By James Lomuscio

In its final discussion on the school system’s failing underground oil tanks, Westport’s Board of Education unanimously approved Monday night the superintendent’s request for $269,000 to remove the tanks at four schools and to heat them with natural gas only.

The school board will now request approval and funding from the Board of Finance and the Representative Town Meeting.

Under the proposal presented by Nancy Harris, assistant superintendent of business, the 1,000-gallon oil tanks would be removed at Coleytown Elementary School, Long Lots Elementary School, Coleytown Middle School, and Staples High School,  “and they would run on straight gas,” instead of their dual fuel capabilities.

A cost savings could be had, Harris noted, by repairing the Staples tank in the loading dock area and bringing it up to code.

By James Lomuscio

Melissa Kay: will head private American elementary school abroad. WN file photoMelissa Kay, principal at Westport’s Bedford Middle School (BMS) for the past two years, will be leaving effective July 1 to head a private American elementary school on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said today.

Landon spoke after a posting for Kay’s job was listed on the town website and other education-related sites.

Prior to her appointment to the position at BMS (see WestportNow May 3, 2010), Kay served as principal of Coleytown Middle School for five years. Her job in Italy is a two-year commitment, Landon said.

“She’s a wonderful educator, and she obviously has a very strong background in elementary education,” Landon said. “Because of that, she was the perfect person to put in charge of Bedford Middle School since the transition to middle school went smoothly.

The Journalism Education Association has named Staples High School senior Julian Clarke the 2012 Connecticut Student Journalist of the Year.

Julian Clarke: “His journalism delivers a level of sophistication well beyond his years.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Julian, 17, was selected after a committee examined a portfolio of his work that it said demonstrated leadership, tenacity and, most of all, stellar writing skills that made him a standout candidate for this statewide honor. 

“Julian’s journalism delivers a level of sophistication well beyond his years, particularly his skilled and appealing writing style. His talents and work are very impressive and should trigger a bright future,” the JEA judging committee said.

Julian is the managing editor of the school newspaper, Inklings. His leadership helped proper Staples print and Web platforms to win Gold and Silver Crown awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and an All-American Award from the National Scholastic Press Association.

By James Lomuscio

Gordon Joseloff: “doing more with less.” Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Don O’Day: touts benefit reductions. Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport First Selectman Gordon Joseloff and School Board Chairman Donald O’Day each presented their proposed 2012-13 budgets to the Board of Finance Wednesday night, final presentations before the the finance board votes at the end of this month.

Both Joseloff and O’Day touted their budgets as austere and flat in light of fiscal constraints that demand ongoing cost savings.

Joseloff’s proposed proposed $73.9 million municipal budget represents a 3 percent increase over the current year, and the school board’s $100.2 million proposed budget is a 2.17 percent increase.

“You may have not been counting, but this is my seventh as Westport’s First Selectman,” said Joseloff. “It is similar to recent years in that it shares a common theme – doing more with less.”

By James Lomuscio

State Sen. Toni Boucher gave the Westport Board of Education tonight an overview of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s education reform bill.

State Sen. Toni Boucher addresses the Westport Board of Education tonight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

She said it aims to fix what is broken in some Connecticut’s failing public schools, including improved teacher preparation, teacher tenure reform, expanded access to early childhood education and removing red tape for local districts.

According to Boucher, Connecticut has the largest achievement gap in the nation, especially when comparing successful school systems like Westport’s to inner city districts such as Hartford, Waterbury and Bridgeport.

“The reason the governor is spending so much political capital on this is that it is coming from Washington,” Boucher said. “Connecticut has the widest achievement gap, and too many cities are failing.”

By James Lomuscio

Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon, whose school system serves about 75 students from more than 50 countries, has been picked to serve on a state task force for English Language Learners (ELL), school officials announced today.
Elliott Landon: “It’s very exiting.” Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Landon, credited for initiating an award winning ELL program in Long Beach, N.Y. while superintendent prior to coming to Westport, was chosen by state Rep. Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden.

Donovan, who serves as speaker of the House of Representatives, formed the task force to improve ELL programs statewide and serves as its chairman.

“It’s very exciting,” said Landon, who is his previous post was honored in 1999 by Circulo de La Hispanidad of Long Beach for developing and implementing K-12 programs for Spanish-speaking youngsters, netting growth in graduation rates.

By Mark Pazniokas

www.ctmirror.org

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy got the unscripted confrontations he wanted tonight at his first education forum: teachers willing to mix it up over tenure reform, and a Bridgeport parent and former official furious over the state takeover of that city’s troubled schools.

Challenged on tenure reform, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy makes a point tonight:  “I just want to get to the point where we don’t give excuses why we can’t educate our children.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Ctmirror.org photo

In a community center in Hartford’s South End, the first stop on a tour that will take him across the state to sell a plan for education reforms, Malloy repeatedly warned that failure by teachers and schools must have consequences.

“I just want to get to the point where we don’t give excuses why we can’t educate our children,” Malloy told one woman with 23 years as a Hartford teacher and counselor.

For an hour, the governor repeatedly came back to a need for consequences. His proposals include a teacher evaluation system that would help struggling teachers, but remove those who cannot eventually improve their performance.

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By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

www.ctmirror.org

The state Supreme Court today rejected the state’s takeover of Bridgeport’s Board of Education, ruling that five of the ousted school board members be put back in office and special elections must be held for the remaining four seats whose members’ terms have expired.

The decision was based largely on the fact that the board never received training before the takeover last July, as required by state law.

“Most importantly, the state board does not have the authority to authorize reconstitution until it first requires the local board to undergo and complete training,” the majority opinion written by Justice Peter Zarella reads.

This decision comes days after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s chief counsel said such a reversal by the Supreme Court would be “unworkable and would maximize disruption” in Bridgeport schools.

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By By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Uma Ramiah

www.ctmirror.org

The state’s teachers unions may have reached agreement on how their members should be graded weeks ago, but today union leaders came to the state Capitol complex to display buyer’s remorse.

Calling it a “leap of faith,” when they signed on to the historic teacher evaluation framework, Phil Apruzzese, head of the state’s largest teachers union, told Education Committee members that he has second thoughts.

“We run the risk of losing good teachers, of evaluation becoming a ‘gotcha’ practice, and of establishing a culture of fear, rather than collaboration in our schools,” he said, describing the evaluation as “based on shaky factors” and “very subjective.”

The evaluations—which would be based largely on student performance, peer reviews and classroom observations—are the cornerstone of an education agenda proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, who was a late addition to the list of public-hearing witnesses.

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