I have the flu....
I must post news before I die...
I must post news before I die...
TOP STORY
HEADLINES:
Confused School Administrators Need A Special Board Of Education To Try And Figure out WHY Western Greenwich Parents Are Pulling Their Children Out Of The Failed Geenwich Public School System
QUOTES:
No Failed School Administrators, Parents, School Officials Or Students Were Quoted In Colin Gustafson's Reguritated Board Of Education Press Release
STORY:
Enrollment down at town schools
Fewer children than expected enrolled in the Greenwich Public Schools this year, but some classes are filled to capacity while others remain just over half full.
Overall enrollment is at 8,758 students, compared with the district projection of 8,779 students - 21 fewer than expected. That's also a 2 percent drop from last year's enrollment of 8,974 students.
Despite the decline in enrollmentt, the distribution of students has varied from school to school.
Enrollmentt, the distribution of students has varied from school to school.
Enrollment at Cos Cob and Eastern Middle schools reached 104 percent of what was projected by school officials. Glenville School, meanwhile, is at 82 percent of the projected enrollment..
Enrollment at Cos Cob and Eastern Middle schools reached 104 percent of what was projected by school officials. Glenville School, meanwhile, is at 82 percent of the projected enrollment..
...At Cos Cob School, administrators have hired new staff and added a fourth kindergarten section after they learned in mid-August that the existing sections exceeded class-size caps by nine.
That school may receive even more resources this month, since the enrollment is still 16 more students than projected, according to the latest figures.
Other schools have had to shed sections because of dwindling enrollment.
Glenville School has cut a section after the parents of 30 students requested a temporary transfer elsewhere, or an "opt-out" option, while their building undergoes renovations. The remaining 282 Glenville students have been dispersed to four schools.
District officials may consider additional cuts at Glenville soon, since the three remaining kindergartens have an average of just 12 students and the three first-grade sections have an average of 13.3. Both figures are below the class-size guidelines.
MORE FROM THE GREENWICH TIME:
KaChing, KaChing, KaChing, KaChing....
More Single Family Homeowner's Hard Earned Tax Dollars Going To Frank Mazza And The Band Of Idiots On The Hamilton Avenue School Building Committee.....
Town officials have given the still-incomplete Hamilton Avenue School project what they hope will be its fourth and final shot in the arm.
The Board of Estimate and Taxation last night unanimously approved a request by the school's building committee to provide a $700,000 cash infusion to spur on the oft-delayed project to completion.
The BET has approved three requests, one in June 2007, another in January 2008, and another in May 2008, totaling nearly $1.3 million, on the promise that the project would be finished by several interim deadlines that were missed.
With this latest appropriation, however, officials assured that they'd have enough money to put the long-awaited finishing touches on the building.
"We're very close to being where we want to be," said town administrator John Crary, who is helping the building committee director, Frank Mazza, push the project through the final stages. "I think we'll meet all our goals, and don't anticipate needing all the funds."
The building committee had received preliminary approval from the BET for an additional $500,000 during an Aug. 15 meeting. But Mazza revised that estimate by $200,000 last Friday, citing a slew of new expenses needed to finish the job.
With the approval of new funds, school officials hope the school will receive a temporary certificate of occupancy from buildings inspectors by the end of the week. Receiving a certificate this week would mean students can move in by mid-October.
- Please See:
- 09/08/08 Greenwich Time News Links For Monday
- TOP STORY:
- Better Late Than Never
- HEADLINES:
- Better Late Than Never: Greenwich Time Reporter Colin Gustafson Is Once Again Behind The Times
- Greenwich Time Finally Reports That Frank Mazaza And His Band of Idiots Want $700,000 Instead Of $500,000 Of Your Tax Dollars
- Enraged Greenwich Roundup Readers Have Known About Frank Mazza's Secret Plans For Two Days Now
- QUOTES:
- "The BET has an obligation to taxpayers to make sure that money is spent prudently," BET chairman Stephen Walko said. "The goal still is to get the project completed as soon as possible, but you can't lose sight of process or principals."
- "Now we're close to two years behind schedule," said Hamilton Avenue mother Dawn Nethercott last week. "The primary mission does not appear to be getting kids in new school but of nickel and dimeing sitting on decisions required for substantial completion."
- THE STORY:
- BET weighs funding request
- ...However, building committee director Frank Mazza upwardly revised that estimate by $200,000 on Friday afternoon, citing a slew of new change orders issued by inspectors in the last three weeks.
Mazza would not disclose any details.... - FRANK MAZZA WOULD NOT DISCLOSE THE DETAILS TO GREENWICH TIME REPORTER COLIN GUSTAFSON,
- BUT GREENWICH ROUNDUP DISCLOSED THE DETAILS TO THE PARENTS AND TAXPAYERS DAYS AGO.
- PLEASE ALSO SEE:
- 09/06/08 Frank Mazza And The Band Of Idiot's Breakdown Of Money Discussed At The Hamilton Avenue School Building Committee Meeting
- MORE INFORMATION:
- 09/06/08 You Wont Read This In The Greenwich Time: Surprise $500,000 Is Not Enough For Frank Mazza And His Band Of Idiots Now They Want $700,000 !!!!!!
- 09/01/08 Why Are Betty Sternberg, Susan Wallerstein And Anthony Byrne Still Collecting Board Of Education Paychecks????
- 08/29/08 Is Michael Bodson Parading Colin Gustafson With A Nose Ring?
- AND PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS:
- 09/07/08 Multi-Million-Dollar School Administration Failures Have Now Led To Town Service Cut Backs
Officials to get separate town e-mail accounts
Advised that the contents of their home computers could be subject to disclosure under the state's public records law, about 300 elected officials are getting their own e-mail accounts from the town to discuss official business.
Churches, town look back on 9/11
Advised that the contents of their home computers could be subject to disclosure under the state's public records law, about 300 elected officials are getting their own e-mail accounts from the town to discuss official business.
Churches, town look back on 9/11
The Rev. Bob Naylor of Greenwich's Second Congregational Church won't ever forget Sept. 11, 2001 - it was the day he was scheduled for an interview with the parish's council about becoming their pastor.
Whether it was attending PTA meetings at Cos Cob School or daily chats with her 24-year-old daughter Jessica over coffee, Alison McKnight Lombardi loved being a mother above all else.
The Greenwich High School girls soccer team has followed a positive pattern since Danny Simpson took over the head coaching reigns in 2005.
You can understand Bucky Creamer's complaint about the pace of progress in dealing with flooding in his Pemberwick neighborhood.
"No one's done a thing about it," Mr. Creamer told Staff Writer Neil Vigdor with respect to flooding there about 16 months ago that forced him and about 100 others to evacuate the area. "They always wait in this town for something drastic to happen, and then they think about it."
Truth be told, such flooding is not an easy problem to address, nor is doing so cheap. And there has been some movement, according to town officials: They are hoping to soon establish a priority list for projects to address the most pressing problems with flooding and drainage in Greenwich.
In addition, there was the summit meeting that First Selectman Peter Tesei recently had with the heads of relevant agencies to discuss various issues involved.
But there is a grain of truth in Mr. Creamer's comments, at least when one considers town infrastructure problems that went unaddressed for long periods in the not-too-distant past.
One benefit cited for the town agency summit was that it improved the understanding of their ....
...Meanwhile, a recent preliminary report on the situation from the Corps of Engineers said "... it is likely the flood damages will occur again, possibly increasing in frequency and intensity, endangering the lives of residents and impairing the function of municipalities." ....
Is Greenwich losing its political influence?
I really don't think so.
We reported last week thatjust two delegates of Connecticut's six to the Republican National Convention were from town.
But will that also mean the end of candidates coming to Greenwich to raise money, or of politicians reaching out to Greenwich people for their service or expertise, or of Greenwich people taking the lead in helping shape the country's future?
I just don't see it happening.
Greenwich people have strong political views, which a quick scan of residents' letters to Greenwich Time will prove. Typically our letters reflect that its is a conservative town, though the liberal voice has gained strength over the years as political activists such as Ned Lamont have brought their ideas to the table. .....
...Himes is now taking on Republican incumbent Chris Shays of Bridgeport in what promises to be a fascinating contest. Himes could lose in his heavily Republican hometown, yet win the district. Or Shays, with 20 years in Congress, could be re-elected with the help of Greenwich Republicans.
As a town of corporate leaders and impressive wealth, Greenwich most certainly will keep its role in American politics. The faces will change, and the parties may shift, but the influence of Greenwich will still be felt.
Jim Zebora is the managing editor of Greenwich Time.
To the editor:
The last of the balloons and the confetti remaining from the two presidential conventions are being cleaned up, and the candidates are hitting the campaign trail to persuade voters to cast their votes for them.
This promises to be the most actively contested presidential election ever. During the next eight weeks, we can expect a barrage of mail, e-mail or phoned campaign messages.
For almost nine decades, the League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization of men and women, has worked to encourage informed and active participation of citizens in government and to increase understanding of major public policy issues. We do not support or oppose candidates, but we will be working hard to provide voters with information to allow them to cast informed votes this Nov. 4.
This year, more than ever before, we urge the voters to carefully consider the candidates' stands on issues that are important to them before casting their votes. Come to our debates, or watch them on Channel 79. Attend a voter demonstration session if you have never used the new voting machines.
Watch for the Voters' Guide in a pullout section in the Greenwich Time and Greenwich Citizen in the end of October. In addition to including information about polling places and voting procedures, we will include biographical information as well as local and national candidates' answers to specific questions.
We will also include a sample ballot and information about two questions that will require a yes or no vote - one calling for a constitutional convention and one permitting Connecticut residents who are 17 to register to vote in a primary preceding the general election if they will turn 18 by Election Day.
We believe an informed electorate is essential to our democracy.
Jara Burnett
Riverside
Naomi Schiff Myers
Riverside
The writers are, respectively, vice president of voter services and president of the League of Women Voters of Greenwich.
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