By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

www.ctmirror.org

State officials today announced new school construction protocols in response to the Newtown tragedy, including exterior surveillance, blast-resistant entryways and classroom door locks—all features that might have stopped or slowed Adam Lanza’s assault on Sandy Hook Elementary a year ago.

“We’ve attempted to take an all-hazards approach,” Donald J. DeFronzo, the commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services, said shortly after releasing the new protocols. “There are no security standards now.”

The new standards must be met to qualify for the $600 million spent annually by the state to build and renovate schools, a local responsibility that is subsidized by the state based on local wealth, with an upscale suburb like Avon qualifying for 20 percent and a city like New Britain getting 80 percent.

The standards will apply to all new school construction approved for funding by the legislature after June 2014. 

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By James Lomuscio

In a move that seemed more investigative than damage control, Westport’s Board of Education tonight held a special meeting with its benefits consultant and the Board of Finance to determine how a $2 million shortfall in its current operating budget happened via unexpected health claims—and how to prevent future budget blunders.

Brian Stern: “We need to know how it happened.” Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Elaine Whitney, school board chairwoman, said her board has considered hiring an independent health insurance auditor.

“I think we need to collect a whole lot of data first to find out what is the issue, and then get the auditor to come in and verify,” said Brian Stern, finance board vice chairman who heads its audit committee.

The school system, which has 900 employees, last year projected a net savings of $500,000 in insurance costs with its new carrier CIGNA. About 560 of the schools’ employees are now in health savings accounts (HSAs) instead of point of service (POS) plans, it was noted at the meeting.

By James Lomuscio

Paul Block, a Westport resident for 20 years and CEO of Merisant, a global sweetener company, was chosen by the seven-member Board of Education tonight to fill the vacancy when Jennifer Tooker, a Republican, stepped down to run for and win a seat in November on the Board of Finance.

Town Clerk Patricia Strauss swears in new Board of Education member Paul Block. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Block was selected from a pool of eight applicants, four of whom had been recommended by the Republican Town Committee (RTC) since the seat had to be filled by a Republican.

Elaine Whitney, board chairwoman, lauded the choice of Block’s selection, praise that was echoed by board member Jeannie Smith, a Republican who had attended Block’s interview with the RTC.

“I believe he will be a strong asset to the Board of Education,” Smith said.

Members of the Staples High School Orphenians, led by Luke Rosenberg, listen to praise from Board of Education members tonight where they performed at the board meeting. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Beth Messler, assistant principal at Westport’s Coleytown Elementary School, was honored tonight as the 2014 Connecticut Elementary Assistant Principal of the Year at the Board of Education meeting. With with her were her husband, David, and Coleytown Elementary School Principal, Janna Bell. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The Staples High School Orphenians get ready for their performance at today’s 11 a.m. mass at Manhattan’s St. Jean Baptiste Church. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

www.ctmirror.org

A memo from a group of school superintendents recommends that the state association that represents them publicly lambaste Connecticut’s education commissioner.

But Elizabeth Feser, president of the board of directors of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) and the leader of Milford Public Schools, said the full board today rejected that request.

“It does not represent the universal views of” the association, Feser said during an interview.

The memo compiled by the organization’s Legislative Committee for consideration highlights several areas of concern in Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor’s management.

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Connecticut House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey (D-Hamden) suggested today that one way local municipalities can become more efficient is by education boards sending out their own tax bills.

J. Brendan Sharkey (c), House Speaker, addresses today’s meeting of municipal leaders in Norwalk. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

“Board of Education members do not have to answer directly to taxpayers,” he told a meeting of municipal leaders in Norwalk. He suggested a separate tax bill for education –- which now dominates much of local spending—would prompt taxpayers to demand more education efficiencies.

Addressing a meeting of the South Western Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (SWRMPO) at the Norwalk Transit District, Sharkey said local spending burdens could be aided by the state taking over special education costs and creating regional special education centers.

But he warned that this would be at a cost of $1.8 billion a year and that would result in an 18 percent increase in state taxes.