Senator Joseph Crisco
17th State Senate District
800-842-1420
State Representative Brendan Sharkey
88th State Assembly District
800-842-8267
State Representative Peter Villano
91st State Assembly District
800-842-8267
State Representative Cameron Staples
96th State Assembly District
800-842-8267
State Representative Elizabeth Esty
103rd State Assembly District
800-842-8267
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Budget Process Update
This message came to us from the Superintendent of Hamden Public Schools, Fran Rabinowitz:
The Hamden Town Council increased the Mayor’s recommended budget for the Board of Education by $1.4 million. On behalf of all Hamden students and staff I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Council for the additional funding. The Council’s funding has reduced our deficit from $4 million to $2.6 million. We will continue to work with our unions to garner concessions and will discuss recommended program cuts with the Board of Education.
I would appreciate your joining me as you did in advocating for the budget and thank the Council for their efforts. It is also important that we continue to advocate with the Connecticut State Legislature for the $750,000 for Wintergreen Magnet School, amending the 55% rule for Wintergreen Hamden student enrollment, and no reduction in E.C.S. funding.
My sincere appreciation to each of you for all of the efforts you have put forward. It will be a difficult task, but I am optimistic that with the additional funding from the Council Hamden will continue to offer a high quality education to all Hamden students.
Sincerely,
Fran
The Hamden Town Council increased the Mayor’s recommended budget for the Board of Education by $1.4 million. On behalf of all Hamden students and staff I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Council for the additional funding. The Council’s funding has reduced our deficit from $4 million to $2.6 million. We will continue to work with our unions to garner concessions and will discuss recommended program cuts with the Board of Education.
I would appreciate your joining me as you did in advocating for the budget and thank the Council for their efforts. It is also important that we continue to advocate with the Connecticut State Legislature for the $750,000 for Wintergreen Magnet School, amending the 55% rule for Wintergreen Hamden student enrollment, and no reduction in E.C.S. funding.
My sincere appreciation to each of you for all of the efforts you have put forward. It will be a difficult task, but I am optimistic that with the additional funding from the Council Hamden will continue to offer a high quality education to all Hamden students.
Sincerely,
Fran
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Address to Hamden Town Council & Audience
The Hamden PTA Council respectfully asks that the Town Council fully fund the Board of Ed’s budget request. We trust Superintendent Rabinowitz’s judgment implicitly and would ask the Council to do the same.
You know full well, as parents and grandparents, that education is an investment and a cornerstone of our town’s economic well-being. It is no co-incidence that Hamden is the 33rd best place in America to start a small business and our high school is ranked 32 out of 139 Connecticut public high schools. Education and economics go hand in hand and that balance must be handled with great care.
Thank you to all who have come with your PTA and family to speak truth to power. Showing your children how to be an advocate for others is one of the greatest lessons you can teach them.
However, your voice should not go silent after tonight’s hearing. The funding issues the Board of Ed and the Town are dealing with stem from the State and Federal level.
I encourage this audience and legislative body to continue to contact our state delegation. Ask them to keep their promise to send ECS funding, at or above last year’s level, which the Federal Stimulus Bill should allow them to do. Ask them to honor their commitment to Wintergreen by giving us a break on the 55% rule, which could mean a $2 million infusion to Hamden.
In addition, our Federal legislators, especially Rep. DeLauro and Sen. Dodd, will be instrumental in making dramatic changes in No Child Left Behind. They will be looking to hear from you, to guide them in crafting that legislation.
If we apply this same amount of pressure at the Federal level, when NCLB is reauthorized it will no longer be a punitive system aimed at dismantling public education, but a program that will enable all educators, students and schools to do their best work.
I have great faith in this vision; mere hours after the 2008 election the National PTA President, Jan Harp Domene, was called to meet with the Obama transition team. Change is definitely coming and PTA will be vital in making sure our elected officials keep their promises to us and our children.
On behalf of Hamden PTAs I’d like to thank the residents, parents and students, who have accepted our invitation to speak. Democracy is NOT a spectator sport and we appreciate your coming out to play.
You know full well, as parents and grandparents, that education is an investment and a cornerstone of our town’s economic well-being. It is no co-incidence that Hamden is the 33rd best place in America to start a small business and our high school is ranked 32 out of 139 Connecticut public high schools. Education and economics go hand in hand and that balance must be handled with great care.
Thank you to all who have come with your PTA and family to speak truth to power. Showing your children how to be an advocate for others is one of the greatest lessons you can teach them.
However, your voice should not go silent after tonight’s hearing. The funding issues the Board of Ed and the Town are dealing with stem from the State and Federal level.
I encourage this audience and legislative body to continue to contact our state delegation. Ask them to keep their promise to send ECS funding, at or above last year’s level, which the Federal Stimulus Bill should allow them to do. Ask them to honor their commitment to Wintergreen by giving us a break on the 55% rule, which could mean a $2 million infusion to Hamden.
In addition, our Federal legislators, especially Rep. DeLauro and Sen. Dodd, will be instrumental in making dramatic changes in No Child Left Behind. They will be looking to hear from you, to guide them in crafting that legislation.
If we apply this same amount of pressure at the Federal level, when NCLB is reauthorized it will no longer be a punitive system aimed at dismantling public education, but a program that will enable all educators, students and schools to do their best work.
I have great faith in this vision; mere hours after the 2008 election the National PTA President, Jan Harp Domene, was called to meet with the Obama transition team. Change is definitely coming and PTA will be vital in making sure our elected officials keep their promises to us and our children.
On behalf of Hamden PTAs I’d like to thank the residents, parents and students, who have accepted our invitation to speak. Democracy is NOT a spectator sport and we appreciate your coming out to play.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
It's Working!
The Hamden Town Council is truly feeling the pressure from their constituents this year. We are sure to have a record turn out of parents and townspeople concerned that inadequate funding for the Board of Ed will force them to lay off several teachers, cut programs and maybe even close a school.
The PTA is vehemently opposed to any such measures and encourages those in agreement to speak at tonight's hearing.
You will need to arrive early to sign up to speak; signup isfrom 6 – 6:30.
For those unfamiliar with the process, the hearing will be in Council Chambers in the Town Hall, on corner of Whitney and Dixwell. The Council will hear comments but not respond. They will continue to deliberate and massage numbers until mid May.
Continue to write and call your state legislators about funding and the "55% rule"*; that’s working, too. You can find them at http://www.cga.ct.gov/ or call 800-842-8267.
Thank you for your efforts to be involved and involve other parents inthe process. Please keep up the good work and I’ll see you allWednesday night.
Marjorie
*The 55% rule governs how much money per pupil Hamden gets for students we send to Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (WIMS). The State gives other districts $8000 per pupil, but Hamden only gets $3000 per pupil, because Hamden students make up more than 55% of the student body. At last count there are five different bills between the CT House and Senate that would give Hamden the additional $5000 per pupil as long as we worked to reduce our participation in the next year or two. At 400 students, that equals $2 million of funding.
S.B.464 - Sponsored by Sen. Crisco
S.B.476 & S.B. 481- Sponsored by Sen. Looney
H.B. 5047 - Sponsard by Rep. Jankowski
H.B. 5766 - Sponsored by Reps. Sharkey, Esty, Villano & Staples.
More info at www.cga.ct.gov
The PTA is vehemently opposed to any such measures and encourages those in agreement to speak at tonight's hearing.
You will need to arrive early to sign up to speak; signup isfrom 6 – 6:30.
For those unfamiliar with the process, the hearing will be in Council Chambers in the Town Hall, on corner of Whitney and Dixwell. The Council will hear comments but not respond. They will continue to deliberate and massage numbers until mid May.
Continue to write and call your state legislators about funding and the "55% rule"*; that’s working, too. You can find them at http://www.cga.ct.gov/ or call 800-842-8267.
Thank you for your efforts to be involved and involve other parents inthe process. Please keep up the good work and I’ll see you allWednesday night.
Marjorie
*The 55% rule governs how much money per pupil Hamden gets for students we send to Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (WIMS). The State gives other districts $8000 per pupil, but Hamden only gets $3000 per pupil, because Hamden students make up more than 55% of the student body. At last count there are five different bills between the CT House and Senate that would give Hamden the additional $5000 per pupil as long as we worked to reduce our participation in the next year or two. At 400 students, that equals $2 million of funding.
S.B.464 - Sponsored by Sen. Crisco
S.B.476 & S.B. 481- Sponsored by Sen. Looney
H.B. 5047 - Sponsard by Rep. Jankowski
H.B. 5766 - Sponsored by Reps. Sharkey, Esty, Villano & Staples.
More info at www.cga.ct.gov
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
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
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
Friday, March 20, 2009
Hamden / North Haven Camp Fair
Parents Get Ready for Summer!
Come Check Out the
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
11:00 am until 2:00 pm
Hamden Middle School
2623 Dixwell AvenueHamden, CT 06518
One-stop shopping for camps and programs for kids in grades K - 12!
Learn about the many different sporting, enrichment, academic, fun and adventure options available in Hamden, Connecticut, New England and beyond.
Stop by to pick up information and speak with camp representatives.
Already on the list of attendees…
· Awosting & Chinqueka
· Camp Farwell
· Camp Kaizen
· Camp Mohawk (YMCA)
· Camp Mt. Laurel (YMCA)
· Camp WA-KLO
· Camp Woodstock (YMCA)
· Choate
· Creative Arts Workshop
· Dance Unlimited
· Eli Whitney Museum
· Foote School
· Girl Scouts
· Hamden Park & Rec
· High Rock
· Incarnation Camp
· Mantis Kung-Fu
· Neighborhood Music School
· North Haven Park & Rec
· Peabody Museum
· Schooner
· SJ Ranch
· South Shore YMCA
· Tennis Central
· The Basketball Factory
Admission is free and open to the public.
Questions? Email PTA Council, VP Mary.Clough@yale.edu
Come Check Out the
4th Annual PTA Council Summer Camp Fair
Saturday, April 4th, 2009
11:00 am until 2:00 pm
Hamden Middle School
2623 Dixwell AvenueHamden, CT 06518
One-stop shopping for camps and programs for kids in grades K - 12!
Learn about the many different sporting, enrichment, academic, fun and adventure options available in Hamden, Connecticut, New England and beyond.
Stop by to pick up information and speak with camp representatives.
Already on the list of attendees…
· Awosting & Chinqueka
· Camp Farwell
· Camp Kaizen
· Camp Mohawk (YMCA)
· Camp Mt. Laurel (YMCA)
· Camp WA-KLO
· Camp Woodstock (YMCA)
· Choate
· Creative Arts Workshop
· Dance Unlimited
· Eli Whitney Museum
· Foote School
· Girl Scouts
· Hamden Park & Rec
· High Rock
· Incarnation Camp
· Mantis Kung-Fu
· Neighborhood Music School
· North Haven Park & Rec
· Peabody Museum
· Schooner
· SJ Ranch
· South Shore YMCA
· Tennis Central
· The Basketball Factory
Admission is free and open to the public.
Questions? Email PTA Council, VP Mary.Clough@yale.edu
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