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NORWALK, Conn. – Norwalk's teachers were told to redefine themselves Monday as they begin a "tough" and "challenging" school year after a bruising budget battle in the spring and summer.
"Let us not be defined by what people have said about us or the last comments that were made about the Norwalk Public School system. But let us redefine who we are and move forward," Board of Education Vice Chairman Artie Kassimiss told the packed auditorium at Brien McMahon High School during the annual convocation ceremony, the traditional beginning of the school year.
"I believe that our best days are yet to come, no matter what happened," he added, referring in part to the $5.8 million cut from former Superintendent Susan Marks' budget request. That was a smaller cut than it might have been because the city found ways to delay the Board of Education's repayment of a $4 million budget shortfall uncovered in April.
"From obstacles come opportunities, and Norwalk has a lot of opportunities," said interim Superintendent Tony Dadonna, whose remark failed to draw a response from the subdued crowd.
"Our students are at the center of this district, and everything we do has to be for the students," he said. "We have to repower the district with positive energy. We can generate this."
Kassimiss said he was impressed by the "very positive attitude" of the teachers. "They were here to make the best of it," he said.
"I'm always excited," said Carol Burgess, a seventh-grade teacher at Nathan Hale Middle School. "This is my 31st year. I love the kids, and I love what I do. I'm excited. Every year brings a new challenge."
This year's challenges include "lots of teachers moving around," she said. The staff at Nathan Hale now includes many teachers who are middle school-certified but new to the school.
Norwalk Federation of Teachers President Bruce Mellion said he didn't think any teachers have lost their livelihoods. Some who were laid off have been made long-term substitutes, he said.
"I think it's going to be difficult because we've lost a lot of people that we really cared about," Ponus Ridge Middle School language arts teacher Keesha Sullivan said. "But as our superintendent said, we have to focus on the kids who are coming back. We really need to rally together and support each other."
She predicted a great year as teachers rise to the challenge.
Other teachers refused to comment, saying they "wouldn't lie" with a pretty statement made for public consumption.
Mellion thought the mood was "good and upbeat" but expects things to be "very challenging" with the staff reductions, which include layoffs of support personnel such as security guards.
"I think it's going to really hit after a few days in terms of that," he said. "As events unfold I think it's going to be revealing."
Comments (19)
"He holds people accountable, but does not publicize that he is doing it." Holding people accountable is of some value, but providing vision and true leadership is what school systems really need. When he begins providing the latter, please let me know.
"He works well with unions, but gets things done!"
It's far too early to assess his ability to get things done while working well with the unions because he is in a far different role now.
"He knows the community, the staff and the expectations of the State Dept of Ed."
I should hope so.
"He is a tireless worker for the good of the students."
I can't judge that the good of the students is what motivates him, nor can I say that this is not his motive for working, but I agree that he works hard. Sometimes, though, he is working toward the wrong goals.
"He makes decisions! While not all will agree with his decisions, he makes them in such a way that they are respected."
This hasn't been my experience, but maybe you know of significant decisions he has made, and perhaps you can share them with the rest of us. As for respect, I am being honest in telling you that most people I know do not respect him.
"He has a consistent message on the focus for the administrators and the teachers."
What is the consistent message? If it is "accountability," please refer to my first comment above.
"Daddona has not publicized his behind the scenes work, but he has been doing and accomplishing."
This statement is devoid of meaning. I do wonder, though, how you would know what he is doing behind the scenes.
"He has made enemies, but people who hold others accountable and who make decisions do make some enemies."
Perhaps his greatest flaw is that he has had a "personal enemies list" for all of the years I have known him. He has too often boasted about how he "never forgets" perceived slights against him. That isn't the way an inspirational and effective leader behaves. It is the behavior of a petty and insecure autocrat.
Education is always the first to be cut. This nation as a whole really doesn't care about an educated youth - that would be dangerous to the status quo. Very sad.
@CT Taxpayer
Daddona was a very good move. You clearly don't know his strengths. Give him a chance to show them.
Thank you, but I know Mr. Daddona quite well.
Please share his strengths. I have had not personal dealings with him but over the years have never heard one good thing about him.
His strengths? I think he is nice to his mother.
He holds people accountable, but does not publicize that he is doing it. He works well with unions, but gets things done! He knows the community, the staff and the expectations of the State Dept of Ed. He is a tireless worker for the good of the students. He makes decisions! While not all will agree with his decisions, he makes them in such a way that they are respected. He has a consistent message on the focus for the administrators and the teachers. Daddona has not publicized his behind the scenes work, but he has been doing and accomplishing. He has made enemies, but people who hold others accountable and who make decisions do make some enemies.
I wish the board board and all the teachers of Norwalk much success in the coming year, they truly have tough situations, they have to deal with the following politics:
1) The politics of children, the neveending battle to define "genius" as the capacity to evade hard work, not an unusual trait, but certainly in the case of more Machiavellian young minds, a formidable atttribute
2) The politics of parents, the feigned slights, and insistence of parent to forego any type of democratic approach to improvement in order to maintain the focus on their own individual offspring, this is not easy to manage, and it comes from every single faction of society, All parents are convinced their children must be presented as pristine, sancrosant images of stellar youth, when in fact, they themselves struggle with the ability to guide and admonish when necessary, All parents struggle with this, some succeed, and I'll be frank, they are the epitome of a good parent.
3) The politics of the school board, a neverending display of self importance, relevancy based on expediency, and of course, the miasma of ridiculous assumptions gathered and made political by the stentorian tones of those who represent
4) The politics of the teachers union, the "walking on eggs" effect of maintaining a body politic in the pursuit of fair working conditions and wages for a collective body.
There, I've just laid down the hurdles, the teachers, have to contend with, now as in all areas of workstreams or employment, there are individuals who are in need of growth and improvement, and then there are individuals who are just downright incompetent, but this is not the majority of our Norwalk teachers,
So next school board meeting, or PTA, or whatever, remember the "hurdles" these teachers must clear, and just remind yourself, that you are not one of those hurdles.
Regards
NL
Maybe he is in rehab for foot-in-mouth.
Mostly, the drama about shortfall in two years budgets was all about timing and politics. If the budgets had been properly prepared on time, they would have called for more, but only a tiny percentage more, of the City budget and, with some discussion, the necessary amounts would have been appropriated. Announcing the shortfalls after budgets and tax rates had already been set was the real problem and the administration was adamant about not covering the shortfalls out of contingency funds, just as if that wasn't why there is a contingency fund. Certain politicians were more concerned with preserving an image than maintaining the school system, and saw an opportunity to pass the blame to the teacher's union.
We'll see what effect the shortfall fiasco has on the next election. By then, the plan is to have a competent CFO in place and to take credit for having fixed the problem without accepting any responsibility for causing it. They are counting on voter's short memories.
@old timer
So very true as we all know this horrid administration has been all about union busting any union that did not throw support at election time
@Old Timer
Are you implying that the shortfall was known, but news of it was held back from the public until AFTER budgets were already prepared?
To your point about politics, there are politicians of all stripes looking to exploit this issue for maximum political gain. Who can forget Andy Garfunkel dressed to the nines, running around Common Council meetings with a clipboard to get names for an e-mail list. You yourself crowed on these pages about what a gift it was for you and your friends who oppose the current administration. To then turn around and accuse others of political opportunism regarding this issue is the height of hypocrisy, when you have already admitted that you intend to be quite opportunistic with it yourself.
The shortfall was unfortunate. The cuts are unfortunate. I'm sure there will continue to be lots of finger-pointing and opportunism regarding both issues right through the next election. Barring any smoking gun uncovered by the audit, it will probably boil down to he said/she said. In the end I will vote for whoever I see working hardest to provide Norwalk with good schools, and other services, at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers.
It was not unreasonable to ask the Teachers Union to sacrifice to avoid these cuts. In fact it would have been a serious dereliction of duty not to ask the question. When you're in serious trouble, you ask everyone around to help. The Teachers said no, as was their right. The decision by some to feign offense that elected officials would dare ask for a little sacrifice from the Teachers Union is something that I'm still scratching my head over.
Daddona made a good speech. Surprised that this reporter did not focus on that. He is one of our own and teachers felt comforted that he knows the district and can lead us in the right direction.
I don't know anyone who feels comforted by Mr. Daddona's being superintendent. I do know people who wonder how the board could have made such a move.
@CT Taxpayer
Who do you feel the Board should have chosen?
Do you feel there was a better-qualified internal candidate, or that an external candidate would have been better? Seems to me that unless there's a better internal candidate, an external temporary superintendent would have been largely guided by Daddona's advice anyway.
Teachers do important work. There are a number of teachers who had a profound effect on my development, and I have always been grateful to them for the work they did which was well above and beyond what was required.
Nobody is happy about the cuts, but the City can't spend money it doesn't have. I hope that teachers who are going into the school year with a negative attitude understand that as a City, we do value education, to the tune of more than $150 million last year, and even more this year. We do appreciate the work that teachers do. But many taxpayers who are footing the bill for Norwalk's schools have been in difficult financial circumstances since 2008, and this year they got hit with yet another tax hike. It's not reasonable to go back to those same taxpayers and impose an even larger tax hike. The decision not to raise taxes further should not be viewed by teachers as a morale-crushing personal insult, rather it is an expression of financial reality. Education is important, as are many other functions performed by City government, but we also have to recognize the unfortunate fact that nobody has a bottomless pot of money from which to pay the bills.
Kudos to Carol Burgess for her positive attitude and best wishes to all teachers for a good school year.
@spooner
"There are a number of teachers who had a profound effect on my development,"
Hopefully those teachers were fired.
telling that the Board of Ed. chairman didn't speak (customary in most districts at the beginning of the year).