Hebron Dollars & Sense

OK, so you all know that I'm pretty straightforward and don't like surprising people.

A Letter to the Editor from me is coming out in tomorrow's Rivereast, in which I state that I will be supporting the RHAM budget this year.

Why? Many reasons...

(1) RHAM used their stimulus money to create a new program for special education students (the Clinical Day Treatment Program) that will be funded with these stimulus funds for 1 1/2 years. If the program works, it will save taxpayers thousands and thousands of dollars over the years in terms of out-of-district tuition and transportation costs. Dr. Siminski publicly stated that if the program doesn't work, he'll be the first to drop it... but there are high hopes that the program will work.
(2) The Hebron Board of Education used their stimulus money to fund teacher salary accounts -- does that mean that we're stuck with those salaries forever?
(3) RHAM, for the next 2 years, is experiencing INCREASING student population. A 1.389% spending increase is acceptable for INCREASING student population, for which we as a community are responsible for. We're responsible for educating our Hebron students. I believe that all of us understand that and accept that responsibility. We've had some stellar students graduate from RHAM (even if they went to half-day kindergarten...)
(4) The Hebron Board of Education has DECLINING student population. A small (very small) increase might be acceptable, but not if the Board is going to move forward with unfunded, non-required programs like All Day Kindergarten, and... just two days after the highly attended Public Hearing... they hire a $100,000+ administrative position, a position that was questioned by the BOF and at the Public Hearing.
(5) The HBOE hired that administrative position -- funded strictly by local taxpayer money -- without posting the position so that other qualified candidates could apply, simply because they have a policy that they can do it. I believe that policy is illegal, but in this case it's legal to do it simply because they have the policy that allows them to do it. I want that policy revisited by a labor attorney. RHAM, on the other hand, has a similar policy, but posts ALL open positions. Recently, they posted for a Vice Principal at the Middle School, and had 78 applications. They involved board members and parents in making the decision. Recently, they posted an open Social Studies teacher, and had over 100 applicants. They "get it" and allow all qualified people to apply for the job(s) that you and I are paying for, and they allow you and I to have input on those decisions. It's still our money.
(6) Dr. Siminski has been extremely open, honest and transparent at public BOS and BOF meetings. He answers every question about every dollar. He answers in public, and he answers emails with detailed information.
(7) On the other hand, the Hebron Board of Education answers specific questions with "Don't worry about it.... it's all taken care of..." WHAT kind of answer is that?? Do they have a Sugar Daddy lined up, or is it just based on the fact that Connecticut debt is burying us all, we're all pretty much #$%^ over debt (that will be paid for by our future generations,) so what the heck? Why worry about more debt??? The kids will have to pay for it, so we adults should just not worry about it...
(8) If the RHAM budget is defeated, Dr. Siminski has already announced publicly the types of reductions he would make, without compromising quality. HOW open is that?
(9) If the Hebron Board of Education budget is passed, we will have no clue as to how our tax dollars will be spent for the betterment of Hebron elementary students because they voted DOWN their OWN budget??!!!
(10) If the Hebron Board of Education budget is defeated, just by the history of the past two months, we can expect the same stalling, non-answers, sometimes personal responses by a BOE member (such as "are you tone-deaf?")(that was a good one...)
(11) Because of their openness, and in studying the numbers in detail, I trust the honesty and integrity of RHAM Administration. If it goes down, they'll do the RIGHT thing for ALL students.
(12) Because of their secrecy and "Consent Agendas" (in which they approve $100,000+ administrative positions, which were NOT posted, and in which they did not allow public discussion because no one would second Kathy Shea's motion to discuss in public, just so the public could understand where their hard-earned money [or unemployment benefits] are going to), I do NOT trust the honesty and integrity of the Hebron Administration to do the RIGHT thing for ALL elementary students.

So, yes, folks, I'm voting Yes for RHAM, but until and unless something dramatically changes, I'm voting NO on the Town Budget because the Town Budget includes the Hebron Board of Education budget. I'm marking "Acceptable" on the RHAM budget on the advisory ballot.

I'm also voting Yes on CIP, with a notation on the Advisory Ballot that it is "Too Low."

It's so sad that we don't have bifurcation in this town, as so many other Connecticut municipalities do. That way, I could vote Yes on the General Government budget (a 0.22% increase) and No on the HBOE budget. I will, however, be noting on the Advisory Ballot that I believe the General Government budget is "Too Low", while I'm also voting that the Hebron Board of Education budget is "Too High"... simply because I have absolutely NO CLUE as to how they plan to spend my tax dollars.

But to make a point, stand on principals, and because of our current charter, I'm left in a position of being forced to vote NO on the total town budget.

Gonna Shock the World

Gonna Vote Ye$ On The Rham Budget

Az Much Az Eye Have Leaned On Siminski In The Pa$t, He Has "Gotten It" & Has Been Much More Transparent With His Numbers & thoughts.

He Is On The Record as Saying If Some Programs Don' Work Etc( Financial/Otherwise) They will Go BYE BYE, Sew Wee Will See On That

He HAS Listened To The BOF/BOS & The Public Requests & Has Not stepped All Over Himself With His statements Like Ellie & Doobie & The HBOE Minus 1 Have.

As To CIP, Gonna Vote NO, Until The Economy Improves. Flat Fund It.

As To The Town Budget

I'm Actually OK With It EXCEPT For 1 Itsy Bitsy thing

Any Form Of ADK That Is Included In The Budget Will Result In Me & Many Others From what I've Been Hearing To "VOTE NO" Until It Is ELIMINATED IN EVERY FORM From The Budget Line

ADK, ANYWAY, NO WAY, NO BUDGET

HDK FOR ALL!

SAVE C&E & MUSIC!!

No Politics: I always appreciate your insight. One point of clarification: the CIP budget IS flat-funded -- it came in at a 0% increase over last year. Also, CIP money also many times becomes the basis for grant applications. For example, CIP includes about $37K for repairs to the Horton House, which houses the Planning Department, and almost anyone doing business in Hebron has to go to Horton House.

The Hebron Historic Properties Commission recently partnered with the Town of Hebron on a grant application that was 100% successful! The mere $37K will be matched 100% by the State so that ALL needed repairs to that building get done. For those concerned about economic development, that's important. If we're going to encourage economic development, we need a building for those purposes where people came come to do business without side-stepping the buckets to catch leaking rain water from the roof.

Not that Howie, our Town Cat, will go away at the Horton House. As Chief Mouser, he's doing a great job and at his current rate of pay (a little food and water), he pays the rent on his lodgings by his in-kind services!

Be very careful, be very wary. The HBOE has called a "Special Meeting" for Monday, April 26. Agenda includes Budget and "BOE Self Evaluation." Posted at Town Office Building Thursday 4/22 p.m. at 3:22 p.m.... Thanks for the notice, folks... not even on their website...

The Board could give up ADK as simply a "Trojan Horse" just to discourage people to vote and fill out that ALL important Advisory Ballot which includes a question on Bifurcation. If not enough people turn out to vote AND fill out the Advisory question demanding bifurcation, we're doing nothing but delaying Thermopylae... Don't be misled if they give in on ADK in the final hours.

Taxpayers deserve the right to have full public disclosure and information well in advance of a referendum, and not days before a referendum. As with everything else the HBOE has done, this last minute meeting -- and it's "real" objectives, whatever they may be at this late hour -- obscure the real picture.

I'm also concerned about the Executive Session on BOE Self Evaluation. If this is an Executive Session to take Kathy Shea to the cleaners over her honesty with the general public, then THAT policy also needs to change -- apparently those folks have another white-sheet-with-two-holes-cut-out-for-eyeballs policy that forbids board members to speak out against a board-approved budget. Right or wrong, can't do it. I got that from a former BOE member... because of course, unless you'll willing to pony up the $500 the BOE requested for a copy of their board policies (even though RHAM policies available online for free) -- we don't know the exact language of that specific policy.

Can you imagine? The Hebron Administration is SO POOR that their secretaries are typing policies on old IBM typewriters, so of course there's no electronic copy of their board policies available to the public (in accordance with State FOI requirements), so they're asking us to pay up to $500 for a xerox copy of the policies??

Think about it. They have a copier to make $500 worth of copies, but they don't have computers with hard drives to provide electronic copies of board policies??? Does anyone other than me see the total humor in that scenario??? Is the Board telling me that all they have is 1970's IBM Selectric typewriters incapable of keeping electronic copies of something as important as board policies??? That's the answer from the HBOE Chair: pony up $500 and we'll give you copies. Copies of WHAT??? You give me the answer, 'cuz I'm hard pressed to explain it. If nothing else, you can't even buy ribbons for those old typewriters anymore.

Which, if you think about it, makes sense and is consistent with their "Don't Ask 'Cuz We're Not Telling" attitude. They're typing on blank white pages with nothing printed because they have no ribbons to actually type out the words on a piece of paper. So we're getting what we paid for BUT NOT what we've asked for: BLANK PAGES.

I hope you're up off the floor from laughter by now at the ludicrous nature of this entire debate. After all: it's the basis of the HBOE budget for FY 2010-11 budget: blank pages of ludicrousness. If you know me, you know I'm laughing myself to death.

"When it doesn't make sense, it's not true." Gotta love Judge Judy's wisdom...

Thanks For The CIP Clarification Admin, Had BRAIN LOCK On It.

I ALWAYS ASSUME A Increase In this Town , So If It's Flat Funded, You'll Get A Yea Vote from Me

So Our Hero Kathy Shea's Gonna Get Reamed Out For Speaking The Truth You say Eh?

Hmmm, The Soviet Republic Of Ellie Lives On Eye Sea

Unle$$ They Got Sumthing to Hide (QUITE PO$$IBLY) And That They Are PUBLICLY ELECTED Official$( Anything Such as This Should Be Out In A PUBLIC DOMAIN

Are They Trying To SMOTHER Her 1st Amendment Rights??

This Is Hebronbury, Not Russia

GOTTA GO!

Even the Supreme Court provides an opportunity for the dissenter to write an opinion and defend the opposing view. Ms Shea needs to get this “no dissent“ policy on the agenda for debate. Maybe she will even get a second this time. Ms Shea and the HBOE need the support of more parents – we have learned our lesson and won’t be missing any more meetings.

Regarding access to HBOE Policy and Procedure Manual – many towns leave it open for easy access at the district office if they do not have it on line. They also provide an opportunity to copy and take with you any policy you may need. This is a large document as evidenced by the cost - at .10 a copy it is 5,000 pages and at .50 it is 1,000 pages. In 20 years of being involved in the schools of my children I have NEVER had to use FAOI to obtain information from the Manual. I can not believe the free flow of information is intentionally being compromised by stifling dissent of HBOE members and restricting access to public documents.

Loreta ... the policy and procedure manual is available in central office. I have not made time to go there and check it out. Here was the last correspondence from the Chair when I stated I refused to believe (in this day and age) it was NOT in electronic format. Here is the text from an email she sent to me on March 15th (cut and pasted from the email):

"As I indicated in my prior emails, our entire policy manual is not available in an electronic format. However, sections of the Manual that directly impact students, such as bullying, are posted on the website. In order to post the entire manual on line, we would need to purchase additional memory for our server, which would cost between $250-$500 and divert a staff person’s time away from their regular duties to scan the three volumes of information.

We are familiar with CABE’s electronic service and have not budgeted for the costs. The start-up cost associated with the service is $5,300 ($2,700 for the initial set-up, plus an additional $2,600 because our manuals are so comprehensive). There is an additional annual cost of $2,000 a year from that point forward.

Inasmuch as your current inquiry is the only request we have received, I do not believe it makes economic sense for the District to incur either of these costs at this time. The manuals are available during business hours at the Superintendent’s office or you may request individual policies pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act.

Jane Dube, Chair
Hebron Board of Education"