WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. January 26, 2009 UPDATED 11:20 A,M.: Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors presented his first “pass” at the 2009-2010 school budget, with the first round of budgets from Assistant Superintendents and departments, to get  a sense of the Board of Education reaction. Connors said his $190.4 Million expense budget considered just expenses only, and that it was too early to project revenues because of the unpredictability of what the state legislature was going to do with education funding, and the uncertain position of White Plains assessments.

He reported that the $190,359,216 budget maintained current staff levels and said staff cuts were the next alternative in considering further reductions. No efforts to cut expenses from now until the end of the current 2008-2009 budget were announced, and that matter of cutting current expenditures was not raised by the Board of Education.

In the first Community Forum on the budget held January 15, the Assistant Superintendent for Business, Fred Seiler told the public the district was attempting to cut $9.2 Million from a rollover budget of $193.6 Million. They are a third of the way there at $190.4 Million.

The outgoing superintendent made a strong case for retaining the Newcomer center and Pre-K because of the positive results those programs have had in preparing White Plains kindergarteners for learning in kindergarten, accelerating their progress.  Margaret Dwyer, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum said mathematics achievement has risen dramatically in the first and second grade levels, directly traceable to the Pre-K effect. 

Connors recommended cutting summer enrichment programs and all after school programs would be subject to elimination in order to lower the budget farther. He promised a complete list of programs on the cut list Tuesday morning.

One New Program; More World languages at Middle School

The one new program suggested comes in the Middle School:  installing Spanish, Italian and French classes in the middle school, that would be funded (to the expenditure of $250,000) by eliminating the WINGS program (involving 180 children) in the Middle School, and extending the Middle School day in order to eliminate $500,000 in busing costs the district now pays for three separate bus pickups at the Middle Schools.

After discussion of about 45 minutes on this topic, a possibility of continuing WINGS in the sixth grade only and eliminating it in the 7^th and 8^th grades was suggested by Board member Peter Bassano. Connors said he would get back to the Board and examine the costs of doing that, as well as exploring parents’ feelings, and teacher union acceptance of the longer Middle School day.

Cost Savings for Program Elimination Requested

Board members Terance McGuire and Mr. Bassano asked the Superintendent to break out the savings involved in eliminating summer programs as Connors suggested in order that the board could see the tradeoffs.

Donna McLaughlin, Board President, ended the meeting saying she felt the board had to cut the budget increase “down to zero,” saying that even if the budget was the same as this year, ($184.4 Million), the district faced the possibility of a 4 to 5% tax increase. McLaughlin said the finance committee had to go through items line-by-line, describing the overtime the district pays without naming a figure (to keep buildings open for community activities, for example) as “sinful.”

Back for More Cuts

The Superintendent said he would be going back to the cabinet members, looking to eliminate and consolidate teaching assistant and clerical positions. He also said he was looking at suggestions made by the public to have Curriculum Coordinators teach as well as coordinate, but cited the possibility of switching unions (from administrative to teachers union), as creating a conflict of interest in doing so. Connors also said that possible retirements in administrative positions would offer the possibilities of eliminating those administrative positions.

Dumping Dollars.

The $3.2 Million in cuts were achieved  by eliminating $147,160 from the Equipment budget, $393,262 in Tuitions by bringing special education students back into the district,  $246,156 in Transportation,  $152,589 in supplies, and $522,021 in “Other Expenses.”

Other expense savings were $268,900  in maintenance and contracts; $87,741 in Curriculum and Staff Development Support expenses; $82,579 in Administrative expenses; $50,000 in legal services; and $20,216 in conference expenses. However possible certiorari refunds were not included.

New Superintendent on Fast Track

Fred Seiler, Asssitant Superintendent for Business told WPCNR, he understood the Board of Edcuation was hoping to finalize the contract with the Superintendent of Schools-select, Dr. Christopher Clouet of New London, Connecticut at the February Board of Education meeting.

Dr. Clouet is scheduled to meet with the community  now on Thursday evening at 7:30 at White Plains High School for introductions to the school district. Wednesday evening meeting with Dr. Clouet was postponed in anticipation of inclement weather.

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WPCNR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE DAY. By the WPCNR Roving Photographer. January 26, 2009: As Westchester County continues experiencing one of its coldest Januaries, Silver Lake in White Plains had frozen over and Mamaroneck Harbor was smoothed over out to its mouth with ice. The Roving Photographer captures the cold:

Game On! Hockey players work out at twilight on real natural ice on Silver Lake.just like Canada, Hey? The view is looking south from the Harrison shore. Photos by the WPCNR Roving Photographer

Always into the Wind: Pro seagulls  on the shore at frozen over Mamaroneck Harbor Sunday.

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS FOR THE RECORD. Transcript of Senator Kristen Gillibrand address to media. January 24, 2009: Senator Kristen Gillibrand made a rousing debut, accepting Governor David Paterson’s appointment to Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat with a wideranging personal and political address, continuing it until the end, even delaying taking President Barack Obama’s congratulatory telephone call to finish her speech. Here are Ms. Gillibrand’s remarks:

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand introduces herself to New York. Her acceptance of Governor Paterson’s appointment to Hillary Clinton’s former Senate seat is reprinted below. Just click READ MORE.

Thank you, Governor, for this incredible honor. I appreciate the opportunity that you have afforded me and the trust that you place in me. We are all blessed to have an extraordinary, effective and committed leader during these very difficult times, and I look forward to being your partner as we lift ourselves out of this budget crisis and restore opportunity to all New Yorkers. And thank you to our first lady, whose passion for children’s issues and their future inspires all of us.

I realize that for many New Yorkers, this is the first time you’ve heard my name and you don’t know much about me. Over these next two years, you will get to know me, but much more importantly, I will get to know you. As I represented the needs and the priorities of the 20th Congressional District of New York, I will represent the many diverse views and voices of the entire state as your senator. From the dairy farmers of western New York to the homeowners in Long Island facing crushing property taxes to the workers who have lost their job in this economic crisis to all the folks who work in our financial institutions, I intend to listen to all of my constituents, and all of my colleagues in government, to be part of the solution.

I am so grateful to so many of you who are here for your leadership and your service to our great state. Perhaps most significantly, I look to Secretary of State Clinton, whose seat with which Governor Paterson has now entrusted me, with extraordinary appreciation and humility. I aspire to follow in her footsteps, knowing her shoes I can only hope to fill. I cannot fully retell you how many times she has personally inspired me to action, but I will share just one. When she was first lady, she stood before thousands of people in Beijing and she bravely called the world to action to recognize that women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights. And I, too, on that day heard her call. As a recent law school graduate in New York City, I decided to become active in politics and I started to organize women and a lawyer and I worked on campaigns across the state and nationally. And I remember working on her first campaign and watching her become this extraordinary advocate for New York families, from finding new customers for our farmers in her Farm to Folk – excuse me, Farm to Fork — program to tireless advocating for health care and benefits for or 9/11 workers. Secretary Clinton has been a clarion call to so many like me who now hope to make a difference in the lives of others. Now all America looks to her as our secretary of state and to our new President Obama to rebuild America’s greatness around the world and restore the beacon of light and hope that defines our nation.

I grew up right here in Albany and my role model in politics was my grandmother. I don’t know how many of you knew Polly Noonan, but she was a woman who never went to college and she was a secretary, back at a time when very few women worked, in our State Legislature. Somehow she grew a passion for politics that grew during her lifetime. … Over a 50-year period she became such a powerful force in Democratic politics and government here. What I admired so much about her was her passion: It was politics and charity work and her grandkids. She had such a love for being involved and helping people. … I thought someday I may serve, someday I may be part of this. And I always knew that public service was something that we should aspire to, that it takes great courage, that it takes great commitment, that it matters because it affects everything in our lives, everything that we do for our children, everything that we do for our parents. And that’s what my grandmother taught me.

I’m going to get to the policy, here we go. We are all painfully aware that New York has been hit very hard by this economic recession. In upstate New York, years of manufacturing decline have made the new downturn even harder to bear for our families. Downstate, the sudden collapse of the financial industry last fall has echoed throughout our economy. Wall Street makes up more than 20 percent of our state’s revenues and the effect on our state budget has been devastating.

Governor Paterson … offered transparent, pragmatic, straightforward thoughts about what our crisis was and how best to handle it. He offered his ideas, he offered his priorities, and that’s exactly what the relationship between state government and federal government should be. … I just want to commend Governor Paterson for his leadership so early on in this process. Maintaining and preserving jobs, improving manufacturing … cultivating high-tech and biotech … We will pass a wide-ranging stimulus package which will create jobs in New York … making new investments in infrastructure, mass transit, high-speed rail throughout western and upstate New York, which Congresswoman Slaughter has taken a leading initiative on.

We want to invest in health care … it is something that will lower costs for everyone across this state and that’s something that will be in our fiscal stimulus package. … As much as 80 percent of the new jobs come from small businesses and New York’s entrepreneurial spirit is key to this growth. … I think our state is poised to take advantage of the energy revolution. The greatest market opportunity of our generation is the alternative-energy markets and conservation technologies. …

It’s about taking those innovations to market and creating products that use those energy technologies. That kind of innovation does many things. No. 1, it addresses our national security primary of becoming energy-independent. Second … world leader. Third, it’s the one thing that combats global warming so we can leave our world better for our children and our grandchildren.

We need tax cuts so families can afford to take care of their children. … I have a 5-year-old son, it is very expensive for pre-K and early childhood education. … If you are educated, you have the capacity to earn tens of thousands of dollars more than if you have a high school education. …

We also have to address the burden of property taxes. As Tom Suozzi demonstrated in his outstanding report and analysis on the issue, property taxes are one of the greatest burdens we have in the state. … We will find a solution that can lower property taxes, but make sure that we fund our schools, and that’s the kind of leadership that Governor Paterson will provide.

I will also strive for economic and social justice. I will advocate for marriage equality, women’s rights, preserving Social Security and the retirement that our seniors seem to be losing every day, and call for significant investments in education. … Our veterans and our farmers all need their voices heard in Washington. … I’d like to continue to serve on Armed Services and Agriculture.

During the last two years, what I’ve learned the most about my service is that it’s all about the people you serve. … I can look someone in the eye and hear their concern and hear their priority and then do something about it. This has happened over and over again over these last two years and I can’t tell you how meaningful it is to serve in that capacity.

I had one veteran … he was a Vietnam veteran. They were evicting him from his apartment and they were turning off his electricity. … Three calls later we got this gentleman the back pay he deserved. ‘Every morning I wake up, I strap on my leg.’ When you hear that from someone and know that the power of the office where we serve — in state, local and federal government — that is what we are all about. … It will be my honor and most humble duty to serve each and every one of you as senator. God bless New York.

 

Ms. Gillbrand also thanked about 15 well-known and not-so-well-known politicians and political figures as part of her remarks.

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WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. January 23, 2009 : Governor David Paterson appointed Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand  of the 20th Congressional District (Albany area) to fill the next two years of former Senator Hillary Clinton’s senate term, as Mrs. Clinton ascends to the Secretary of State cabinet position. Governor Paterson praised Ms. Gillibrand for her courage and intelligence she has shown in her two years in congress. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2006, defeating a four-term incumbent, Republican John E. Sweeney, in a tough, uphill campaign, and reelected last month.

Mrs. Gillibrand in her remarks expressed her admiration for Senator Clinton, she mention how she had worked on Mrs. Clinton’s senate campaign. A new mother of an 8 month old son, and an 4-year old son, Mrs. Gillibrand introduced her family at the news conference, and spoke for about 25 minutes and is still speaking at this moment 12:52 PM. She appeared confident, promised to unite both upstate and downstate in common interests and a strong speaker actually sounding like a Hillary Clinton in the making. She will assume the Senate seat Sunday, Governor Paterson said.

She said would work to pass a wide-ranging stimulus package to revitalize our economy, new investments in infrastructure a greater N.Y. share of medicaid reimbursement, and a high-speed rail transportation network

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Introduced today by Governor David Paterson