From Megan DeSombre Education Bridgeport.
Bridgeport has no legal basis to sue the state over newly approved state charter schools, according to an email from attorney Thomas Mooney to the city’s interim school district superintendent, Fran Rabinowitz.
Mooney was hired by the Bridgeport Board of Education to examine the possibility of legal action against the state of Connecticut, following the State Board of Education’s approval of four new public charter schools, two of which are planned to open in Bridgeport.
“We have completed our review, and we did not find any basis on which to challenge the state’s actions on these two schools,” Mooney wrote to Rabinowitz.
In layman’s terms, the board has no legal leg on which to stand.
The two schools approved for Bridgeport are state charter schools, paid for out of state coffers with no financial contribution from the local school district–which is why the State Board of Education is responsible for approval, and not the local board.
Though the school district does pay for transportation and special education costs–a legal mandate for every student who resides within the district, whether that student attends a public, private, magnet or charter school–the district can be reimbursed for those costs through the state.
But all those pesky facts didn’t prevent Board Chairwoman Sauda Baraka and her cronies from forcing through a moratorium on new charter schools, a resolution they could in no way enforce.
When the state board did what is right for kids and approved the new charters, Baraka and her cronies decided to sue the state, a prospect Mooney has now said makes no sense.
According to Mooney’s letter to Rabinowitz, which was received by Education Bridgeport! through a Freedom of Information Act request, the only option for the board is to take “a more aggressive approach” if any new charters are proposed down the line.
The big question now is: Will it matter to the board? Will the board forge forward anyway, wasting hundreds of thousand if not millions of dollars on what we know already will be a pointless and ultimately failed lawsuit?
The effort to limit the extent of Charter Schools in Bridgeport has been curious to me as an observer who has mentored Bridgeport students for nearly ten years.
I have observed parents who are active in seeking results for children as all of us, adults and children age another year. Some have moved their children into Charter Schools and actively participate in school and home activities with their kids. Others are frustrated by waiting lists that may never provide an opportunity for what are perceived as poor performance schools. And other parents, some very active in Parent-School groups, are only heard opposing Charter Schools for the supposed damage they are doing to school finances.
Tests and scoring of same have shown an indefensible performance for Bridgeport schools, in general over a number of years. Where is there a “dashboard” or other reporting system that will rate or rank the Board performance, administrator wins and losses, as well as professional teachers and other school employees showing increases or failures despite the new buildings, the modern technology and books supporting a curriculum. The money to fund the above keeps increasing, though from a low base and one that may never have been (nor will be) satisfactory in the minds of some.
However, there are year-end stories from some of the schools that indicate that evaluations of, training of, and supervision of different groups of educators has been less than superior. Attention to each of these tasks is critical and every employee has rights and process that should provide backup. However, if monitoring is spotty or informal when formality is required, the productivity of teachers in general is compromised and expectations remain low. A loss for a child, a class, a school and the overall system. Time will tell.
John, you wrote “tests and scoring of some have shown an indefensible performance of Bridgeport Public Schools.” Well I am going to defend the “indefensible.” You imply students continue to fail even though there are new schools, new technology and new books. Although these are all nice things to have and are “tools” for teaching, the most important thing a child needs are skilled educators who can give them their knowledge and time. When you have one teacher for 27-32 children in a classroom, is that really what is in the best interest of students and learning? When you have one social worker and guidance counselor for every 550-600 students when the national recommendation is 275-325 students, is that what is in the best interest of students and learning? Teachers, social workers, counselors, nurses etc. do not create these unacceptable conditions; Mayor Finch, the state Board of Education, Commissioner Pryor and Governor Malloy do. The Bridgeport Public Schools is the most underfunded district in CT. Malloy’s ECS taskforce estimated the underfunding to be $43 million per year and the CJEFF lawsuit scheduled to begin this fall puts it at over $100 million per year. Allowing charter schools to take over $38 million dollars from the BPS over the next five years is unconscionable. And although your dear friend Vallas received a significant amount of additional funding that Ramos and Salcedo did not have, the Bridgeport Public Schools had the worst performance in the CMT and CAPT when compared to the previous seven years of testing. I would describe that as “indefensible.”
Your ‘underfunded’ remark is not true. There are a number of districts that spend less per student and get better results than BPT.
ave. daily per District BOE Budget pupils pupil rank ELLINGTON 31,325,666 2,789 11,234 61 MARLBOROUGH 13,422,699 1,188 11,295 45 WOLCOTT 32,522,777 2,812 11,568 54 NEW BRITAIN 132,366,466 11,186 11,833 159 STERLING 7,866,083 664 11,846 107 WOODSTOCK 15,582,718 1,313 11,873 57 DANBURY 128,009,840 10,727 11,933 134 DISTRICT NO. 8 22,338,107 1,868 11,958 17 WEST HAVEN 87,310,660 7,223 12,087 142 EAST HARTFORD 97,826,222 8,034 12,176 151 NEW MILFORD 55,423,910 4,531 12,231 HEBRON 24,642,138 2,008 12,271 50 TOLLAND 36,200,905 2,950 12,273 30 DERBY 19,830,000 1,613 12,292 147 MERIDEN 112,282,449 9,071 12,378 146 SHELTON 65,213,474 5,247 12,429 59 BRISTOL 106,108,616 8,503 12,478 119 SOUTHINGTON 84,646,215 6,769 12,504 33 DISTRICT NO. 10 33,811,147 2,674 12,645 52 PLAINFIELD 30,388,012 2,394 12,695 BROOKLYN 16,039,431 1,261 12,722 93 BARKHAMSTED 8,255,534 649 12,725 68 WATERTOWN 38,709,664 3,040 12,733 105 GRISWOLD 23,421,324 1,835 12,765 116 COLCHESTER 37,737,957 2,950 12,794 70 SEYMOUR 30,834,078 2,407 12,811 108 OXFORD 27,550,631 2,149 12,822 47 PLYMOUTH 23,053,007 1,797 12,825 109 ENFIELD 74,275,924 5,767 12,880 89 SOMERS 20,223,505 1,569 12,886 53 GRANBY 26,883,092 2,074 12,959 20 CROMWELL 26,531,835 2,043 12,984 58 THOMASTON 15,116,630 1,163 12,993 LEDYARD 32,930,489 2,526 13,036 79 ANDOVER 7,675,842 589 13,040 41 NORTH BRANFORD 28,569,382 2,187 13,062 86 PORTLAND 18,715,828 1,428 13,109 37 CHESHIRE 61,132,671 4,655 13,133 39 NORTH HAVEN 46,839,694 3,562 13,150 78 BROOKFIELD 37,484,882 2,837 13,211 31 EAST HAVEN 48,189,676 3,644 13,224 139 SUFFIELD 31,719,270 2,384 13,303 36 ANSONIA 35,007,526 2,629 13,318 150 GLASTONBURY 89,961,154 6,753 13,322 34 SPRAGUE 6,034,354 453 13,330 123 ROCKY HILL 34,660,815 2,600 13,333 44 NEW LONDON 47,694,610 3,577 13,333 155 STRATFORD 98,380,226 7,355 13,376 115 NEWTOWN 69,723,100 5,189 13,437 VERNON 49,900,544 3,710 13,451 127 DISTRICT NO. 16 32,904,288 2,428 13,552 91 NAUGATUCK 63,831,755 4,704 13,569 141 NEW FAIRFIELD 37,107,374 2,725 13,620 77 AVON 47,308,602 3,472 13,625 10 BRIDGEPORT 279,926,764 20,485 13,665 161 CANTON 24,269,828 1,776 13,666 12 STONINGTON 33,433,716 2,441 13,698 80 WEST HARTFORD 141,740,300 10,334 13,716 56BOE SPY (Adam, Ryan, Megan, Moales, Finch, Steven Perry, ConnCAN groupie): How about comparing apples to apples? Your reliance on false comparisons is starting to wear thin, no?
From April 2014 source:
www .sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/dgm/report1/basiccon.pdf
Bridgeport: $13,665;
Hartford: $17,929;
New Haven: $16,805;
Stamford: $16,457;
Waterbury: $14,553.
what about Danbury? $11,933, rank #134. A big city.
West Haven? $12,087, rank #142. A poor area.
How is this comparing apples to apples? They are all just kids. What is the difference? I will incorporate that data into the comparison.
BTW–I am none of those people, Mr. CEA, teacher, paid by the BOE, defending my own income, don’t blame me for poor performance.
You also just put in the spending. Not how that spending relates to student performance.
Bridgeport: $13,665; rank # 161
Hartford: $17,929; rank # 160
New Haven: $16,805; rank # 156
Stamford: $16,457; rank # 112
Waterbury: $14,553. rank # 152
www .schooldigger.com/go/CT/districtrank.aspx
There is no correlation between spending and performance.
BOE SPY, all five cities you listed are defined as underfunded in Malloy’s own ECS Task Force report. These same cities are also underfunded based on the CJEFF lawsuit that will begin this fall. Since you are denying every urban city in CT is not underfunded, I am sure you can post a link to a report, study, etc. that supports your claim. When comparing per-student spending, the comparison must be done with those cities that serve similar student demographics, as Mr. Spain so kindly pointed out. Children who live in poverty need more resources, not less. They need more wrap-around services, not less. They need smaller classroom sizes, not larger. There is a need for more social workers, not fewer. There is a need for more counselors, not fewer. There is a need for more nurses, not fewer. As I have stated here previously, if funding does not make a difference in academic success, why do the vast majority of suburban towns FULLY fund their public schools? By the way, don’t forget to deduct $5 million dollars from the BPS annual budget. Although this money is calculated in the BPS state grant, not a single dollar goes to a BPS child, it goes to state charter schools located in Bridgeport. Whoever you are, you repeatedly make statements on this blog as if they are accurate, factual and supported by research, reports, studies etc., and they are not. Both Mr. Spain and I have repeatedly proven you more often than not post inaccurate, misleading and false comments on this blog.
Thanks for your points here, Mr. Moore.
BOE Spy–in regard to your comment:
“BTW–I am none of those people, Mr. CEA, teacher, paid by the BOE, defending my own income, don’t blame me for poor performance.”
Since you brought it up …
I’m a Bridgeport resident.
I earn no compensation from the BOE, from the BEA, CEA, or NEA, or from any PAC associated with an educator union.
Here it goes again:
I graduated in 1989 from Bethel CT High School. I was very fortunate to receive my undergraduate degree from the Univ of Virginia, earning Phi Beta Kappa, and later got an MPH in chronic disease epidemiology from the Yale School of Public Health.
I have never been a certified public school teacher. I have tutored for free at Marin School. I appreciate the highly educated and supportive public school teachers I learned from. One of those people who helped me was my mom, who served as an eighth-grade English teacher for 35 years in Bethel Public Schools.
I realize yes, there is room for improvement in the public schools here in Bridgeport. I just don’t think you or other non-educators have a clue. You make sweeping dismissals without getting to the facts and to the dynamics of what’s going on.
And yet, like Megan DeSombre, you are consistently and aggressively obfuscating to the benefit of the Finch/Moales/Pryor/Malloy agenda, i.e. more charters while discrediting and supporting the chronic underfunding of Bridgeport BOE. And yes, ask BOE CFO Marlene Siegel, the BOE having to pay for the buses and for the special ed. Specifically, for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs): There can be state reimbursement of the BOE in some instances depending on what the IEP requires. This doesn’t mean the district can seek reimbursement in every instance, however. It cannot. The likes of DeSombre and you would like us to believe otherwise. Why? Who does that help?
So who are you, BOE SPY? A John Birch Society member?
Pete Spain, thank you for sharing and for being so honest and thanks for not hiding what your name is. There is no doubt BOE SPY and Megan DeSombre are being paid to make comments by some group like the Koch brothers and their group the Americans for Prosperity or think tanks like the Heritage Foundation or others like the Cato Institute or FreedomWorks, that’s why BOE SPY can’t give his real name.
The BOE would have had to pay for the buses and special ed regardless of where those kids went to school. Charters are reducing class size.
You went to Bethel schools @ $14,385/student compared with BPT’s $13,665, that Bethel $700/year made that much of a difference? Did every kid who graduated with you go to Yale? What should we do to provide this extra money to the BBOE? Raise taxes? I have no problem giving more money to the schools if it will address the problem. I just do not believe it will. The BOE, like the city and everyone who lives in it, needs to live inside the budget they have. Like many challenged students regardless of residence, these kids have to try harder. The BPS have many success stories. Success inside the BPT system is possible. You and the likes of Dave Moore would lead us to believe closing the charter schools will help our students. You do not seem to relish the possibility of direct competition. Why is that? Don’t you think you can win? Other than the sign out front, what makes a magnet school a magnet school? They have some special aspect to their curricula (language, art, science, etc.). They have ~25 kids per class for 1-8. They teach all the same subject, same teachers and the same buildings. Why are the magnets so much better?
I am no one. A fly on the wall. I am paid by no one and answer to no one. I am just a guy who believes in education and lives in BPT.
BOE SPY, what analysis do you have for us that supports your statement the BOE would have had to pay for bus transportation and special ed. for those students who attend charter schools? Oh I know, NONE!
The Director of Transportation completed an analysis of every single charter school student who is currently attending one of the four charter schools located in Bridgeport. The analysis showed 93% of these students would NOT require bus transportation if they attended their neighborhood schools. Therefore, the BBOE would have $0 in expenditures for bus transportation for these very same students. In addition, there is a state law that forbids students spending more than one hour on a school bus. Charter schools have much larger catchment areas than true public schools, therefore buses travel all over the city to pick up students. Because of the one-hour time constraint, charter buses cannot always be filled to capacity, which only increases the transportation costs. Remember, one school bus costs the BBOE over $60,000 annually. In regards to your special ed. claim, the BBOE is required to fund all of these costs including social workers, speech pathologists, etc. If there are 275 special ed. children at Cesar Batalla and 28 of them leave to attend Great Oaks Charter School, the BBOE still has to pay the FT social workers at Cesar Batalla, but now they have to pay the additional cost for a social worker at Great Oaks. Do you get it now? Once again, you are clueless and do not know what you are talking about.
I think it is Rick Torres or someone close to him.
Pete, the BBOE can seek reimbursement for special education costs from the state, but only if the cost exceeds five times the average expense. It is almost impossible to reach that number. If the average cost is $7,000 per year to provide special ed. services, a specific child’s expenses must exceed $35,000. The state purposely makes it very difficult to obtain any form of reimbursement.
Hey Megan, I’m sure you won’t take this in the spirit in which it is intended–I really would like to offer some advice to all you incredibly smart rich folks who think you know more than the dumb, poor people in Bridgeport, I really would but your email suggests you all have learned nothing from your last 3, 4, 5 years here in Bridgeport. You have done everything you could to shove your notion of quality education down the throats of Bridgeport citizens. You’ve propped up the mayor of Bridgeport with money, expertise and more money and you keep losing. Listen up here–the Supreme Court ruled the conspiracy to have the state take over Bridgeport Schools was illegal, the mayor (and all of his supporters’ huge money) couldn’t prevent the legitimate board from taking its seat despite herculean efforts, he then tried to revise the city’s charter so he could control the school board and (despite his friends’ huge money in the cause) lost that and now, in the last election, he lost de facto control of the Board of Education. Couple of lessons to learn–why keep pouring money into a total loser who cannot deliver for you??? Second, why not take a step back and say, hey, so far this approach hasn’t worked, let’s just, oh say, practice some kind of democratic procedure and actually listen with respect to the people who live in Bridgeport, have kids in Bridgeport and pay taxes in Bridgeport–and I am not talking about Bill Finch’s legendary four children who have been in the public schools–I’m talking about all the rest of us. You all need to get it–you have much to offer but not as a gestapo. Charter schools are part of a solution but only a small part, they are selective in ways that need to be decided by the communities in which they sit (as opposed to boardrooms in other cities) and they have to, if they choose to be selective, be self-sustaining. That’s what this lawsuit is really about. All of us dumb folk who have had charter schools shoved down our throats are in one way or another paying for them. I guess that’s why we’re so dumb and your gang is so smart. You may think this is some kind of victory but you just are not going to win in Bridgeport by shoving your agenda down our citizens’ throats. If you don’t believe me, look at the record.
Try like a year.
Baffled is right in her accounting of this story. I also heard this email from the attorney was released from a Vallas mole working under Rabinowitz. It also could have violated attorney/client privilege before Rabinowitz saw the notification.
Follow, you are incorrect.
The email was provided as part of a FOIA request made to Fran. If you read it, the Lawyer gives her the info to pass along (basically the email). He advises Fran she does not have to release everything since any other info was covered under attorney/client privilege.
Lifelong, it is you who are wrong. The email in question falls within client/attorney privilege because it includes legal advice. The attorney referenced releasing an engagement letter and the documents regarding the retainer, not a single email. It was released by a Vallas lover who is a Finch mole. That person should be terminated immediately.
David–since the email has been removed from the Ed Bpt site, you are probably correct. I am in error on that one. I thought the email was what was provided. The number of people on that email were limited, so there should be some action if the source is found. Does not change the fact he says there is no case, in his opinion.
One way or another someone is ‘shoving their agenda down our throats.’ The way it is now it is the CEA. Bpt has the least ‘self-sufficient’ BOE in CT. They get more state money than any other city. Feel free to tell the state to keep their money as well as their charter schools anytime you want.
The best way to defeat the charter is to take away the students. The sooner the BPT schools can take away the students the sooner the charters go away. I.e., start doing your job. Good luck with that.
Bravo!
Mr. Sackler: You’re wasting your inheritance. Try something new.
BRAVO! to Baffled in Bridgeport’s analysis.
An opinion is just that, an opinion. Attorneys constantly interpret laws differently. I think pursuing litigation based on the fact over $38 million dollars which is allocated to the BBOE by both the State and the City to meet the MBR and fund the Bridgeport Public Schools will never be spent on a single Bridgeport public school or Bridgeport public school child is an excellent basis for a lawsuit. How can anyone claim the money is counted towards funding the BPS when it clearly doesn’t. The entire $38 million will fund transportation and special education costs for charter schools, not the BPS. In addition, the BPS will lose approximately $600 in Title I, per child, per each year that child attends a charter school. Another great basis to file a lawsuit to block these new charter schools is charter schools are the most segregated schools in CT. In fact, Voices for Children found them to be “hyper-segregated.” As I am sure everyone knows, segregation, never mind hyper-segregation, is a violation of the law. I hope the BBOE presses on. Find an attorney who is fearless and cannot be intimidated by the State. Do not approach law firms that represent charter schools, ConnCAN, Families for Excellent Schools, Northeast Charter Schools, Excel Bridgeport etc. Do not approach law firms that represent the City of Bridgeport or the State of CT. They may be hard to find, but you have to be persistent.
Is this a fact or just your opinion vs. the lawyer’s opinion?
BOE SPY, do you have difficulty with comprehension? When you start a sentence with “I think,” isn’t it apparent it is an opinion?
A friend recently shared a story with me regarding their decision to file a lawsuit against the state of Connecticut for discriminatory practices related to awarding his/her minority firm a state contract. He/she found an attorney willing to take the case and the lawsuit was filed. Just before the case was to start, the state of CT wanted to discuss a settlement. The lawyer strongly recommended the settlement should be taken because he didn’t think they would win against the state of Connecticut. Well, my friend refused to take the deal and directed his/her attorney to proceed with the case in court. The attorney was less than thrilled. Well guess what, not only did my friend win, he/she won BIG! To this day, his/her minority firm is doing work for the state of Connecticut. The moral of the story is an opinion is just that, an opinion. Once again BBOE, find a fearless, tenacious attorney who has a reputation for taking on the state of Connecticut. Can anyone say Norm Pattis?
Norm Pattis. Is this the same Norm Pattis who had the opinion he could legally have Vallas removed from his job when, in fact, doing so would have been illegal? How much no-bid CEA money did Norm put in his pocket chasing that blue fairy?
“The effort to limit the extent of Charter Schools in Bridgeport has been curious to me as an observer …”
JML, you are a smart man. It is a waste of time for one to be curious when the option of being logical is available. Any effort to expand the extent of Charter Schools is clearly an attempt to reduce and limit the extent of the Public School System.
“The two schools approved for Bridgeport are state charter schools, paid for out of state coffers …”
I believe Megan DeSombre’s employer from out of state left out the word ‘by’ in the above-quoted statement. JML, aren’t you “curious” as to who are the people from out of state in control of the coffers mentioned above? Aren’t you curious to know if there are schools in the city, town or state these mysterious donors are from in need of improvement and more funding? Why was the Bridgeport, Connecticut Public School system chosen?
“… with no financial contribution from the local school district–which is why the State Board of Education is responsible for approval, and not the local board.”
The power of approval by the State Board of Education is not limited to the approval of Charter Schools. The same way the SBOE can reimburse the district for transportation cost, they can also reimburse the out-of-state people controlling the coffers from which the Charter Schools are funded. These out-of-state donors’ identities are keep anonymous by contractual agreements. How could one find out if they are being reimbursed by the SBOE and who they are? These people have deep pockets and hold vast investments. By donating to these types of causes, they make friends in high places who in turn help them in passing legislation so their investments pay huge dividends. The money they donate to the Charter Schools serves as a tax write-off.
“Though the school district does pay for transportation and special education costs–a legal mandate for every student who resides within the district, whether that student attends a public, private, magnet or charter school–the district can be reimbursed for those costs through the state.”
JML, what about home rule? The people voted to continue choosing our BOE members via the electoral process after a failed attempt to appoint BOE members. As you can see, the real “cronies” legislated a way to circumvent the people’s choice and the court ruling by empowered the State Board of Education (an appointed board) to make decisions that should be made by our local elected BOE. JML, is this logical to you or are you still curious?
As for you, Megan DeSombre, you need to get your head out of your ass and keep your camera away from your eyes. It may help you see things better. Bridgeport has an elected BOE with a majority of members who are really trying to do what is right without outside interference. We have never interfered with what others outside of Bridgeport are trying to do. We are the home team and shall follow home rule. Let me give you an example of what “cronies” are like. First, look in the mirror. A crony will seek an appeal on behalf of a crony BOE member who overbilled the state for ineligible daycare slots and not report the matter to the entire board. You asked for an OIBitch-slapping. You got it!
Whether you are pro-charter or not, you should realize the reason why so many “outsiders” are involved. The school system is ranked #161 (based on the numbers above). Do we really believe an extra $4K per student–to mirror Hartford–is going to change things much? Hartford spends that much and they have BPT outranked by a whole, whopping ONE SPOT.
In all of the arguments at the BOE meetings, you never hear about the curriculum. What can be done to change that?
BBOE and Magnet parents think highly of the Magnet system, which is comparable and sometimes favorable to even Charters. Why don’t the parents fight for more expansion of that curriculum? I have heard frustrated parents who tried to get their children into the Magnet program and not been successful. They are then looking for other options. I have not heard any of them say” Oh well, the current BBOE is on it, so the schools should be improving soon” … NOT. Charter supporter or not, there is a waiting list for those schools for a reason, NO faith in the current system and no confidence anyone currently in power, from No Fund Finch to the Hatfield and McCoy BBOE can fix the problems. Charter/No charter parents need to stop fighting each other and show who really has the power–the active, voting, concerned parent!!!
I agree with you, Lifelong. Active parents make a huge difference. When my oldest daughter started at CSA it was K-6. My team got it K-8. Now CSA is a magnet. Parents need to understand they are the most important people in a community.
BOE SPY, you stated Bridgeport received the most money from the state and that is ABSOLUTELY false. The CEA had absolutely nothing to do with the lawsuit filed to remove Vallas as superintendent. That lawsuit was filed by two private citizens, none of whom were teachers. The Supreme Court never issued a ruling it was “illegal” to remove Vallas as superintendent. The only decision they made is they could not rule on the merits of the case because before the original case went to court the plaintiffs should have attempted an administrative appeal with the state Board of Education. You really need to do research before you post completely baseless remarks that in no way represent the facts.
Lifelong, the charter school proponents claim the waiting list in Bridgeport is approximately 1000. Well over 5200 students applied to BPS magnet schools last year and were not accepted because of limited seats. Only 1200 were allowed admission. Doesn’t this clearly demonstrate parents want magnet schools, not charter schools? There were five magnet schools last year and four charter schools last year, why such a huge difference in the number of students who applied? I am confident if you compared the names of those who did not gain access to a magnet school, many of those students then tried to gain access to a charter school. In addition, every single magnet school significantly outperforms every charter school located in Bridgeport. They are able to accomplish this while serving the same percentage of students who qualify for free/reduced price lunch when compared to the traditional BPS. The charter schools significantly underserve this same demographic. The BBOE just approved making Classical Studies Academy a magnet school but cannot approve any additional inter-district magnet schools because the state has placed a moratorium on them due to the lack of funds to finance them. In regards to curriculum, Vallas spent $7 million dollars on new books and never developed a new curriculum around this significant investment. Ms. Rabinowitz is already working to address and resolve this significant gaffe by Paul Vallas, superintendent, aka “the flim-flam man.”
David–I was not arguing for or against charters. I was making the same point you are … parents want better/choice. Magnet was considered better, they got shut out, they are looking for other options, including Charter schools. I did not make a statement about how many preferred charters or magnet. The point I made and you made too (whether you agree or not) is 5200 students applied to a Magnet program because they did not want to be in the “regular” public schools. That is why I asked the question about why the parents were not fighting to expand the Magnet model. To me, that shows no faith in the current public school model or powers that be. My last statement was a call to action for the parents. UNITE and FIGHT for more funding in the right places. As voters they have more control than they know. Go to Hartford and demand more for Magnets.
Dave–If two private citizens filed the Vallas suit, why don’t you and Spain file the anti-charter suit? You believe in it so much. Put your money where you mouth is. Pete went to Yale. He must have some cash. He didn’t invest in Yale tuition to make minimum wage.
Here is a little food for thought. Much as I don’t like Finch, I give him credit for this and this should give people who are pushing the charters second thoughts. All his kids have gone to public schools. If charters were so great how come he was sending his youngest to BR school?
Because BR school is a good school. There is no reason to send your kid anywhere else. You could use the same thinking to get rid of all the charters. All you have to do is make it so the parents find no reason to send their kids to the charter schools.
BOE SPY, caught you in another lie. According to CEDAR, Black Rock School’s CMT scores place it in “Review” status. Under No Child Left Behind standards, they would be labeled as a school “Failing to Make Adequate Yearly Progress.” In fact, their CMT scores dropped by 2% in 2012/2013 when compared to 2011/2012, however they performed four percentage points better than the Bridgeport Public Schools as a whole. Under the No Child Left Behind standards, Black Rock School would be listed as failing to make Annual Yearly Progress for six consecutive years through 2012/2013. This is what is so unfair about judging an entire school based on one annual test. In addition, CMTs do not measure many important aspects of a child’s development. It does not measure how a child works with others, decorum, civic responsibility, volunteerism, etc. Get it together, BOE SPY.
According to Tulai, BR school gets 4.5 stars out of 5 and scores well among parents on greatschools.org but you are correct. BR school is just another BPS school that sucks academically but the parents like the place.
I would do what Moales did and put my kids in private school. Could a mayor serve in BPT and live in Fairfield? Finch has a good job. He should move.
According to the link you posted, Black Rock School is rated a 2 out of a possible 10 based solely on CMT scores. As I stated previously, I do not support utilizing an annual standardized test score as the sole measurement of whether a school is good or bad. Unfortunately, the CT State Department of Education does.
So now you are saying BP school is a good school. Can you, please, make up your mind and stop flip-flopping? Now, we are back to my original statement: “Because BR school is a good school. There is no reason to send your kid anywhere else. You could use the same thinking to get rid of all the charters. All you have to do is make it so the parents find no reason to send their kids to the charter schools.”
BOE SPY,
“Cash?”
From
admissions.yale.edu/financial-aid
“Yale admits students for their academic and personal promise without regard to their ability to pay. Concern about cost should not keep students from applying. 100% of demonstrated need will be met.”
Or are you suggesting that graduating from Yale leads to one having “some cash?”
That’s funny. That convinces me you don’t know many people who have degrees these days. Ramapo’s expensive too! Just ask Megan DeSombre–who definitely works hard for the money.
No, I meant with an Ivy League education you have to be earning some kind of money. Isn’t that the promise? Study hard and get a good job.
David Moore, when you have some free time available can you be so kind and re-calibrate the Spy Satellite? BOE SPY is receiving some very poor intel.
You’re right. Bridgeport is #2 @ 164 mil. Hartford is #1 @ 188 Mil. So Bridgeport gets the second-most money from the state.
BOE SPY, you can’t analyze the Education Cost Sharing grant by looking at the total cash amount per district. You have to look at the grant provided per pupil. Clearly, if you are an urban city with 15,000 students, you will receive a smaller overall grant than an urban city with 21,000 students. The only way you can look at the overall ECS grant is if you are comparing districts with similar demographics and number of students. Actually New Haven would be a better comparison to Bridgeport because they both serve approximately 21,000 students. Hartford serves over 25,000.
One city is able to pay their own way and one is not. Much like a need-based college scholarship. My statement was simply BPT gets the second-highest education cost sharing. The state’s equation takes a lot of factors into account. Need is one of those factors, demographics is not. There would be no reason a minority student would be more expensive to educate than any other student. To imply that would also imply minority students are inherently less intelligent than their Caucasian peers. The state put BPT at 11% underfunded. The BOE budgets $255 mil. Why do they budget $255 mil if they need 11% more or $283 mil? The citizens of Connecticut pay $164 mil (64%) leaving the people of BPT to supply the other $91 mil. This may be why Greenwich hedge-fund managers take so much interest in BBOE. They pay more to educate BPT kids than the people of BPT do. Notice Hartford (#1 ECS recipient) also has a large number of charter schools. They have the right to make sure their money is being spent effectively and to try to reduce their financial obligation. If the BBOE is 11% underfunded and BBOE is responsible for educating 21K students, the charter schools would have to achieve an enrollment of 2300 (11%) to put BPT at fully funded. Say 2500 to account for what BBOE pays to transport and special ed.
But Hartford prefers charters because they are cheaper and not union. Hartford doesn’t care about quality or equal. It is not about the children. It’s about the expense.
Bill Finch prefers charters for the same reason and then some. As long as he can keep the cost low and can keep flatfunding the schools, he can have more money available for Green Projects.
Wait a minute! Where did I hear this before? Holy shit, Bob Walsh and Bill Finch are on the same page:
onlyinbridgeport.com/wordpress/finch-to-school-board-real-culprit-for-lack-of-school-funding-is-the-state/
Joel Gonzalez, David Moore, Baffled in Bridgeport and Pete Spain, thanks for your comments to set BOE SPY straight to the point he has run away to try to say something.
Another issue that really irks me is if a child’s neighborhood school is Black Rock School but the parents decide to control transfer the child to Winthrop School, the parents become responsible for transporting their child to Winthrop School. They are not provided any public transportation. However, if a parent decides to withdraw their child from Black Rock School to enroll them in Achievement First, the BBOE has to pay the transportation costs. If that isn’t outrageous, I do not know what is.
I know what is outrageous. Spending $255 mil and having a 35% dropout rate.
David–
On the transportation issue, that is outrageous and unfair. It also helps to (sort of) illustrate some of the points made regarding the parents. Why don’t those parents who have decided to control transfer within the traditional public school system fight for the same rights?
In this case, instead of making the charter school kids the enemy, look at whomever made that policy and have it changed. It’s not like they put their child in private school.
My point is if there are rules that benefit one party and not another, shouldn’t the parents/individuals go after those who made the rule (State, BOE, etc.) instead of the party who is benefiting from the rule? It’s like at work, if a co-worker makes a deal for better hours, better pay and you do not get the same, do not hate the co-worker. You go to your boss and fight for the same rights.
Lifelong, are you saying if a parent CHOOSES to control transfer their child to another BPS on the opposite side of town, the BBOE should pay $10,000-$30,000 annually to transport that one child? Let’s say that parent is control transferring that child because they need the grandmother, on the other side of town, to supervise their child after school until they get home from work; the BBOE should incur that $10,000-$30,000 expense on behalf of the parents??? So instead of investing that $10,000-$30,000 in the classroom, the most underfunded district in CT should spend it on transporting one child to the other side of town. I absolutely disagree with you. If only ONE child in every school was allowed to control transfer to another school, even at a more conservative number of $10,000, these 36-37 children would easily create additional transportation costs of $360,000 per year. If a school has available space and a parent wants to control transfer their child, they should absolutely be able to do so, but not on the taxpayer’s dime.
David, the way you originally framed your transportation issue made it seem like you thought it unfair the BOE had to pay transportation dollars for charter students and parents who control transferred had to pay. You never made it clear you wanted both sets of parents to be responsible once they pulled their student (charter or not).
The same should go for the magnet schools. We wouldn’t want to benefit one group and not the other.
BOE SPY, a Bridgeport Public School parent cannot control transfer their child into a magnet school. Magnet schools are part of the BPS and are governed and supervised by the BBOE, not private, money-making entities, unlike charter schools.
Then it is okay to have a system that favors one group over the other, as long as the favored group is your group?
BOE SPY, regarding the state vs. city contribution percentages, I utilized 2012 numbers when I was quickly researching it.
In looking at 2013/2014 which has not been reconciled or audited yet, the following details the state vs. city contribution.
The state contributes 76% of the funding for the BPS and the city contributes 24%
BOE SPY, I you should stop drinking TEA. Your information continues to be grossly inaccurate. False statement number one. New Haven gets a significantly larger ECS grant than Bridgeport although we serve approximately the same number of students. False Statement number two. The state ECS grant funds the BPS by over 80%, the city funds the BPS by approximately 17-20%. False statement number three. Hartford has three charter schools, Bridgeport has four and will now increase to six. No other city in CT has more charter schools than Bridgeport. Every reputable study on student achievement reaches the same conclusion; the number-one indicator of a child’s academic success is not race, it is their economic status. In fact, when comparing minority children to white students, if they are both in a home that makes over $100,000 per year, there is no difference in academic results between a minority student and a white student. Over 13% of BPS children qualify as English Language Learners. This is significantly higher than cities like Trumbull, Fairfield or Westport. Do you honestly believe there are no additional costs in teaching children to read and write in English? So if I am a nine-year-old child who arrives from Guatemala in November and cannot speak, write or read in English. I enroll in Black Rock School and I can barely understand what my teachers, peers and administrators say. That child will immediately need services to teach him the English language, bring him up to speed with the nine-year-old students who began school in September and will in all likelihood need individualized tutoring. And you honestly believe there are no additional costs in bringing this “minority” child up to grade level? Focus your time on defending Greenwich billionaires or is it the Koch brothers because you are ill-prepared to write or make FACTUAL comments about the very real education issues in Bridgeport.
And you keep stumping for the teachers unions. They spend more than the Koch’s.
www .opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php
Top political donors
Koch industries is # 59
American Federation of Teachers #12
National Education Assn #3
American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees #2
BTW–do you have any evidence to back up your outrageous claims? Other than your ranting, I haven’t seen any.
American Federation of Teachers represents the interests of 1.5 million middle-class workers.
National Education Association represents the interests of 3.6 million middle-class teachers.
Koch Industries represents the interests of TWO BILLIONAIRE BROTHERS.
What “outrageous claims” are you referring to?
Koch Industries represents the interests of our school children. They need help in the battle for a decent education against the power of the teachers union.
www .cga.ct.gov/2012/rpt/2012-R-0101.htm
ECS facts
Dave’s lie # ?? Only one of many I have found.
www .bridgeportedu.com/Board/docs/Finance/2013-2014/Financial_Condition_Report_02-28-14.pdf
form at the bottom of page
City 55.6 mil = 24.81%
ECS 168.6 mil = 75.19%
BOE SPY, I based my percentages on 2012 which was all I could find when I quickly researched it. But let’s take the 2013/2014 school year for both New Haven and Bridgeport:
New Haven ECS State Grant = $142.5 Alliance District State Grant = $ 7.9 Inter-district Magnet School State Grant = $35.9 TOTAL = $186.3 Bridgeport ECS State Grant = $169.3 Alliance District State Grant = $4.4 Inter-district Magnet School State Grant = $5.2 TOTAL = $178.9All these grants are non-competitive grants that the STATE funds 100% to each of these public school systems. As you can see, New Haven does receive more than Bridgeport. If you now add in the competitive grants, New Haven not only significantly outspends Bridgeport on the whole but when calculating the per-pupil expenditure as well, which I believe Mr. Spain already posted.
Then you should count the cost of the new schools built in Bpt. The state paid for those. If you want to count ECS then count ECS. If you want to count all state spending on education, count ALL state spending on education. You should throw the state cost of the charter schools in that as well. The state pays for those and that would be education. Just because the BOE does not get the money does not mean it is not state spending on education.
BOE SPY, which group or groups are you associated with, the Koch brothers and their group, the Americans for Prosperity or think tanks like the Heritage Foundation or others like the Cato Institute or FreedomWorks and the John Birch Society and which is paying you?
He’s Rick Torres … has to be.
No, not Enrique.