Mayor Joe Ganim took to Facebook live on Monday to share some details of his municipal spending plan that holds the lines on taxes in an election year.
The mayor cited a new program for education, a $500,000 college scholarship fund for high school students, money to hire 80 police officers in an understaffed department, a $10 million road paving effort that will commence later this month and the return to bulk trash pickup dormant for decades.
Ganim did not specify the increased city-side contribution to education for the budget year that begins July 1. Ganim has generally proposed an extra $2 million each budget which education advocates argue falls well short to sustain the growing expense of running city schools.
Ganim’s proposed budget is headed to the City Council where the budget committee will conduct its review and subsequent alterations and possibly add additional dollars for education that could require cuts elsewhere to balance the spending plan.
The mayor’s budget document will likely be posted on the city’s web page later this week. The annual municipal budget now eclipses more than $600 million.
This does not bode well for the children of Bridgeport, rather than speak directly to increasing local taxes funding to the MBR we get nothing but smoke and mirrors. To distract from local funding shortfalls. A $500k “Bridgeport Promise” (Does that number ring a bell from one of my prior posts? Think failure to keep line item transfer promise). Also uses the New Bassick Funding to distract from the likely 7th consecutive Ganim budget that short changes our children. This years ask is 16 million dollars just to maintain the status quo. Old two Mayoral candidates came out to learn about the budgetary needs of our students. Thank you John Gomes and Lamond Daniels.
Anybody wanting to truly understand the budget, could find it here. Kindly watch and advocate or ask questions from a position of knowledge. Thank you!
ouhttps://www.youtube.com/live/HTHekGdMuOc?feature=share
https://www.youtube.com/live/HTHekGdMuOc?feature=share Sorry link messed up.
Pencil Box, I know they say politics all LOCAl. Though it would be nice to see this funding fight where it’s best served, Hartford. However I know that can be difficult at times with D in the Governor’s seat, not wanting to rock the political boat, LOGICALLY speaking. But 500K in the SCHEME of things, you LOCO. 🤣
I was perusing through BBOE budgetary. Not saying I have a real idea of the needs of each individual school, but based on some numbers, my findings, though I could be off. There’s a 500k inequity (support) just between two schools Barnum, and Winthrop. Who (I believe) have the same number of students. 500K difference in Instructional Aide Salaries, and 200K in THEIR benefits, 700k right there.
I don’t want to dissect BBOE’s equitable resources, in the pursuit/endeavor of education for the Port student body like one of the frogs left an Old Harding, but we witnessed the integration without segregation, plan, that you voted, based on inequitable resources (teachers) SMH
I know we been have having a conversation about the Police and favoritism and their budget. Do I dare imagine the inner workings of BBOE are any different?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugrAo8wEPiI
Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said over a century ago: “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”
P.S. Joe, if I am off on the numbers. Please accept my apology for calling you LOCO. 🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RijB8wnJCN0
First we shall define equity. Equity does not mean equal resources. Equity demands that resources be directed where they are most needed to give every child an equal chance. For instance schools with higher special education students have a need for more special education supports. Schools with more English language learners also need more supports. That being said all our schools need more support. Bridgeport receives the second highest dollar allocation from the state. Bridgeport as a city funds its schools at the lowest or second lowest per pupil amount in the entire state.
Compare to Waterbury which gives over a hundred million to its schools where Bridgeport will barely crack 75 million. https://edsight.ct.gov I’d suggest perusing this sight as to find breakdowns of high need students, which we are morally and legally obligated to serve.
True that, perhaps, EQUITY, demands resources to be directed where they are most needed, but how far are you willing to dissect that definition?
Can your definition of EQUITY be applied to the city’’sbudget and its redirected resources where the city believes where its resources are most needed in its goal/responsibility to benefit the entire populous of the Port and not just the 20,000 of them?
What about two cities like Port and Waterbury where demands are different? Wouldn’t EQUITY demand its resources be directed where they are needed most? Aren’t the challenges of individual cities/towns different in the use of their resource and demands or are they all equal in nature?
How do we define “Equal Chance” within the available EQUITY, support/resource being directed? While you say all the schools need more support how do you differentiate among them when extra available support is received? Wouldn’t the end result/choice be your definition of EQUITY?
But where does “INEQUITY” lies in your vocabulary when the choice of the directed resources in the name of an Equal Chance creates “inequities”
You mentioned 500K, There was 500K in the “inequity” of the directed “equity” or lack of, (available resources) between Wilber Cross and Thomas Hook where the plan to create that “Equal Chance” for Port’s students was to bus them to the “resources” instead of delivering the resource to them. Was that SHEME in the best interest of Port’s students?
Clearly, there was an INEQUITY in the “EQUITY” (demands resources be directed where they are most needed) at Wilber Cross for like half of the year. Where qualified teachers were not “equitably” directed in the classrooms at Wilber Cross. Yet you voted, along with others on the BBOE to low the equal chance/quality of both Cross and Hooker School education, not only from each other, but from the rest of the schools in the Port. Even though, the resource was there to be directed.
You know the crazier part about that integration (bussing) without segregation (white/affluent and black/underprivileged) There where no whiteness. Well, while the wheels on that bus, (SHEME), when round and round it ended up being racist, because of Councilwoman Maria. A “white-ish” woman who was against the bussing Wilber Cross’ student to her district school.
Pencil Box/Gen Now, was it an actual shortage of teachers or was it a tempted miss direction of the directed allocation of resources (EQUITY) being delivered to Port’s students for that “EQUAL CHANCE”?
https://www.facebook.com/BPTGenNow/posts/pfbid02RHwMN2K8mwoBcsuFQxEF7K2q3nZaSgA6F8RA2Fxek761qyz6LBZZLM8E7sRomqxdl
Pencil BoxI think we need to define EQUAL CHANCE also.
By no means am I saying more support isn’t needed/wanted? Who doesn’t want more money/support to make things easier, and better? I am sure Gen Now would like more support/resources/funding for their Taste the Movement, that’s such a breath of fresh air, in Generating, no giving VOTES/support. 🙂
Or should I say CLOUT, so they can deliver that EQUAL CHANCE to the Good People of the Port, or should I say the Great People of the Port? Perhaps just the ” People” 🙂 Politically speaking.
I just never knew honesty, integrity, or justice for the people was generating political CLOUT, particularly from a proclaimed non-partisan group. 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/BPTGNVOTES/posts/pfbid0345MhtNhaKChQ47CQ2MmTsDQiu8r9xUXZc8vdc4wJWHHhUY8DnvmSsSteAwoGyhU5l
Though, EQUITY, shouldn’t be confused with EQUAL CHANCE, support/benefit doesn’t always mean a new hire with benefits. I think capital investment in schools is pretty important, to say the least. Not just for the student’s benefit but for the teachers and staff as well.
After seeing/experiencing Port’ HCC on Barnum Ave. I can attest to the progress support the Port has taken to improve its educational system just by looking/walking through the doors of its new and remodeling efforts on its schools. Hopefully, the Port will continue such upgrades to its schools with the help of Hartford, I would assume. I am sure such support would help attract” the needed “qualified” teachers. So I hope these endeavors don’t end with the New Bassick High, I heard Columbus can use and upgrade.
No, I am not talking about the ever-important of name change either. 🙂
Don’t get me wrong I am not saying nice buildings/environment is the end of all of the support needed. John has mentioned my extended comments. At HCC my English 101 Composition class consisted of three written assignments, 300 words, 500, words, and a 700-word that was like my final/thesis.
What I am trying to say is every long-winded comment is a thesis paper for me that is EQUAL to a semester/course. 🤣
John, you being a Yale man, just want to give you a perspective on the best ESL class ever. 🙂
BTW, Pencil Box, As I said, funding would seem to be a moot point if the Port can’t find/hire qualified teachers with the resource it is currently receiving. Also, you are not requesting an audit on how BBOE resources/finances are used and the disbursements of its EQUITY for nothing, right?
While your intentions are perhaps good, all politics is local and constant. Let’s not be misunderstood. 500K is nothing in the grand scheme of things it is just political fodder. Play nice, people,
It’s always a pleasure Pencil Box. What good is a Pencil without a Pencil Box? Play nice people. You too Gen Now, JS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDmxBn5k4Zg
P.S. Gen Now your non-partisan Tastes the Movement is the Three Amigos on injustice, but for Racism. 😂
I’m just playin’, you both are cute. 😎
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/c91ed7af-8d50-4ace-9685-eaef343d4447