Buchwald Gives Update on Future of the 6% Cut in NYS Services to Disabled

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WPCNR  ALBANY ROUNDS. February 27, 2013:


WPCNR checked in with David Buchwald, NYS Assemblyman for the 93rd Assembly District (Representing White Plains North to Pound Ridge) on the possibilities of the 6%, $120 Million cut to the Office of People With  Developmental Disabilities. I asked him Is the assembly going to go along with this, whether he supported the legislation, and if there was going to be an effort to preserve the key components of day treatment and group homes, and more significantly, the growth of new group homes.



Assemblyman David Buchwald


Assemblyman Buchwald answered in a statement last night:



“I obviously cannot speak for the entire Assembly. This change in funding for the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is part of the Governor’s 30-day amendments to his proposed budget. It will still be about two weeks before the Assembly passes its one-house budget bill. At that point, the Assembly, the Senate and the Governor’s office will negotiate a final state budget. I have heard from a number of constituents concerned with the impact of such a significant cut, so I hope that progress can be made as the budget is put together over the next few weeks.”



 

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Keep Playland Like It Is!

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WPCNR LETTER TICKER


February 25, 2013


KEEP PLAYLAND LIKE IT IS SAY 600


Mr. Bailey,

 



I am writing to you to ask if you to help bring awareness and exposure to an electronic petition to keep Playland its current size and not shrink the amusement park or remove rides.




http://www.change.org/petitions/save-playland-amusement-park



I am part of a group petitioning the Westchester County Government to reconsider their chosen operator for Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York.


The currently-selected future Playland operator (Sustainable Playland, “SPI”) would demolish half the amusement area (which likely would further decrease attendance/revenue with devastating results for the remainder of the amusements). Rye-based SPI’s plan will eliminate 30% of the rides and 50% of the amusement park footprint, in favor of green space and a “great lawn”.


Two other contenders Standard Amusements and Central Amusements International are experienced, successful amusement park operators which would restore, improve and maintain the historic amusement park as such.


The experienced operators already have the funds available to make their proposed improvements, while SPI has no experience running amusement parks and has raised only a negligible portion of the funds it has promised the county. Furthermore, Playland is sandwiched directly between a wildlife sanctuary on one side and a waterfront town park on the other. Rye area residents do not need more waterfront open space that other municipalities are not going to use at the expense of all county residents’ historic 85-year old amusement park.


We are finding that many Westchester residents are either unaware of the drastic changes and destruction SPI plans for the amusement park; completely unaware of the changing situation with Playland or do not support SPI but are unaware of the other options on the table. Playland belongs to all residents of the county, not just the Sound Shore Communities.


 



This petition was not started by an organization, but a loose group of people representing all parts of Westchester that came together in an internet facebook group called “Save Rye Playland”. It was started last Thursday 2/25 and has over 600 hundreds signatures thus far, half of which are Westchester residents.


 



Further information and verification of the facts mentioned above can be found within the presentations at http://westchesterlegislators.com/committees.html?id=2029


I hope you consider helping us by bringing attention to our cause.Thank you.


Sincerely,


Keith Iorio

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Governor Cuts Disabled Budget by 6% ($120 Million). Blow to Services

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WPCNR HEALTH NEWS.  By John F. Bailey. February 25, 2013:


The Governor’s office last week added an addendum to the proposed state budget calling for among other policies, a 6% across the board cut to the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities, the agency that cares for New York’s disabled population, amounting to $120 Million.


WPCNR spoke to a chief executive of one independent provider of group home and educational disabled services in Westchester County  Monday morning to find out what this might mean for parents who have children being cared for in such facilities.


Speaking on condition of anonymity, he told us it would cost his agency $2.1 Million right off his budget, and rather than a 6% cut it actually amounted to a 7.5% cut.  He said the cut came as a complete surprise, calling it “draconian.”


Asked if this would require  eliminating staff or closing homes, he said it was too early to tell because organizations for the disabled are mobilizing a response expected Thursday to fight the cut.


He urged parents and advocates for the diabled to contact their state assemblypersons and State Senators to protest the cut.


For a year now, WPCNR and White Plains Week has been the only media reporting the Governor’s plans to reorganize  health care services to the disabled through a task force.


Part of this effort has been necessitated by the federal government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services requiring the state to renegotiate the amount the federal government has been paying for New York State Medicaid services to the disabled, having found that New York State had overcharged the federal government for Medicaid expenses and used the surplus in other areas of the budget. The over charges have taken place


The state has reached a settlement with CMS, and is in the process of reorganizing how health care services for a disabled person’s needs are decided.


The rough plan is to have a series of panels statewide responsible for evaluating health professionals’ recommendations, as a means of controlling costs with the panels deciding who gets what. Previously, health care professionals with the non-profit organizations who care for the disabled would recommend services and the state would generally approve them. This would change from bottom up to top down, services being reviewed before they could be implemented.


Due to New York getting caught overcharging for years, the federal government is now cutting the funding in the new budget year 2013-14.  The irony is that the population presently served will be hurt by the real cut on services the Govenor proposed last week.


The governor’s office has negotiated an arrangement where that $1 Billion has been whittled to $600 Million in money the state has to find. 


In a letter to parents, provided WPCNR, the executive WPCNR wrote this to his constitutency today:


“I am writing today to inform you that following negotiations with the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding OPWDD’s overcharging for its state-operated developmental centers, Governor Cuomo committed to reducing NYS Medicaid program expenses by $500 million. To recover $120 million of this, he amended his proposed budget to include a 6% reduction in funding for all non-profit agencies providing services to people with developmental disabilities. This cut will become effective in Five Weeks if the legislature passes the amended budget as proposed by the Governor.



A 6% cut to revenues will cause drastic changes in our operations. This loss of over $2 million dollars comes  after four years without a single cost-of-living increase and several reductions in our reimbursement rates. At the same time we have absorbed the increasing costs of fuel, food, equipment and supplies. Until this point, we weathered the effects of the recession through finding cost-savings and the restructuring of several staff positions. But, we have never faced a cut this deep and it implemented will disrupt the staffing and services available in all our programs.



By mid-week, there will be a coordinated advocacy plan developed by the associations that represent the agencies funded by OPWDD and I will be contacting you again with more information about the direct actions you will need to take to fight these cuts to the health, safety and quality of life of your loved ones.



If you want to take immediate action:



· New York residents should contact their State Senators and Assembly Representatives and their representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.



· Non-New York residents should contact and their representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.



Tell your New York State representatives that they must not approve this 6% cut because it will hurt your loved ones.



In speaking to your congressional representatives, highlight the impossible situation CMS has imposed upon citizens with developmental disabilities in New York.

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A Night In The Heights! A Day in the Barrio! Where Everyone Knows Your Name.

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WPCNR ON THE AISLE. Theatrical Review by John F. Bailey. February 25, 2013 UPDATED FEBRUARY 28, 2013:


In the Heights. The in-your-face, infatuating, indefatigable, intense celebration of life on the edge in the barrio that took over Broadway in 2008, winning four Tonys , nine Drama Desk Nominations, has taken over Westchester Broadway Theatre energizing a stunned audience with non-stop rhythms, overflowing fiery emotions and relentlessly appealing cast. You want young talent winning your heart this is your baby!


After its first two weeks, Westchester Broadway Theatre has announced today all shows have been sold out, and the run of In The Heights has been extended three weeks, through April 7


From the most creative set WBT has seen in years that gets 182nd Street-ambience absolutely right  to the seductive body-swaying rhythms of this most original show, Mr. and Mrs. Westchester should be prepared for a relentless evening of young and spirited performers giving their all.




Lin-Manuel Miranda’s original music and lyrics with Quiara Alegria Hudes’ breezy, clever, edgy book celebrates the coming of significance of the New York City Washington Heights neighborhood, which I can tell from personal experience teams with life, rhythm, ambition, spirit and drive that Mr. Miranda captures in his emotional-connective songs that anyone of any nationality will bond with. It’s a neighborhood where everyone knows each other and pulls for one another.



Vanessa (Gizel Jimenez) has her eye on Usnavi (Perry Young).


All photos, Courtesy WBT by John Vecchiola



 You meet the comic, ingratiating Usnavi  (Perry Young  from the ITH national tour), the street-savvy owner of the corner bodega.  He  introduces the show with a fast-talking rap, and introduces you to all the personalities:   Nina (the conflicted fiery soprano, Arielle Jacobs) just back from Stanford, where the neighborhood thinks she is going to college but she struggled there as she relates plaintively with shimmering anxiety of disappointment in herself in Breathe.


We meet Vanessa (Gizel  Jimenez) who just has to get an apartment out of The Heights,as she explains in It Won’t Be Long Now to Usnavi who does not want her to go. 



There’s  Benny (Fatye) the kid Nina’s father Kevin (Benjamin Perez) taught him to drive for his cab company, but does not want Benny for a son-in-law. Here Fatye duets with Arielle Jacobs (Nina) on When the Sun Goes Down


Then we meet the  grandmother of the neighborhood, Abuela Claudia (played winningly by Christina Aranda) . Ms.  Aranda’s solo Paciencia y Fe (Patience and Faith) does not leave a dry eye in the house at the close of the first act. She is everybody’s grandmother, matriarch, loyal fan of her grandchild Usnavi and she simply wins over the audience’s collective hearts.


From the hairdressers’ to Usnavi’s bodega, to Kevin’s Taxi Stand, the rhythms, and I do mean rhythms catch you up in the sheer aliveness of this burgeoning culture unique to the city simmering with the conflict of the older generation with the new.  Whether Hispanic or Anglo-Saxon,  the conflicts all families face are in this one.


There is  Nina’s agonized return to the neighborhood, feeling she has let down her parents and the neighborhood by dropping out of Stanford due to not enough money to buy books, and supporting herself in a way we do not quite get as clear.


Kevin her father, when he finds out, is furious. His big number, Inutile (Useless) is a ballad every father who has a daughter will identify with and feel. Benjamin Perez slows this number down and gives you the heartbreak inside him you can feel.  He is even more put out that Nina and Benny have fallen for each other.  Kevin attempts to sell his cab business to get the money for Nina to go back to Stanford.


When a blackout causes unbearable inconvenience and rioting in the heights,  conflict flares up. Camila, Nina’s mother, distraught by the estrangement between her husband Kevin and their daughter Nina, puts a stop to the unpleasantness with her solo Enough in Act Two. When Kevin’s store is damaged during a vandalism rampage, he attempts to leave the barrio, only to have a miracle of his grandmother’s spirit provide a way for him to stay. And, yes, the romances do work out.


Voltaire Wade-Greene as Graffiti Pete is a consistant comic presence through delivering very funny one-liners. Ariana Valdes counters Wade-Greene’s comic relief as the imperial owner of a hairdressers strutting and dissing the gossip in the neighborhood.



The choreography is  varied and winning and the music upbeat, latin and loud. The dialogue and singing has to be carefully listened to lest you miss a clever turn of phrase. It’s an Upper West Side Story, it’s Grease with a Salsa beat, it’s the compulsion of first love. It’s parental concern. It’s brash. It’s colorful. It’s filled with feelings. You’ll go out feeling the sense of community, family and spirit of a musical that urges all who see it to seize life and give it all you’ve got.


In The Heights is produced by Standing Ovation Studios, Executive Producers Sheldon and Mennie Mallah, and John and Nannette Fanelli, producers. John Fanelli directed, and he has put together a raucous celebration of a production that introduces and captures a way of life.  


This is a show where the audience has to work as hard as the performers because they are throwing a lot of sensory challenges to hear, absorb,process and feel a palette  of emotions, an upper west side intersection of plot lines. There is light profanity,  but this is New York City!


Call  ((914) 592-2222, or visit the Westchester Broadway Theatre website, www.BroadwayTheatre.com for showtimes. You can experience In The Heights through March 17.

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George Washington: The First and The Best.

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Government

WPCNR RETROSPECTIVE. By John F. Bailey. (Reprinted from the CitizeNetReporter, 2003):


 As we observe the trainwreck of leadership in congress contemplating economy euthanasia, in Albany, in Westchester County,  New York City,  and, yes, even in White Plains,  it is also fitting that we take a look at the greatest President of them all. Today is George Washington’s Birthday again. The time when we remember the first leader and the best. It is instructive to look at our first leader, George Washington, the father of our nation.





The Jacob Purdy House, a National Historic Site, was built c. 1721, and served as Washington’s Headquarters both during the Battle of White Plains, on October 28, 1776 and again in 1778.
(Photo, WPCNR NEWS ARCHIVE)


One cannot help be reminded of the snowy winter at Valley Forge, when the bedraggled, poorly equipped rebel army suffered but held together, and attacked the Hessians in Trenton on Christmas Eve, 1776, crossing the Delaware River at night. What kind of man was he that George Washington could inspire his troops against all odds?

Washington was a man of tremendous character. Where did he get this character? He specialized in self-control at an early age. That congressmen, lobbyists, and pundits means mind-control, reason and responsibility.







Reenacters Marching to Raise Old Glory at Purdy House in Honor of George Washington’s Birthday. Photo, 2003 WPCNR News Archive.

According to The American President, Washington, at sixteen, had formed a code of conduct. He had written a book of etiquette with 110 “maxims” to guide his conduct in matters. In this etiquette book he had written,


Every action done in company ought to be done with a sign of respect to those who are not present. Sleep not when others speak; sit not when others stand; speak not when you should hold your peace; walk not when others stop;…Let your countenance be pleasant but in serious matters somewhat grave…Undertake not what you cannot perform but be careful to keep your promise.

The character sketch provided by the authors of The American President, indicatesthis personal “rulebook” was a book that Washington wrote over the years and referred to it often, “for self-control, to avoid temptation, to elude greed, to control his temper. Reputation was everything to him. It had to do with his strength, his size, his courage, his horsemanship, his precise dress, his thorough mind, his manners, his compassion. He protected that reputation at any cost.”




Honor Guard Strikes the Colors to a Drum Roll. Photo, WPCNR News.




Earning respect by example. Quelling rebellion with a few words.

Washington inspired by example. He lived with his troops. He shared hardships with them, and there was so much respect for him that he was able to talk them out of armed rebellion at the end of the American Revolution. Washington had been asked by the army to join them to overthrow the Continental Congress, and make himself King.

Washington had been asked by one of the officers of the rebels to join them, and he wrote them,

You could not have found a person to whom your schemes are more disagreeable. Banish these thoughts from your mind.

Hearing that the rebels who were planning insurrection against the new country due to not having been paid by the Continental Congress, Washington rode to Newburgh, New York, on March 15, 1783, to meet with the dissident insurgents. Washington spoke to the rebellious group, saying,

“Gentlemen, as I was among the first who embarked in the cause of our common Country; as I never left your side one moment, but when called from you on public duty; as I have been the constant companion and witness of your Distresses…it can scarcely be supposed …that I am indifferent to your interests. But…this dreadful alternative, of either deserting our Country in the extremest hour of her distress, or turning our Arms against it…has something so shocking in it that humanity revolts from the idea…I spurn it, as every Man who regards liberty…undoubtedly must.”

The would-be rebels fell silent, digesting what he had said. Then Washington withdrew a letter from Congress, but could not read the text, withdrawing some eyeglasses from his tunic, remarking,

“Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.”

The men present were reported to have tears in their eyes at this gesture of Washington’s and abandoned their plot out of respect for their leader.

Washington retired from the military, surprising the entire new country. His action surprised King George III of England, who was astonished that Washington had refused to hold on to his military authority and use it for political or financial gain. The defeated King of England, remarked, “If true, then he is the greatest man in the world.”




Seeker of Diverse Views

As President, George Washington invented the Presidential Cabinet, whom he referred to as “the first Characters,” persons who possessed the best reputations in fields and areas of the jobs he was filling. Washington said on political appointments, “My political conduct and nominations must be exceedingly circumspect. No slip into partiality will pass unnoticed…”

Washington tolerated the relentless clashes between Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State, and Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, but lectured them on the necessity for tolerance and moving beyond partisanship:



“I believe the view of both of you are pure, and well meant. Why then, when some of the best Citizens in the United States, Men…who have no sinister view to promote, are to be found, some on one side, some on the other…should either of you be so tenacious of your opinions as to make no allowances for those of the other? I have great esteem for you both, and ardently wish that some line could be marked out by which both of you could walk.”

The Constitution Should be Protected

When George Washington left office after two terms, he made a farewell address which warned future generations of Americans about foreign entanglements and partisanship in the republic:

I shall carry to my grave the hope that your Union and brotherly affection may be perpetual; that the Constitution may be sacredly maintained; and that free government…the ever favorite object of my heart…will be the happy reward of our mutual cares, labors and dangers.”

Washington died in 1800, three years after leaving office in 1797. He was saluted on the floor of congress as being “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.”



The Jacob Purdy House where George Washington planned strategy at the Battle of White Plains, Photo, WPCNR News Archive




Note: The American President By Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr., Philip B. Kunhardt III, and Peter W. Kunhardt (Riverhead Books. Penguin-Putnam, Inc.,1999) is the source for this information on George Washington.

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Bill Ryan Receives Overwhelming Support of Democratic City Committee in Prelude

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WPCNR BACKROOM BULLETIN. From a WPCNR Correspondent. February 22, 2013:


Bill Ryan, the County Legislator for White Plains District 5, a White Plains resident for years and fixture on the county political scene,  received 85% of the vote among district leaders of the White Plains City Democratic Committee Thursday evening giving White Plains endorsement of him to run against incumbent Robert P. Astorino in November.


Noam Bramson, Mayor of New Rochelle, and Kenneth Jenkins of Yonkers, long a thorn in Mr. Astorino’s side the last four years, also spoke attempting to convince White Plans Democrats they were the one — to no avail.


The vote, our corrspondent tells us is non-binding, and does not in any way force individual district leaders to vote for him at the countywide Democratic Convention April 24.


Our observer said all three candidates outlined reasons why Mr. Astorino needs to be defeated.


 


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Minnesota Bridge Repair Boss Will Honcho Tap Zee Rebuild

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WPCNR TAPPAN ZEE BRIDGE NEWS. From the New York State Thruway Authority. February 21, 2013:


To help ensure that the New NY Bridge to replace the Tappan Zee remains on schedule and within budget, the New York State Thruway Authority has named Peter Sanderson project director for the multi-billion dollar project, Thruway Chairman Howard P. Milstein announced Wednesday.


Sanderson will be responsible for leading a blended team of state employees and private sector design and construction experts to complete the new structure. He has more than 40 years of experience working on cable-stayed and other large and complex bridges throughout North America and around the world, including design-build infrastructure projects.



“The project director will be responsible for keeping the New NY Bridge on schedule and within budget, and Peter Sanderson is an outstanding choice for this role because he has extensive experience and a proven track record,” Milstein said. “Hiring an experienced project director is necessary and expected for a project of this size and complexity, and is generally viewed as an industry best practice.”


Sanderson was project manager for the design-build contract to replace the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis, which collapsed in 2007. The new bridge was opened to traffic just 11 months after the tragedy and three months ahead of an already accelerated 14-month schedule. He was also principal-in-charge for the Sagadahoc Bridge connecting Bath and Woolwich, Maine, the Maine Department of Transportation’s first design-build project, as well as the Clark Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge in St. Louis, Missouri, that was completed ahead of schedule.


“Peter Sanderson was a tremendous project manager for the new I-35W bridge at a very critical time in Minnesota’s history,” said Tom Sorel, who was Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner when the bridge was being constructed and is currently president and CEO of the American Automobile Association in Minneapolis. “Not only did he lead the delivery of the project in an exceptional manner, he realized that the building of the new bridge represented a healing process for an entire community and did all he could to rebuild public trust and confidence in the transportation industry.”


“Given the scale of the New NY Bridge project, hiring a project director is a proven method to control costs and keep a project on schedule, and has been used effectively on many major transportation infrastructure projects around the country in recent years,” said American Road and Transportation Builders Association President and CEO Dr. Peter Ruane. “The project director will play a vitally important role not only with the design-build team, but also with the community and other stakeholders. This project has worldwide importance and I commend New York State for recognizing the need for experienced, professional management.”


“Peter Sanderson brings an incredible breadth of knowledge, experience, and leadership to this Tappan Zee Bridge project,” said Business Council of Westchester President & CEO Dr. Marsha Gordon. “This is another example of how the new New York attracts the best talent to lead our state forward. The Business Council of Westchester looks forward to welcoming Peter Sanderson and creating many bridges for him to our members and the community.”


“The appointment of Peter Sanderson as Project Manager for the Tappan Zee Bridge and the wealth of industry experience he brings to this crucial project is another significant step forward toward the long overdue replacement of one of New York’s most critical pieces of transportation infrastructure,” said Mike Elmendorf, president & CEO of the Associated General Contractors of New York State. “We applaud Governor Cuomo, the Thruway Authority and New York State Department of Transportation for their dogged commitment to moving this project forward with unprecedented speed, as well as the bright light this process has shined on our significant infrastructure needs throughout New York.”


“The Hudson Valley region’s construction industry is thrilled with Thruway Authority’s appointment of Peter Sanderson as New NY Bridge Project Director, continuing the campaign to assemble world-class bridge builders who will deliver a Hudson River crossing to serve New York State taxpayers, road and mass transit users over the next century and beyond,” said Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley President Ross J. Pepe.


“With the addition of Peter Sanderson to the New NY Bridge project, Governor Cuomo and the Thruway Authority have taken another major step forward,” said Secretary of the New York Roadway and Infrastructure Coalition Stephen Morgan. “The New York Roadway and Infrastructure Coalition commends the administration for reaching out and getting the best team to build this most exciting and needed project.”


“Peter Sanderson’s vast engineering and construction experience, combined with his decades of experience leading complex infrastructure projects, make him the perfect choice to head the new NY Bridge initiative,” said New York Building Congress President Richard T. Anderson. “We at the Building Congress applaud the Cuomo administration for selecting an industry veteran with a sterling reputation for completing major projects on time and on budget. No single infrastructure project is more important to the long-term economic vitality of the entire downstate region than the construction of a safe, modern and larger capacity crossing to replace the obsolete Tappan Zee Bridge.”


The official project budget and schedule will be available on line at www.newnybridge.com starting in May. This will give the public the ability to track progress on the project and monitor the delivery team’s performance. Project costs will be updated and compared with the budget on a quarterly basis.


The New NY Bridge project is the largest transportation design-build project to date in the United States and the largest single construction contract in New York State history. Under the design-build process, engineering and construction firms join forces to compete for a single contract that covers both design and construction, and bids are selected based on best value offered. Design-build contracts foster private-sector creativity and innovation, shift risk, limit project delays and keep costs down.

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County Exec Designs Safer Communities Response. Kicks Off Feb. 27

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           WPCNR COUNTY CLARION-LEDGER. From Westchester County Department of Communications. February 20, 2013:


 


Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino launched a major initiative today that brings together resources inside and outside county government to protect schools and communities from acts of senseless violence such as the tragedy in Newtown, CT.


            Called Safer Communities, the initiative is a combination of practical, ready-to-go programs that combat violence by drawing on the expertise of the county departments of Public Safety, Health and Community Mental Health in collaboration with local police chiefs, educators, clergy, civic leaders and elected officials. The goals are to educate the public about available services and programs, enhance those capabilities and evaluate progress on an ongoing and long-term basis.


            “After Sandy Hook, every community in the country asked, ‘What can we do to prevent this from happening again?’” Astorino said. “As county executive and a father of three young children, I want to be part of the answer. The Safer Communities initiative is a start. Combating violence, because it afflicts our society in so many ways, is a complex undertaking. Our approach is to attack the causes and consequences of violence comprehensively, collaboratively and continuously. Fortunately, most of what we need, we already have. So the major effort here involves creating awareness around existing resources, building relationships to improve communication and acting as a unified team to increase our effectiveness.”


 .



 


School Safety


            The initiative will get under way with a “School Safety Symposium” on Feb. 27 at SUNY Purchase. Organized by George N. Longworth, the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, and the Westchester County Chiefs of Police Association, the event is designed to provide educators with practical guidance on how to make schools safer and enhance coordination between law enforcement and school districts.


            William Bratton, former commissioner of the NYPD and former chief of police in Los Angeles, will be the keynote speaker, kicking off the event at 9 a.m. Bratton is well known for implementing strategies that have prevented and reduced violent crime wherever he has served. In addition, experts from Westchester County and around the country will detail best practices for improving school security.


            Among the topics to be discussed are:


·         An Overview of School-based Violence in America – Charles H. Boklan, U.S. Secret Service (Retired)


·         Practical Emergency Preparedness for Schools – Matthew A. Miraglia, a noted school security expert


·         Police Response to Dynamic Incidents in Schools – Chief Inspector John Hodges, Westchester County Department of Public Safety.


            “Familiarity and coordination are two critical tools when preparing for and responding to a crisis,” Longworth said. “This forum will give educators a realistic sense of what they can expect and a chance to strengthen relationships and lines of communications with their law enforcement counterparts.”


            Every school leader in Westchester has been invited by County Executive Astorino to attend and to extend the invitation to their administrative teams and Boards of Education.


            At 11:15 a.m., there will be a panel discussion focusing on the dynamics among law enforcement, school officials and parents during a crisis and bridging gaps between strategies that look good on paper and real-time decision making in actual situations.


            Among the panelists scheduled to appear are Kelly Chiarella, Westchester-East Putnam PTA region director; Isabel Burk, schools safety coordinator for Southern Westchester BOCES; and Louis Wool, superintendent of the Harrison Central School District and president of the Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents.


            “The opportunity to talk about what works and doesn’t work ahead of time and in very realistic terms should be invaluable for all school districts that are in the process of updating security plans,” Wool said. “Insights from law enforcement, parents, educators and other government officials will help us develop the kinds of collaborative solutions we need to be effective.”


 


— more —


           



Safer Communities P. 3


 


            The public is invited to attend the panel discussion at 11:15 a.m. Those wishing to attend will have to present identification and register at the door for entry. Because of the sensitivity surrounding security strategies, the earlier portion of the program  will be limited to school and law enforcement officials.


            School officials interested in having similar sessions conducted in their districts should contact their local police department or the Department of Public Safety at 864-7858.                                                                                    


Community Violence Prevention


            On April 9, the departments of Health and Community Mental Health will hold a “Community Violence Prevention Forum” at the County Center. The county is working with the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the program, whose emphasis will be to address violence as a public health issue that affects all of our communities.


            “The idea is to bring a public health approach to treating and preventing violence,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Sherlita Amler, MD. “By identifying causes, addressing symptoms, monitoring progress and measuring results we will increase our chances for positive outcomes.”


            The leadership forum is designed to attract community leaders – mayors and supervisors, school district leadership, community groups, not-for-profit agency directors and clergy. The forum will provide a national perspective on violence prevention as well as the opportunity to share best practice models with leaders around the county.


            “The purpose is to share best practices, identify gaps in the system where schools and communities need some help and then to implement programs to address these gaps,” said Commissioner of Community Mental Health Dr. Grant Mitchell, MD.  


            One of the post-forum benefits for schools will be to take advantage – if they have not already done so – of the nationally recognized School-Wide Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (SWPBIS) Program. A collaboration between the Department of Community Mental Health, Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES and the Lower Hudson Regional Special Education Technical Assistance & Support Center brings this data-driven program to Westchester County. SWPBIS creates and maintains safe learning environments in schools by assessing factors, such as high rates of problem behavior that interfere with learning, ineffective disciplinary practices and insufficient support and expertise in addressing problem behavior.


            The program has been used effectively in 26 districts and is available to all public, private and parochial schools by contacting the Department of Community Mental Health at 995-5225.

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Timothy Connors Open to Opportunities. Says Board has Not Contacted Him

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. February 19, 2013:


Former Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors reached at his home in Sutton, Massachussetts, told WPCNR this morning, he has not been contacted by the Board of Education as a possible interim superintendent of schools for the city, while the Board of Education considers whether or not to search for a new Superintendent to replace Dr. Christopher Clouet.


 “I have not heard from them at all,” Connors told me, though he said he had been telephoned by a person from White Plains, not a member of the Board, who informed him of Dr. Clouet’s decision to leave the district last week.


Dr. Clouet was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns  last Thursday night and has officially accepted the Tarrytowns  job, according to a Tarrytowns district spokesman Friday morning.


A member of the Board of Education told WPCNR Monday evening the Board needed a couple of weeks to sort things out as to how they were going to proceed, having just learned of the impending departure of Clouet last week.


Previously two Board members told WPCNR that Clouet wanted to reopen his contract, and the board did not want to reexamine his contract, since Clouet had 2-1/2 years remaining on it.


 Clouet had been earning $227,000 as White Plains Superintendent, and has been hired by the Tarrytowns for $253,000 according to the Tarrytown Board of Education Agenda last Thursday.  The White Plains Board member I spoke with last night said Clouet had not yet officially resigned from White Plains.


I asked the White Plains Board member  if the Board had been in touch with Connors,  the member said that since Connors left White Plains he had talked with the district and kept up contacts.


 Asked specifically if the Board had talked with Connors about possibility of helping out, the Board member said, “Of course we have.”


Asked if the Board had to release Clouet from his contract officially, the board member said they did not believe the Board had to do that.


Mr. Connors was the Superintendent Dr. Clouet replaced in 2009 when Clouet came to White Plains from New London, Connecticut.


Mr. Connors retired from the White Plains Schools in June 2009, and after applying for Superintendent positions in Worschester, Massachussetts  in 2008 and Nantucket, Massachussetts in the spring of 2010, he accepted the position of Interim Superintendent at the Hastings-on-Hudson School District for 2010-12, while that district searched for a Superintendent. After one year of searching, Hastings found no one that they could come to an decision on.


The Hastings district rehired Connors for a second year as an Interim Superintendent for 2011-2012, hiring  Dr. Roy Montesano in January of 2012, for the 2012-2013 year, with Mr. Connors finishing up his Interim assignment at the end of June, 8 months ago.


Connors told me he lived in White Plains for the two years he was Interim Superintendent in Hastings.


The President of the Board of Education, Rosemarie Eller, has not returned a WPCNR call asking for a statement about Dr. Clouet’s departure, and for clarification of whether Connors is being considered as a “go-to” option to fill the Superintendent position either interim or otherwise.

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Tarrytown School Board Votes Unanimously to Hire Dr. Christopher Clouet to Head

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. Exclusive. February 15, 2013:


The Board of Education of the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns office announced to WPCNR Friday morning that the Board voted unanimously to authorize the hiring of White Plains Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christopher Clouet for a four year contract.


The Board office also announced that Dr. Clouet has accepted the position at a first year salary, beginning in July of $253,000, $27,000 more than White Plains is paying him.


Clouet will leave White Plains after serving four years. He was hired to replace Timothy Connors in 2009. The White Plains Board of Education had an opportunity to retain Dr. Clouet, but refused to reopen his contract.

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