WHY? Political fatigue? CT Post education reporter Linda Conner Lambeck shares her take here.
0
No April Fools’ Joke, School Chief Aresta Johnson Leaving District–Why?
44 comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
WHY? Political fatigue? CT Post education reporter Linda Conner Lambeck shares her take here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
So sad but Only n Bridgeport, I wish Ms Johnson nothing but the best.
CT state law does not allow a school board to receive more than a 3 year contract. Dr. Johnson was awarded the permanent superintendent position in April 2017, therefore her contact would end in April 2020. You would not want a Superintendent contract before the school year ended. Therefore once we were well into her first year, we voted to extend her contract through June 2020.
When we got this letter today I responded by reminding Mr. Weldon that her contract was extended through June 2020. Mr. Weldon stated that she never signed the extension over a year ago.
John Weldon said he shared that during the evaluation process last year. I told him he had not.
I think it is very telling that she did not sign her extension, which was approved over a year ago.
As I stated previously, she has been unhappy for some time
Hmmm. I thought I posted a couple of corrections to my original post last night.
What I meant to state was that under state law a local school board cannot give a Superintendent more than a three year contract. That meant that Dr. Johnson’s contract finished in April 2020. Once she had completed a significant portion of her first year we voted unanimously to extend her contract until June 2020.
John Weldon just shared with us that she never signed that 3 month extension. For me, that is very telling.
I mean,can you blame her??With a dysfunctional board,a massively underfunded budget every year,etc,etc,etc.Surprised she lasted this long.
HW
You can’t deny Our Board Of Education has been disfunctional over the last 20 years. Long before I got back on the City Council in 2017-2019 who would put 16 million dollar in their hands. Every Superintendent we have had has left because of a disfunctional board of Education
Ernie, why are you disassociating yourself from the issues and problems of the BOE and the education of Bridgeport students? Ernie you were a State Rep and then a State Senator and also a voter and resident in Bridgeport and State funds half of the school budget so you did have a voice while the Board Of Education has been dysfunctional.
Ron you can check my record every year i served Bridgeport got increases in education dollars. How they choose to spend it I had nothing to do with that.
Ernie,
You should be ashamed of yourself for posting such a thing.
We needed $16, 000,000 for 2017/2018 just to keep every employee and program we had.
You and your colleagues voted to give us $387,000 for over 20,600 students.
We made over $15,000,000 in devastating cuts.
We needed $13,000,000 for 2018/2019 just to keep every employee and program
You and your colleagues voted to give us only $1.2 million. Only Eneida Martinez, Kyle Langan, and Pete Spain voted no in an effort to stand up for our children.
I was sitting in the front row when Kyle Langan made a motion to transfer another $2,000,000 to the BOE from the police overtime line and another miscellaneous line, and you voted no.
Ron,
The state funds 74% of our budget. Only 26% comes from the city of Bridgeport.
If we don’t receive $16,000,000 this year, Edison and Hall schools will be the first schools closed. That directly impacts Ernie Newton’s constituents.
Ernie,
You are so clueless. Dr. Ramos was terminated by the illegal school board.
Paul Vallas was deemed unqualified to serve as a Superintendent in CT , which was plastered in every major newspaper in the country, including the NY Times and WSJ. He had to resign or be fired.
Fran Rabinowitz was supposed to be here for only year, and ended up staying for 21/2 years as Interim. She was serving illegally in violation of the Teacher Retirement Board.
Aresta Johnson has been the most thoughtful, humble and student centered Superintent of them all. It was the corrupt politicians of Bridgeport that made her so unhappy.
$16,000,000 is for 20,400 innocent children. Don’t ever try to justify you and your colleagues failure to fund their education by blaming it on the actions of adults. The only adults at fault for the severe underfunding of the public schools atr the politicians in Hartford, mayor after mayor in Bridgeport, and city council after city council in Bridgeport.
Look in the mirror which we all know you like to do.
Is sad , but I agree with you , Mr. Newton . And all this affect our students of Bridgeport Schools
Fluffy, you would. You are just like Ernie Newton. You cannot spell, capitalize, punctuate or right a comprehensive sentence, yet you want to serve on the school board.
You have so much in common with Ernest Newton.
Mrs.Pereira
Please do not answer any of my comments, because I am not talking to you in total. I’m answering Mr.Newton. But since you addressed me so unprofessional I want you to know that this is not your problem, how do I write , spell ,capitalize ,punctuate or the way I write my comments, it is not your concerns . Whether or not , I am on School Board, I will never disrespect parents, students, teachers, city council people and the community, as you have done for many years.
And by the way this is the way you have to type the word – Write
Not the way you did it – right
I ask you not to address me at all, in, email, calls, text or personnel, I will call you the the authorities
Albert, you are on a blog, therefore you have no right to privacy.
Feel free to call the “authorities.” Feel free to “write” them as well.
You have disrespected many parents, principals, staff and community members.
Your son has arrived late to school over 100 times at Bassick High School last year, and he continues to consistently arrive late this year, and you drive him to school. That is a direct reflection on you as a parent.
I visited Bassick HS at 9:45 AM and your son was just arriving ahead of me.
What kind of responsible parent drives his teenage student to school late over 100 times in a 182 day school year?
I wish Dr.Johnson the best.
In the last 20 years Bridgeport Board Of Education has been the most disfunctional group of individuals I’ve ever seen. I will definitely pay more attention to who’s running and asking for my support. I will not support anymore obstructionist. Goodbye Maria!
Ernie,
You spent 5 years of the last twenty in federal prison. I joined the Board in December 2009.i haven’t been involved in the school board for even ten years.
What was “dysfunctial” about the school board from 1999- 2009? You just make stuff up..
You are not a confidante of Dr. Johnson. You are not personal friends. Everytime you try to link yourself to her you hurt her credibility and image.
I will say it again. She has been unhappy for sometime. She has a palpable disdain for John Weldon, and she hated being dragged into the corrupt politics of the Democratic Machine. There are personal reasons at play here as well that I will not share here. Those that made her the unhappiest were your faction supported by the corrupt DTC. That would not be Ben, Joe or myself. We gave her the best evaluations, along with Sybil Allen and we consistently had Dr. Johnson’s back. And don’t think your monster buddy, Chris Taylor, didn’t contribute to her unhappiness and decision.
She did not sign a contract extension we approved over a year ago. That should tell OIB readers something.
Ernie, I have never asked for your support, nor would I ever. I truly believe you serve as an embarassment to Bridgeport.
Maria
First of all you don’t know what my relationship is with Dr. Johnson but i can tell you this I didn’t smile in her face and then stab her in the back like you did.Every Superintendent and every president of the Bd Of Education HOW many of them did you turn your back on. No one can work with you unless they KISS Your ASS. (GOD forgive me for my languages today) You want to act like you had nothing to do with Dr. Johnson leaving or any other superintendent. You are the biggest dysfunctional person I’ve ever seen Maybe you should take you med’s. I can’t believe that people on OIB haven’t call you out on your Bullshit (God please forgive me again). Yes Dr. Johnson was upset with you and a Bd Of Education that didn’t work with her to help turn our school system around! Maria you must have a thing for Men who have gone to Jail.
P.S No Interested
Ernie,
Is there any commitment that you are able to keep?
You repeatedly post that you will not respond to myself and others and you repeatedly do.
No, Ernie, you didn’t stab Dr. Johnson in the back. You just kept asking her to hire your buddies to fill BOE jobs. You are so inappropriate.
I have never turned my back on any BOE Chair because I never supported a single one because they were all aligned with Mario Testa, Mayor Finch/Ganim, and the corrupt DTC.
That included Barbara Bellinger, Kenneth Moales, Dennis Bradley, Joe Larcheveque and John Weldon. I did not serve on the Board when Sauda Baraka was Chair, however I supported her in that role.
I defended and supported Dr. Johnson unequivocally until February of this year. She didn’t sign her contract extension that was approved OVER a year ago.
You are unbelievable. It is because of the legislature, Mayor Ganim, the City Council, which includes you, that Dr. Johnson and the Board have made $38,000,000 in devastating cuts, yet you behave as if that didn’t impact her as Superintendent. What Superintendent would not be impacted by such devastating cuts?
I can assure you that the board member who most negatively mpacted Dr. Johnson was John Weldon. Chris Taylor was also problematic.
The rest of your post is garbage.
In closing, if believe I am in need of taking my “meds.,” please make sure that you snort, inject, inhale or ingest your drug of choice.
I have a thing for men that are intelligent, articulate, honest, and ethical, therefore you clearly have absolutely no worries about my being interested in the likes of you.
Maria
I don’t have a choice of Drug been clean 23 yrs. You are a back stabbing B- – – h
I never asked Dr. Johnson to hire anyone other then promoting a Black man to be Principal at Bassick H.S. You are should a liar. You have fought with everyone on the Bd Of Education and every Superintendent since your arrival on the Bd Of Ed. Maria you are the biggest Snake of you smile in peoples face and stab them in the Back like you did Dr. Johnson. I told her a long time ago do not get in bed with Maria she found out the hard way. One minute you praise her the next you are calling for her resignation. Yes you have a dual personality when you don’t take your MED”S a Freak of nature!
Please do me a favor GET A LIFE!
Maria
If we took a poll between you and I You would win as The biggest asshole in the world.
(Lord for give me) for using this type of language. Your New Name Ms Back Stabber! You have done it to so many people. One day you will meet your match. Once again I don’t give a damn what you or others think of me. especially you Maria. Please get some help you need it BAD!
I have a poll for you,Ernie .
Let’s have a poll asking participants to pick which one of us is corrupt, dishonest and unethical.
I don’t think I would have a shot of prevailing in that poll. 🙂
I know that Dr Johnson will find a position where she won’t have to deal with the nonsense and pettiness that is the Bridgeport Board of Education
Like Ernie, I will pay attention to the Board of Education candidates running in the November election. Maria can knock on my door all she wants. knocking will not earn her MY vote
Hey Lennie, How about you start a spin-off blog specifically for Maria where she’s the center piece/smartest person on earth/ruler of ALL THINGS so we don’t have to read her 10,000 comments of verbal, egomaniacal diarrhea as she highjacks every comment section the same way she’s highjacked the BOE?
Deal?
Peter,
I comment on posts about public education and the Board of Education because I am knowledgeable on those topics.
Day and Mackey post extendensively on Civil Service and the BFD because they have extensive knowledge in those areas. I rarely comment on those matters, however I read everything they post so that I can understand their perspective on those issues.
You are not forced or required to read anything I post. Just skip over my posts. That’s what I do when certain people post.
There really isn’t a need to whine about it.
Afterall, this is a blog, not required reading.
Keep telling yourself that. Deluded repetition is a key to your success.
Peter,
I comment on posts about public education and the Board of Education because I am knowledgeable on those topics.
Day and Mackey post extendensively on Civil Service and the BFD because they have extensive knowledge in those areas. I rarely comment on those matters, however I read everything they post so that I can understand their perspective on those issues.
You are not forced or required to read anything I post. Just skip over my posts. That’s what I do when certain people post.
There really isn’t a need to whine about it.
Afterall, this is a blog, not required reading.
Repetition is the key to my SUCCESS. 🙂
You also remembered the delusion.
I actually like you, Peter. I find you to be intelligent and articulate unlike Ernie Newton.
You are certainly entitled to your opinion.
Lisa White, there is no politician that receives 100% of the vote. Absolutely none.
Savvy politicians don’t focus on those that do not support them. They focus on voters that do support them.
You are entitled to your opinion and your one vote.
Time to start the search for a new Superintendent. No way will Johnson be working until April 30th, 2020. Between vacation time, sick time, traveling to interviews for a new job, her work will likely end by January.
Ernie, with the dysfunction of the Bridgeport Board Of Education you never mention anything about the dysfunction that was cause by Dennis Bradley and his boycott of BBOE meetings?
Dr. Ramos, Paul Vallas and Fran Rabinowitz were all poor selections to run the Bridgeport school system and that’s the mindset with former mayor Bill Finch and Mayor Ganim and Mario Testa in selecting heads of departments like in selecting police chiefs and fire chiefs, they hire the best person.
Ron
You can take Maria side, if you are honest with yourself. Maria has turned on everyone she has started with, yes you may be right with all the names you mention up top.. Ron you no as well as I do Maria and the Bd of Ed had a lot to do with Ms Johnson leaving. You can point the finger at Joe Mario who ever you like but Maria is no damn Saint!
Ernie,
Has Dr. Johnson specifically told you that she does not want a contract renewal because of me?
Please post a yes or no answer, and then feel free to expand on your answer.
Maria
I really never asked her.I going on you asking for her resignation. The Board of Educations history of fighting one another and your behavior when people don’t do as you say. You love pointing the finger at someone else so you don’t have to look at your self. Well you have ran away at lease 3 Superintendent none of them would bow down and Kiss your( beep) I do know that. Its sad that you sit here and act O she left because she wasn’t happy. Its because you and the Bd Of Education wanted to do her Job.When you hire someone you should allow them to do his or her job!
I got it, Ernie.
The answer is “no,”
Ernie, my post had nothing to do with Maria, my question about you not saying anything about how Dennis Bradley’s boycott of BBOE meetings was dysfunctional. The second concern was about the poor selection that Bill Finch and Joe Ganim have done with hiring of school superintendens, police and fire chiefs.
Hey, hey…easy there Ron. The police chief position was an intensive “nationwide” search!!
Lmao!
Sorry….couldn’t help myself!!
Enough said!!!!!
Bring Connelly back.
Pete
Be Careful Maria’s M.O is to agree with you than turn on you like she done so many before YOU! The OJ’s made a Hit Song Called The Back Stabbers They smile in your face, all the time to take your place the back stabbers. please You-Tube IT.
Right, that’s what I am known for. Smiling, kissing and hugging politicians I don’t like, and then when they are no longer present I launch against them.
Absolutely not. I am not fake and phony. People always know where they stand with me. I am incredibly straight forward and direct.
Your assertions are just laughable.
That’s all we need. Mario Testa loyalist, Connelly, who has brunch with Mario on weekends and smells strongly of alcohol
The first time I ever met him was in front of 45 Lyon Terrace. It was broad daylight and he reeked of alcohol.
Can we just elect school board members and appoint a Superintendent that are not beholden to the corrupt DTC? Is that so much to ask?
Maria
You would turn on anyone you disagree with. Maria please name someone that you started with or ran with that at some point you didn’t turn against. You remind me of another person his address is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington, DC As long as you agree with him Cool when you don’t YOUR FIRED! By the way Ms Johnson wasn’t apart of the Joe Ganmin or Testo or DTC. You got mad because she attended Sen. Moore’s Fundraiser remember!
I have already answered your question previously.
Why would I be upset that Aresta attended Marilyn Moore’s fundraiser? Do you think I would rather see her at a Ganim fundraiser?
Once again, it is “You’re Fired” not “Your Fired.”
Do you have anything new or are you just going to recycle the same posts?