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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE DAY By the WPCNR Roving Photographer. February 16, 2009: Today’s shot highlights frostbite sailors off the entrance of Mamaroneck Harbor Sunday afternoon.
Mayor to Brief Council on State of Exchequer. No Union layoffs w/o Consent
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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. February 14, 2009: In response to repeated inquiries about specific cuts department-by-department in White Plains, rumors of job cuts, and rumors of city hall closings, the Mayor’s Office issued a statement to WPCNR Friday evening declaring that a briefing on the state of the city finances would be given to the Common Council next Thursday evening, February 19.
The statement from Melissa Lopez, the Mayor’s media spokesperson reads: ” (at) the Common Council meeting on Feb 19 the council will be updated on all budget concerns.
He (Paul Wood, City Executive Officer, also said that, “legaly, contractually, we cannot cut union jobs mid year without an agreement from the unions.”
Mayor Delfino wants to preserve jobs not make cuts so we are continuing to speak to the unions about various alternatives that cannot be disclosed right now.”
At the Council of Neighborhood Associations meeting this week, Augie Zicca, reporting on the state of the Department of Public Safety told delegates present that the firefighters loved their new 24-hour shifts, there had been no absentees, and no overtime. He also told the CNA, the department was a full strength and that there would be no layoffs.
The city has been working on cutting the city budget since early December, but has not issued a specific overview of all cuts and savings, though noting cuts of approximately 25 part-time personnel at the White Plains Library, the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Public Works. This week the annual Camp Chill camp for ice-skaters at Ebersole Rink was not held, apparently because of budget cuts at the Department of Recreation and Parks, despite earlier reports that no programs would be cut as a result of the layoffs.
Looking at the Long Tall Lean Guy from Illinois
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WPCNR’s The Daily Bailey. By John F. Bailey. February 12, 2009 Reprinted from the WPCNR Archives: Today marks the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, whose Presidential performance during the Civil War (1861-1865) was perhaps the most admirable of any American President. He had to create things as he went, dealing with a complex political issue: slavery, while deciding to fight a war to preserve a divided nation.
How did Abraham Lincoln handle pressure and political opportunists? He did not have press agents and spinmasters and talk show hosts and superior punditry critiquing his every move and loading him up with advice.
Though he did have the “crusading editors” and “editorial boards” of his day. Let’s take a look at the Big Guy from Illinois:
In the days of Lincoln, media coverage was simply print media, however, the amount of reporting on the burning issues of the day was far more detailed than today with dozens of newspapers presenting the chronicles of burning issues. For Lincoln’s presidency was the presidency of the nation’s greatest crisis in its eighty-five year history:
The Civil War.
It is interesting to note how President Lincoln conducted himself in dealing with America’s interests, its factions, pulling him to free the slaves.
When Lincoln was running for the Presidency in 1860 at the Republican Convention in riproaring Chicago, he was up against James Seward, a powerful New York politician. However, the western states at the time were highly distrustful of the New York political machine. Lincoln won over support by taking a position of what was good for the nation as a whole.
Taking a Position and Working To it
Lincoln first gave notice of his potential for the Presidency when he impressed Horace Greeley, influential editor of the New York Tribune with a fiery speech at the Cooper Union in February, 1860, delivering a sharp criticism of the South, hard on the heels of South Carolina’s secession from the Union. The speech included these words,
You say you will not abide the election of a Republican President. In that supposed event, you say, you will destroy the Union; and then, you say, the great crime of having destroyed it will be upon us! (The northern states) That is cool. A highwayman holds a pistol to my ear, and mutters through his teeth, “Stand and deliver, or I shall kill you, and then you will be a murderer!”
Greeley printed the speech in his Tribune the next day, scooping the other New York papers, by simply asking Lincoln for a copy of the speech. The subsequent printing in the popular Trib, sent Mr. Lincoln on his way. As William Harlan Hale’s biography of Mr. Greeley (Horace Greeley: Voice of the People)describes the scene at “The original Trib’s” offices, as remembered by Amos Cummings, a young proofreader:
Amos Cummings, then a young proofreader, remembered the lanky westerner appearing over his shoulder amid the noise of the pressroom late at midnight, drawing up a chair, adjusting his spectacles, and in the glare of the gaslight reading each galley (of the Cooper Union speech) with scrupulous care and then rechecking his corrections, oblivious to his surroundings.
A Comeback President
Lincoln had been a highly successful politician from Illinois in the 1830s and 1840s. He was three times elected to the state legislature, and The Kunhardts’ The American Presidency reports he was “a recognized expert at forming collations…he learned how to keep secrets, how to trade favors, how to use the press to his advantage. And he cultivated his relationship with the party hierarchy.”
Graff’s book writes that Lincoln was described as “ruthless,” that he “handled men remotely like pieces on a chessboard.” Humor and frankness were character traits.
Lincoln was elected a congressman, only to serve just one term.
Lincoln had been practicing corporate law privately and had lost interest in politics by 1854, until the repeal of The Missouri Compromise, which had restricted slavery to the southern states. Lincoln felt stirred to come back. He spoke out against the spread of slavery, running for the senate in 1858 against William Douglas, unsuccessfully.
Saving the Union His Mantra
As the furor over slavery and the South’s threats to secede grew, a crisis of spirit and purpose in this nation which makes today’s concerns about terrorism as a threat to America, pale in comparison, Lincoln realized that the Union was the larger issue. He expressed this in response to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, an influential figure at the Republican (Whig) Convention in Chicago in 1860. Greeley was the kingmaker at the 1860 Chicago convention who eventually swung the western states for Lincoln, giving the man from Illinois the nomination on the third ballot over William Seward, the candidate of the Thurlow Weed “New York Machine.”
Greeley then tried to influence the President-Elect to free the slaves. (Lincoln was being lobbied by the still-powerful Weed-Seward faction to compromise with the southern states on the issue of slavery).
Standing Tall Against Pressure.
Lincoln refused to free the slaves as one of the first acts of his presidency, standing firm to hold the union together, when he announced his attention not to do so, on his way to Washington after being elected. His words in this time of international tension, are worth remembering as America considers starting a war for the first time. Lincoln said:
I have often inquired of myself what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy (the Union, he means), so long together. It was not the mere matter of separation of the colonies from the motherland, but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty not alone to the single people of this country, but hope to all the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weights would be lifted from the shoulders of all men, and that all should have an equal chance.
Seeing the Big Picture.
After Fort Sumter was fired upon, Lincoln was pressured harder to free the slaves. Still, Lincoln held firm. Mr. Greeley published a blistering open letter to the President, he called “The Letter of Twenty Millions,” meaning his readers (slightly exaggerated)in The New York Tribune. Greeley’s letter took the President to task for not freeing the slaves now that the Civil War was on, writing, “all attempts to put down the rebellion and at the same time uphold its inciting cause are preposterous and futile.”
President Lincoln responded with an open letter which Greeley published in The Tribune. President Lincoln’s letter is instructive as to how a President moves in crisis, when a nation is ripped apart to calm and state his position. He begins with a conciliatory tone, calming Greeley’s bombast:
…If there be perceptible in it (Greeley’s letter) an impatient and dictatorial tone, I waive it in deference to an old friend whose heart I have always supposed to be right.
As to the policy I “seem to be pursuing,” as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt. I would save the Union. I would save it in the shortest way under the Constitution.
The sooner the national authority can be restored the nearer the Union will be – the Union as it was.
If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them.
If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them.
If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it – if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it – and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.
What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union, and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union.
I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I believe doing more will help the cause.
I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors, and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be new views.
I have here stated my purpose according to my views of official duty, and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free, Yours
A. Lincoln
Wearied by War
Horace Greeley described the toll the Civil War had taken on Mr. Lincoln, seeing him in person shortly beforeGeneral Lee surrendered. Greeley wrote:
Lincoln’s face had nothing in it of the sunny, gladsome countenance he first brought from Illinois. It is now a face haggard with care and seamed with thought and trouble…tempest-tossed and weatherbeaten, as if he were some tough old mariner who had for years been beating up against the wind and tide, unable to make his port or find safe anchorage…The sunset of life was plainly looking out of his kindly eyes.”
Note: In recognition of Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Monday, WPCNR reprints this column about perhaps the greatest President of them all.
City of White Plains Idling Less, Reducing Carbon Footprint!
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WPCNR CITY HALL CIRCUIT. From The Mayor’s Office. February 11, 2009: White Plains Mayor Joseph M. Delfino announced today that a city practice is cited as one of “5 Ways to Turn Traffic Greener” in the February issue of AAA New York’s Car & Travel Monthly. “The article deals with what government can do to improve fuel economy, cut greenhouse gasses and boost safety, it and praises White Plains for having computer synchronized traffic lights in place for years,” said Mayor Delfino. “If you were to visit Traffic Commissioner Tom Soyk’s office here in City Hall, you’d think you were in NASA’s ground control center. It’s very high-tech, with screens and monitors showing the actual real-time traffic flow.”
As one of the first Mayors in the nation to sign the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ “Climate Protection Agreement,” Delfino has committed White Plains to reducing its carbon footprint by taking action to reduce the City’s global warming emissions and preserve and enhance its natural environment. To determine the best means toward that end, Delfino appointed the Green Technology Committee in January 2008. This advisory committee — comprised of key City staff, private sector architects, engineers, lawyers, planners, developers and contractors, and a representative from each of the Common Council, Planning Board, and Design Review Board — will soon present to the Common Council its recommendations on ways the public and private sectors of White Plains can work individually and collectively to accomplish the Mayor’s objectives.
As one forerunner to the Green Technology Committee, the current traffic light system was initiated years ago. Known nationally for his expertise and cutting-edge innovations in the traffic field, Commissioner Soyk has received numerous awards for blending state-of-the-art technology with sound, common sense practices. “There are many ways that we improve the economy and safety of travel for both drivers and pedestrians in White Plains, but one of the most impressive is our traffic monitoring which feeds data to computers that control the City’s 130 traffic lights,” explained Soyk. “In responsive mode, the computer can select the optimal signal timing based on conditions and plans we’ve defined and this saves drivers about 900,000 hours in delays and 875 gallons of gas annually.”
When traffic flows as it does in White Plains, decreased idling at lights reduces exhaust emissions and lowers the City’s carbon footprint. In addition to the benefits to drivers and the environment, Mayor Delfino points out that despite the growth of the city by 7,000 in the last eight years and an ever-increasing traffic volume, “the injury-related collision rate in White Plains is the lowest it’s been since 1969. For all these reasons, we are so very fortunate to have such a professional Traffic Department managing the traffic operations in our City.”
Party Leader: Democrats Have Not Made Their Choice:
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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. February 11, 2009: Elizabeth Shollenberger, Chair of the White Plains Democratic City Committee has issued a letter to WPCNR assuring the public no Democrat candidate for Mayor next fall has been decided. Strong rumors had surfaced last week saying that Benjamin Boykin, the Common Council President, was the front runner for the standard bearer to unseat the Delfino Administration after twelve years, and that Adam Bradley the Assemblyman was not the choice. Mr. Bradley contacted by WPCNR after the rumor refused to confirm, Yes or No, whether he was interested in running for Mayor. Tuesday he told WPCNR in a wide ranging conversation he would do what he thought would be in the best interests of the people he serves. He also said it was premature. Benjamin Boykin did not respond to a message left at his residence as to whether he was building a strong base of support for the nomination.
Queried on who was in the running, Shollenberger declined to name any possibilities, saying that would be premature, though it is to be taken up next month. Asked what she thought was the major issue the Democrats would run the Delfino Administration, she said “transparency,” saying that the administration did not work with the Common Council and did not let the council in on their planning. She also said the deals the city made with developers the last eight years should have been better negotiated.
Ms. Shollenberger’s letter::
To the Editor:
You recently ran a story saying that the White Plains Democratic City Committee had already made its choice for Mayor. Your unnamed “informed sources” are dead wrong. As the Chair of the group, I can assure you that we have reached no consensus, formal or informal
It’s the first week of February, and the City Committee, not surprisingly, has not yet begun to screen candidates for the 2009 November election, now still nine months away. When we begin the process, we will let you and other media know. I assure you that the party will be fielding a slate of hard-working, community-minded Democrats for the local elections, including a strong, intelligent, and experienced mayoral candidate, but we have not yet done so.
Liz Shollenberger
WPCNR notes that what WPCNR actually wrote was “Adam Bradley, widely expected to run for Mayor next year, will not be the City Committee choice to run for Mayor, and that Councilman Benjamin Boykin is currently the Democrat being groomed to run for Mayor, according to informed sources.”
When WPCNR heard these reports, WPCNR contacted Mr. Bradley to see whether he had informed the City Committee he did not want to run.
Mr. Bradley would not say he was interested in running for Mayor and a candidate, and would not say that he was not interested either, saying it was too early. Conversation with Mr. Bradley Tuesday indicate he is weighing rather to run for Mayor, but has not made a decision. He feels he has done a lot of good in the Assembly in passing meaningful legislation and appears torn between the opportunity for continued good work in the Assembly, and pressure to run for Mayor.
Teacher Leader: Assess Administrators. Smart Cuts. Ideas Lost in Translation
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. February 10, 2009:
.In a five-minute address to the Board of Education, Kerry Broderick, President of the White Plains Teachers Association gave new evidence of a festering schism that has been driven between teachers and administration by annual almost ritual reinventions of the curriculum to fix test scores and achievement gaps driven by consultants and teacher improvement programs. The thrust of her address was that teachers know best – not outsiders – or administrators who are not in the classroom and that the administration does not want to listen to the teachers on classroom procedures.
The White Plains Teachers (numbering 651) are approaching their second mediation session with the school district being administered by a New York State Public Employers Relations Board-appointed mediator, scheduled for February 26.. (The teachers have been working without a contract since last June.)
Broderick said: “Last September we were aware of the economic fall. Our White Plains Teachers Association focused on the bigger picture that involved the entire community to create a bigger picture that served the best natural resource of
In November, we reiterated our concerns on spending large amounts of money on so-called experts who have imposed initiatives on teachers with minimal financial support and absolutely no independent assessment on the impact these initiatives have had. We ask the Board (of Education) and administration to please tell the teachers and the community why any assessment has not been done, why it cannot be done.
I’m here again this evening speaking on behalf of my 651 colleagues. We are in very difficult economic times. We must work together to make smart cuts and maintain smart spending. We need to maintain the educational gains we have made and to do that we must agree to put our teachers in front of the students, not consultants.
We have good ideas. Money-saving ideas for program changes. But, alas, our requests are lost in translation. The goals of the White Plains Teachers Association are to maintain the educational quality of this district, to insure our members are treated fairly and the district uses its resources wisely.
We can only do this when we work in an open and honest environment where the hard decisions are made collectively in the light of day.”
Board Approves Contract for New Superintendent. Nothing New on Budget Cuts
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. February 9, 2009 UPDATED 10:00 A.M. E.D.T.: The Board of Education today voted unanimously to hire Dr. Christopher Clouet, currently Superintendent of Schools for New London, Connecticut, as the White Plains Superintendent for four years through 2013. Clouet told WPCNR the Board of Education has charged him with following out the District Strategic Plan, which Dr. Clouet said was specific. Clouet said he would be “keeping abreast” of current budget development, but did not anticipate making any suggestions. He said he planned to move to White Plains and become part of the community and participate in White Plains.
“I’m very happy to have this opportunity,” Clouet told WPCNR, and said that when he came on board July 1, one of the first tasks he would undertake is program evaluation. “I have yet to know all the programs, and I’ll be getting to know them as my first priorty and I’ll be doing an analysis of the programs with the administration. A lot of what’s right in the White Plains schools is because of the programs.”
Clouet told the audience, “I’m indeed very excited about following the very big footprints left by Tim Connors. I look forward to the challenge but it will take me awhile before I catch up with what Tim has been able to accomplish here. But I look forward to that challenge, I am delighted to be moving to White Plains with my wife to be a member of the community and to participate on a regular basis, a daily basis, in the schools with parents, students who are here tonight, staff and other members of the community…I’m honored, I look forward to the challenges. I feel very much competitive and up to the challenge, although I know there will be joy and sorrow as there always is in life, but I look forward to that and look forward to being a part of your community.
According to Michele Schoenfeld, Clerk to the Board, Dr. Clouet will receive a salary of $210,000 a year for four years (with possibility of the Board increasing the salary). Clouet will also receive a $10,000 allowance for relocation expenses, and will be paying some of his benefits. There is no buyout clause, according to Ms. Schoenfeld. There is also no district payment for purchasing a home , she said.
Donna McLaughlin, President of the Board of Education, paid tribute to the outgoing Superintendent of Schools, Tim Connors, (left), remarking; “Tim will be leaving us soon. Tim has been an unbelievable Superintendent, taking the district to the next level. He came in at a time when we were struggling a little bit (2002), and the district was not very happy with the board. He was very helpful in mending all those fences and bringing everybody together again. At this time, I wanted to say thank you, Tim.”
In other action, the Superintendent of Schools said he would not be submitting a revised Preliminary Budget Monday evening as previously promised. He said he “needed more time” to work with the administration to review how and where cuts were to be made. He said the new preliminary budget would be presented to the Board of Education February 23 and presented to the public February 25 at the second Community Forum.
“We’re very excited about bringing Dr. Clouet to the district. We’ve had a long search that started last spring.” McLaughlin said Hazard, Young & Attea, the superintendent search firm the district used, sampled opinion in
“They (Hazard, Young & Attea) did an unbelievable job. They brought in five wonderful candidates that the Board interviewed and narrowed it down to three. We had some other people from the community as well as our staff interview the three finalists. After that we decided on Dr. Clouet. We all were very excited about him. We took a team up to
McLaughlin cited no accomplishments that Dr. Clouet has achieved in citing the reasons for the Board decision. Clouet, according to WPCNR research has improved performance in the New London elementary schools, while the schools are still struggling to meet state standards. (See previous stories on the New London School District)
A WPCNR source who had interviewed the three finalists, said that one candidate did not demonstrate knowledge of their district to their satisfaction, and the third whom they expected to be impressive did not interview well, whatever that means. The source said Dr. Clouet was by far the most impressive in his answers compared to the other two finalists in the interview they had.
In other action…
The Board was presented with an explanation as to why costs for the White Plains High School pool filter replacement were going up. Russ Davidson, the architect for the infrastructure project said the Westchester County Department of Health demanded structural changes be incorporated to the pool itself, along with the filter project. This will cost $500,000, he said. Kaeyer Garment & Davidson was approved to receive $51,000 in fees for doing the pool study as to what had to be executed to satisfy county demands.
Fred Seiler reported that the $66.5 Million capital project was $5 Million under budget. The Superintendent reported that that $5 Million by law could not be transferred from the capital project into the general fund to fund next year’s budget.
Dr. Margaret Dwyer presented a new Language Other than English program for the Middle School that would bring additional language courses to the Highlands Middle School. It was well received. If the program was to involve seventh and eighth grades only at both Eastview and Highlands, the additional $360,000 in costs would be paid for out of savings from retirements going into next year. If the option of beginning language at the sixth grade levels in both schools was chosen it would cost $560,000 and the additional $200,000 would be an additional expense in next year’s budget. Donna McLaughlin cautioned that this was part of the school budget challenged, keeping the district moving forward while balancing budget concerns.
Two parents and one student spoke in support of keeping the Newcomer Center. Kelly Broderick, the had of the White Plains Teachers Association spoke challenging the district to negotiate with the teachers and to limit consultants and administrators. Augie Zicca spoke urging the district to hold any budget tax increase to zero, and to look into a law he said Eliot Spitzer had signed last year, allowing the district to defer certiorari payments into the future.
Board Applauds After Voting to Approve Dr. Clouet’s contract.
Dr. Clouet, (Center), watching his future being created. Robert Stackpole, left, and Jacqueline Mackin of the district business office look on.
Cue Dr. Clouet
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. News & Comment By John F. Bailey. February 9, 2009: Dr. Christopher Clouet, the Superintendent from
Dr. Christopher Clouet steps into a position that for the sake of the schools and
The
The Board of Education has for the nine years I have been reporting on this district accepted excuse after excuse and incremental gain after incremental gain in the achievement gap hand-wringing crisis. They have approved budget after budget doubling inflation rates in increases year after year. They have spent money on projects whose need is because they would be nice.
The Board has been masterfully compromised by administrators who do not take responsibility and make excuse after excuse for not delivering results and not being able to show results reliably. Every year the budget is decided upon before the previous year’s School Report Cards are published by the state (a disgrace).
25% of the Boston City School Budget
The White Plains budget, educuating 7,123 students with 5 elementary schools, two Middle Schools and one high school, has grown to the point AT $184.4 Million where it is slightly less than 25% of the school budget for the city of
Well, this year, Timothy Connors the present Superintendent leaves June 30 turning over the leadership to Dr. Clouet.
Clouet is a used to a small budget, $50 Million compared to this year’s budget of $184.4 Million for the
Dr. Clouet instead moves into
A Poisoned Atmosphere
However all is not “all for the kids this year.” The Board of Education who this year has suddenly discovered that perhaps a 6% to7% increase in a budget might be a little politically incorrect this year. They have declared war on the Teachers Union and are handing Clouet a charged negotiation atmosphere.
It never occurred to the Board of Education as they ran up the budget compounding and raising expenses the last nine years that the public income was not keeping pace with their school taxes. The Board of Education even refused to negotiate with the White Plains Teachers Association over a contract, throwing the ball to the New York State Public Employers Relations Board going to mediation.
This is the situation Dr. Clouet steps into: the question is what does the Board of Education really want him to do? Cut the budget next year? Close the Achievement Gap? Rein in spending more? Bring in fund-raising from the community and the state to shore up the budget? Trim the teaching staff or increase it? Negotiate a contract and tweak a pay and step schedule that pays new teachers less going forward and trims step increases? Trim the fat from the administration or tone it up? Evaluate programs more effectively? Make the faculty bilingually correct and effective?
Those are just some of the issues the Board of Education needs to decide and tell Dr. Clouet. It’s called leadership. And perhaps if they have given Dr. Clouet a “To Do” list, perhaps they should tell the public what it is, instead of a Strategic Plan that is developed behind closed doors.
Or does the Board of Education just want an earnest, committed and charismatic Superintendent to sell the budget? Dr. Clouet does not appear to be that kind of man. He deliberately puts himself into very hard situations and gets beat up but keeps fighting for what he believes in, apparently.
When this search for a new Superintendent began, I wrote a mock ad for what
WANTED
Savior of Schools
For
Experience: Proven credentials as a leader or Assistant Superintendent of a school district of up to 10,000 students of diverse population.
He or she should bring to the district a demonstrated record of academic improvement in upgrading academic performances of a diverse student body in a 3-year or less time interval with a significant ESOL student population in a district respected by the collegiate community, demonstrated by the number of students continuing to collegiate education.
They should be capable and familiar with the challenges of and demonstrated ability to manage a school budget of $200 Million for maximum educational achievement with prudent financial cost conservation in the face of dwindling taxpayer support and significantly increased costs.
He or she should be able to interact productively with parents, taxpayers, faculty and administrations and city management to contain costs in a manner that will not overburden taxpayers and compromise quality of education.
Proven Administrator Motivator
Able to reorganize district management, academic administration, and information reporting to demonstrate timely feedback on the effectiveness of skills, practices, and managers.
Innovative Amiable but Firm Negotiator
Able to work with teaching faculty to attract high quality new recruits with pay-benefits ratios acceptable by employee to deliver bottomline effectiveness, arresting out of control salary escalation now affecting district – with pragmatic department-trimming skills to lower overall budget.
Endowment Specialist/Fundraiser –
Able to interact with the community, city and government to build a district endowment fund to transition the district from a totally taxpayer supported operation into an endowment/taxpayer combination to finance major new construction and limited borrowing.
Innovator – problem-solver
Capable of undertaking a major cost-cutting management initiatives to lower the costs of operations without sacrificing educational effectiveness.
Salary: $300,000K and Up Plus generous incentive package based on performance in bringing school budget growth under control.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Let’s see how they did.
Dr. Clouet appears to fit these parameters in some respects, and not in others. His present district is just 3,000 students, but it is about 80% black and Hispanic.
Demonstrated record of improvement after three years. It depends on whom you talk to in
Cost cutting? Wow. Where does he start with that one?
A complete overhaul of the maintenance program would be in order. How do you budget $3 Million a year for maintenance of the schools and wind up in 5 years having to borrow $15 Million for infrastructure improvements? How about use of teaching assistants? Do we really need a high school office the size of the White House greet staff (I exaggerate to make a point)? Interaction with the city? Good luck on that one. Maintenance in
He or she should be able to interact productively with parents, taxpayers, faculty and administrations and city management to contain costs in a manner that will not overburden taxpayers and compromise quality of education.
Proven Administrator Motivator
Able to reorganize district management, academic administration, and information reporting to demonstrate timely feedback on the effectiveness of skills, practices, and managers.
That’s going to be tough because the management, academic administration and data people say they do that now, but the district year after year cannot get meaningful figures on data. The district pays 4 data processing executives close to a million dollars a year in salary and benefits and we can’t get the data we want. Clouet is a data specialist and is closely attuned to measuring results. This should be an interesting conflict and interaction. Let’s face it: if you provide inconclusive data, nothing changes, because you can’t make a decision. That has been the strategy (whether intentional or just convenient incompetence on the part of the administration) that has kept things moving along to the $200 Million level in the
Innovative Amiable but Firm Negotiator
Dr. Clouet based on his record in
In
Administrative talent evaluation. Here is where Clouet will be most challenged. Who does he really need? What positions does he want to keep and what eliminate? More to the point, what does the Board of Education want him to do?
But, I digress.
Endowment Specialist/ Fund-Raiser
Here, Dr. Clouet, with his boundless enthusiasm and relentness questing that he demonstrated in
Innovator-Problem Solver.
This apparently is Dr. Clouet’s strength. My description above in the mock job ad I created, focused on cost-cutting. But that may be short-sighted. Is it time to rethink the busing that goes on in
Class-size? Can smarter students have larger classes? The list is endless.
The
Meeting the Parents
Dr. Clouet has apparently passed with flying colors the power-groups that the Board of Education allowed to meet him prior to his being announced. So he has already been seen as a “friend to education,” “a supporter of the kids,” and has heard a litany of their hopes and dreams of the realtors, the neighborhood movers and shakers, the teachers, the district administration.
Dr. Clouet at the High School January 29.
Will he work for them or work for what apparently, given the future the district faces, dwindling tax base and compounding school budget, a repackaging of the district to make it something White Plains can afford?
Does he see his job as an assignment to keep the status quo by finding ways to pump more money into it and sell the taxpayers on it, or does he see his job as trimming the fat while making education better? What has the Board told him they want him to do, again?
Introduction to the Community.
Dr. Clouet visited
He impressed the audience, saying he took the
He said on the subject of testing that he felt exhaustive testing diminished the district ability to nurture the spirit of learning in children, but nevertheless realized the necessity for testing. He felt tests should not be given every year, but perhaps every other year. This was a very politically neutral statement.
He said to a question from a person who did not have students going to the district schools that he was aware of the tax pressures on such families. He told WPCNR he had met with the Mayor of White Plains and been acquainted with the tax pressures in the district from assessments and other matters.
He strongly supported language programs and the dual language program just begin in the White Plains Public Schools. He has started a similar program in
He acknowledged that he considered himself a good fund-raiser and hoped to bring about private corporate funds in the district through his contact in the city as a way to bring more revenue to the district.
He praised the district Strategic Plan. This plan by the way, is the plan for moving the district forward – without any specific ways or commitments in place of achieving its objectives.
He is personable, earnest and radiates enthusiasm that wins over an audience. You could see him easily selling a budget to the PTA, the League of Women Voters, and the parents of the district very easily. He is, if any one person could be more Tim Connors-like than the present Superintendent, Tim Connors, that person.
Working With Connors, Monitoring.
I asked him after the talk if he would be working closely with outgoing Superintendent, Mr. Connors. He said, taking a cue from President Obama , that there can only be one superintendent at a time, but would be keeping in close touch with Connors to monitor budget developments. Asked if he would have veto power on any cuts in the budget now being shaped, he said he would not.
He said he believed in teacher input in curriculum and listening to teachers in the classroom as to how to improve programs. That will play well to the White Plains Teachers Association which is on record as deploring the district reliance on consulting.
What was sad about the community meeting with Dr. Clouet were the questions that were not asked. There were no hard questions.
The parents acted worried and seemed to seek reassurance from this man, that he had his heart in the right place, and would continue school as we know it in
No one asked about his experience in
But
No one asked how he might change the operations of the
The head of the teachers union thought Dr. Clouet was an excellent choice because of his intelligence.
This is a dream job for Dr. Clouet, He has never worked in a district that was an upper middle class school district. He said the right things, promised even more community involvement and parent interaction than we have now. (
We shall see.
Tonight the Board of Education will authorize the President of the Board of Education to hire him.
I and we should wish him well and support him.
He is going to need our support.
And we need to tell him what we want directly.
Board of Education Set to Sign Up Dr. Clouet as Superintendent of Schools in Jul
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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. February 7, 2009: The Board of Education is set to approve the President of the Board of Education to enter into a contract with Dr. Christoper Clouet, currently Superintendent of the New London Schools, to become Superintendent of the White Plains Schools Monday evening. Dr. Clouet, according to School District Clerk to the Board of Education, Michele Schoenfeld, is expected to attend the meeting at Education House. Ms. Schoenfeld would not disclose terms of the proposed contract.
Dr. Clouet In for Tim Connors, Starting in July. Dr. Christopher P. Clouet, addressing concerned citizens, faculty and administrators of White Plains Schools last week at a Community “Meet and Greet” at White Plains High School.
The outgoing Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors is scheduled to provide a budget update on the district efforts to cut the budget down to $184.4 Million or less. He will also announce a program on Closing the Achievement Gap to be held in March and a new 21st Century Plan for the Elementary Schools.
The Agenda:
Opening of Meeting:
Pledge of Allegiance
Moment of silence in memory of Kathryn Hirsch
Oral Announcements by the Board President and Board Members
II. Communications:
III. Public Participation: (The Board will entertain comments from the public on any issue, with a time limit of three minutes per person, and a maximum total of 25 minutes.)
IV. Superintendent’s Report:
Budget Update
Program on Closing the Achievement Gap, March 3rd,
High School Recognition
21st Century Program for Elementary Schools
V. Summary Action Items:
Recommended approval of minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 12, 2009 and the Special Meetings of January 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, and 26, 2009.
Recommended approval of the school calendar for 2009-10.
Recommended acceptance of a donation of $1,650 from the Foundation for Public Education in White Plains, Inc., for the Academic Team trip to the national competition.
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Recommended approval to use the High School gyms for a Special Olympic Basketball Competition on Sunday, March 15, 2009.
5. Recommended approval to arrange for the appropriate program and services for students with
disabilities, as recommended by the Committee on Special Education: 59 cases, as per
attachment.
6. Recommended approval to arrange for the appropriate program and services for students with
disabilities, as recommended by the Committee on Preschool Special Education: 33 cases, as
per attachment.
7. Recommended approval of the appointment of Chairpersons for the Special Education
Subcommittee for 2008-09, as per attachment.
8. Recommended approval that all employees previously granted a conditional appointment and
who have not received conditional clearance from the State Education Department be granted another conditional appointment for 20 days.
Civil Service Staffing:
9. Recommended acceptance of the resignation for the purpose of retirement of Rosalyn Weiner,
Secretary to the Director of Special Education, Education House, effective 7/1/09.
10. Recommended approval of the 26-week probationary appointment of Patricia Smith, Admini-
strative Assistant, Education House, effective 2/10/09 (replacing K. Contrata).
11. Recommended approval of the substitute appointments as per Board approved “Substitute,
Summer School and Supplemental Rates”:
Clerk Part-time (Substitute) Carmelina Diaco, Deborah Fontana
12. Recommended approval of the revised “Substitute, Summer School and Supplemental Rates” as per attachment.
Teacher Staffing
13. Recommended approval of the appointment to tenure of the following Teaching Assistants:
Ben Carter, High School, effective 3/11/09
Fresolina Cruz-Mercado, Middle School-Eastview, effective 3/12/09
June Davis, High School, effective 3/2/09
14. Recommended approval of a request for an unpaid leave of absence for Margie Soto, Teaching
Assistant,
15. Recommended approval of the extension of the probationary period for the following Teaching Assistants:
Margie Soto,
Serena Walker,
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16. Recommended approval of the appointment* of district-wide per diem substitute teachers and
substitute teaching assistants, building substitute teacher, and Adult & Continuing Education
Teachers, as per attachment.
17. Recommended approval of a request for a leave of absence without pay for Susan Fowler,
Elementary Education Teacher,
18. Recommended approval of requests for extensions of childcare leaves for the following:
Diana Slavis, English Teacher, Alternative & Supplementary Programs, Rochambeau
School, effective 7/1/09-6/30/11
Lorine Crawford, Elementary Education Teacher, Middle School-Eastview, effective
7/1/09-6/30/10
19. Recommended approval of requests for childcare leaves for the following:
Cristina Conomos, Elementary Education Teacher, Ridgeway, effective 7/1/09-6/30/10
Miranda DeMella, English Teacher, High School, effective 3/2/09-4/26/09
Tara Walsh, Elementary Education Teacher, Middle School-Highlands, effective
3/11/09-6/30/09
20. Recommended acceptance of the resignations for the purpose of retirement of the following,
effective 7/1/09:
Michael Angiuli, Industrial Arts Teacher, Middle School-Highlands
Elizabeth Calabro, Family & Consumer Science Teacher, Middle School-Eastview
Lois Chanofsky, Science Teacher, High School
F. Thomas Eaton, Jr., House Administrator, High School
Philip Feinberg, Special Education Teacher,
Sandra Harrison, Special Education Teacher, Alternative & Supplementary Programs
Joyce Krauss, Elementary Education Teacher (Grade 6 Science), Middle School-
Mona E. Levy, Special Education Teacher,
Karen Mishkin, Reading Teacher, Middle School-Highlands
Nicholas Panaro, Coordinator of Athletics, Districtwide
Marcia Schupper, Elementary Education Teacher,
21. Recommended approval of compensation for the following, as per attachments:
a. 2008-09 Interscholastic and Co-curricular appointments
b. 2008-09 Curriculum Development Activities
22. Recommended approval of the appointment of Teresa Niss to the position of Director,
Elementary Summer School, 2009.
23. Recommended approval of the temporary appointment of Jackie Miller as Instructional Specialist,
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24. Recommended approval of the Regular Substitute appointments of:
Lauren Gilchrist (Replacing T. Walsh)
BA –
Certification: Initial, Social Studies 7-12 & Middle Childhood 5-6 extension
Assignment: Elementary Education (Grade 6 Social Studies) Teacher, Middle School-
Dates of Service: 3/11/09-6/30/09
Melinda Garrick (Replacing M. DeMella)
BA – Mount Saint Mary College (Mathematics)
MA – Mount
Certification: Transitional B , English 7-12
Assignment: English Teacher, High School
Dates of Service: 3/2/09-4/26/09
Michelle Montoya (Replacing M. Sanchez)
BA – University of California/Santa Barbara (Political Science)
MS Ed –
Certification: Permanent, Elementary Education 1-6, Initial, Social Studies 7-12, Professional,
Social Studies 5-9
Assignment: Social Studies Teacher, Middle School-Highlands
Dates of Service: 2/23/09-6/30/09
BA –
MA –
Certification: Initial, Childhood Education 1-6 & Literacy B-6
Assignment: Elementary Education Teacher,
Dates of Service: 2/9/09-6/30/09
*All of these appointments are conditional appointments, subject to and contingent upon, the satisfactory completion of the
finger printing process and investigatory background check required by the
Education reserves the right to rescind these appointments without notice, upon receipt of any unsatisfactory report
resulting from the aforementioned background check.
VI. Other Action:
1. Recommended approval to authorize the President of the Board to sign an agreement with Dr. Christopher P. Clouet, appointing him Superintendent of Schools, effective 7/1/09-6/30/13, as per attached resolution.
2. Recommended approval of the interim appointments of the following:
Jane Scheinman as Interim House Administrator, High School, effective 2/10/09-
6/30/09, as needed
Francis Lahey as Interim Administrator, effective 2/19/09-6/30/09, as needed
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3. Recommended acceptance of the Treasurer’s Report for the month of December, 2008.
4. Recommended acceptance of the Revenue and Expense Report for January, 2009.
5. Recommended approval of the Capital Project Proposal for additional architectural & engineering services for the High School Pool.
6. Bids & Contracts: Capital Project Infrastructure Bid.
VII. Board Discussion:
1. LOTE – Middle School
2. Board Committee Meetings
How the County Can Help Families Facing Foreclosure.
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WPCNR The Housing News. From Westchester County Department of Communications. February 7, 2009: County Executive Andrew Spano in the face of record forclosures in Westchester County held a new conference this week to showcase how Westchester Residential Opportunities can help families facing problems paying their mortgages. Spano said: “I want people to know that we are there to help, but we can only be successful if people reach out to counselors before it is too late. We also are applying for $7.2 million in federal money to revitalize neighborhoods most hurt by foreclosures. ”
Citing three cases, Spano praised the county partner, Westchester Residential Opportunities, for being able to get the mortgages modified and help the three families with affordable payment plans. In these types of cases, the length of the loan may be extended or emergency funding provided or lent from a fund set up by the county legislature.
WRO’s ability to intercede with the banks holding the mortgages is due in part to a letter Spano sent to the major mortgage lending banks last fall asking them to make every effort to keep
“The Schiefer family problem provides a perfect example of how this targeted county investment in foreclosure prevention can work,” said County Legislator Bill Ryan. “Helping these responsible homeowners through a rough time so they can stay in their homes demonstrates the effectiveness of the county partnering with non-profit agencies like WRO that have the expertise and tools to turn a problem around quickly and successfully.”
Commented Dan Jenkins, who chairs the legislature’s Government Operations Committee, “Everyone knows that times are tough. The county board was the first to provide direct assistance in the foreclosure crisis in
The WRO funding proposal was advanced by Ryan with Legislators Jenkins, Lois Bronz, Peter Harckham, Jenkins and Lyndon Williams.
Foreclosure rates in
· Counseling services to prevent foreclosures continue through the “Don’t Borrow Trouble Campaign,” supported by the Spano Administration and the Board of Legislators. In 2008 the Westchester County Board of Legislators approved a $150,000 grant to WRO for mortgage default counseling and to create a rescue fund. Rescue funds can be used to pay mortgage arrears.
· At the behest of the county, three housing counseling agencies, certified by the
· In a separate initiative focusing on homes that are already abandoned or in the hands of banks, the county is applying to
· To maximize the chance of the resale, counseling services for future homeowners – even those not facing foreclosure – are available now from the same three HUD-certified agencies listed above. The goal is to help people straighten out their credit problems now, so if they want to buy a house a few years from now they will be in top financial shape.
· The county government has launched a financial education initiative. Throughout the year, the county will be running various seminars and other programs to educate people about how to make wise financial decisions. A major conference is scheduled for May 12, with details to be provided later. In addition, the county’s web site has brought numerous financial education resources to one place: www.westchestergov.com/managingmoney
Gary Brown, director of the Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection, said, “Don’t ignore a problem paying your mortgage – it won’t go away and will only get worse. The most important thing a homeowner in trouble with their mortgage can do is to have a housing counselor review their case as soon as possible – even before they receive the first default notice. The sooner families seek help, the greater the chance of saving the home.”
CASE STUDIES
Jorge and Marina Schiefer purchased their home in 2006. Their hardship began in 2007 when their home was flooded and they had to exhaust a lot of their savings to repair the damages. Then with the economy getting worse, business slowed down for Jorge. Their original mortgage was an Adjustable Rate Mortgage fixed for 2 years. In 2008, their interest rate was reset increasing to 9.25 percent, from 7.95 percent, increasing their monthly mortgage payments to $3,944, from $3605. Thereafter the rate would re-adjust every 6 months until the rate capped at 11.95 percent. When the Schiefers went to WRO for help they were three months behind on their mortgage. They contacted their lender for assistance but were denied. WRO was able to resubmit another request for a
Melvin & Agnes G. refinanced their home located in
Ana A. of