Dear Mr. Dempsey. What are You Saving the Snow Days For?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Snow on Da Ground, Snow on Da Ground":

Dear Mr. Dempsey,

As a district parent I am used to unusual decisions regarding education (Investigations math, Stratford not purchasing ELA review books) but I have to say that the decision to have a delayed opening after the severe weather we had is just plain wrong.

Let's do the math. The school day is 6 hours long. Take 90 minutes off that right off the bat. We're down to 4.5 hours.
Will the buses get the kids to school on time? Let's take off a half hour for late buses, kids changing out of snow boots, snow pants.
We're at 4 hours.
Take out for lunch and rec.
We're down to about 3 hours of potential instructional time.
But not really since the elementary dismissal process begins well before 3:15 with some walkers getting out as early as 3:05 (Stratford) so let's take off another 20 minutes so with rounding we have about 2.5 hours of potential instruction time with a delayed opening of 90 minutes.

I'm unsure why we would opt to send kids to school for less than half a day's instructional benefit when we have snow days figured in the school calendar. Kids can go to school on those days for the full 6 hours and receive maximum instruction time.

I don't know about anyone else's part of Plainview-Old Bethpage but my house got a lot of snow. I shoveled twice during the day over an hour each time (at least 4-5 inches each time) and took another two hours to complete the job after the evening brought at least another 8-10 inches. I'm not done since when the plow makes it way down my block I will again have to clean the apron of my driveway. I estimate that to take at least 45 minutes.

Just cleaning my car off created about 4 inches of snow surrounding it. Tonight's snow was so dense it broke my new telescoping car snow cleaning device.

So far I haven't see anyone shoveling their sidewalks. There's barely any place to put the snow to dig out the cars in our driveways. I have drifts well over 3 feet on both sides of my driveway.

Kids are going to have to walk in the streets and wait in the streets for buses. It's very unsafe.

Every bordering school district made the decision to close their schools tomorrow.

It's not too late to get the phone link and email alerts going and close the schools.

Money For Taxes Must Goe to Tutoring

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Best Interest of the Residents and Children?":

I can't afford to pay higher school taxes - I need about $2500 a year to pay for Kumon math and reading.

Snow on Da Ground, Snow on Da Ground

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "People in Charge Have No Clue":

Maybe if the school administrators heard this song school would be closed tomorrow

Snow on da' ground.....snow on da' ground..... Drivin' like a fool wit da' snow on the ground....look at ya now - car spinnin around.....drivin like a fool wit da' snow on Da ground!!!... Slow it down .... Slow it down then copy -n- paste - n- pass it around

People in Charge Have No Clue

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What's the Point?":

Just like the contract, the people in charge have no clue. My kids will not be going to school they will be sleigh riding, YES!

What's the Point?

annon has left a new comment on your post "Snow Piled Up Everywhere But Here":

Did we not get snow in Plainview? Because my driveway is pretty awful and I’ve shoveled it twice already. And it’s still snowing and it’s going to continue until 6 AM.

I think a 90 minute delay is inappropriate. Kids are going in, the buses will be late and then it’s time for lunch and rec and then come back home? What’s the point?

Actually it's nice to finally see all the schools getting the same thing at once! If it was business as usual each Principal would have decided for their home school.

Snow Piled Up Everywhere But Here

annon has left a new comment on your post "What Are They Thinking? We are Snowed In.....":

WOW, Where does Mr. Dempsey live? There is at least a foot plus out in front of my house. It is still snowing. The plows haven't been through since 10am this morning. Having the kids go in late for a few hours isn't helping anyone. Parents who work are pretty screwed for sure. Based on the calendar we have easily at least three or four snow days left and it's the middle of February already. Oh, I guess we are saving those days for additional days to add on to the spring break. Plainview School District; I am loving it. Right on top of it as usual.

What Are They Thinking? We are Snowed In.....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Future of This District Needs to Be Different":

Why is our school district on a 90 minute delay for Thursday when every surrounding district is closed? Syosset, Jericho, Half Hollow Hills, Farmingdale, Hicksville, Bethpage - all closed as well as many other districts.

By the time our kids get to school, and let's assume the buses will be delayed due to the driving conditions, it will be close to lunch and rec. The day is half gone. Add in an afternoon special like gym and why are we bothering? For 3 hours - maybe?

The Future of This District Needs to Be Different

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Apathy Be Gone":

It seems that we need to organize a campaign to inform the community that the PCT plans to pad the BOE with spouses of teachers to continue to manipulate this district. The situation with the teachers contract woke up alot of people to how the PCT operates but they can not be lulled back to sleep. Apathy and fear kept many quiet in the past but the future of this district needs to be different.

Teachers are the Enemy?!?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "YES":

Are you for real! saying that a teacher is the enemy of education is ubsurd and shows your level of commitment to education.

The Best Interest of the Residents and Children?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Explanation for BOE Votes":

Fiscal responsibility
Their was only one other option at that was to look after the best interest of the children and residents of Plainview and stand up to the teachers and say no. No you are not getting a raise because so many of our residents are either out of work, working longer hours for the same or less pay , or falling behind on their bills because of the outrageous and disgusting tax burden that residents have to pay due to the excessive pay and benefits that teachers already receive.If they went on strike the BOE could of gotten Qualified replacements immediately without a problem. My prediction is that we will have to cut programs from our school in the near future if our budget keeps soaring into space. Then who do we blame. Even the county politicians try to fool us by talking about rising property taxes. The property taxes are not the problem. The school taxes are the problem. The PCT could care less about the residents of Plainview. They have no regard for the economic impact that taxes play on residents and children. If parents are being burdened by the excessive taxes don't think this does not affect children. It does for sure.

YES

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "??? Teachers the Problem?":

in some cases - yes.

Be Involved In the Process and Send a Message

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Board Has No Guts.- Get Out Keep Them In Check":

Unaffordable school budgets are plaguing many school districts, not just Plainview. Budget meetings will start soon - the community needs to come out and watch the process. There is too much non-involvement and assumptions that it is all getting handled appropriately and then people get angry when they find out that a large salary increase was approved for the Supt of Business. The time to speak out is during budget time, not after things are a done deal. At least listen and know where the money is being proposed to be spent. More than a handful of community members or special interest groups need to participate. I don't think our community wants to vote down a budget since we know that will mostly hurt the kids. Being involved in the whole budget process, not just casting a vote, sends a strong message that we expect fiduciary responsibility and good decisions.

Explanation for BOE Votes

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Bravo Mr. Cepeda":

In fairness I would like to hear a better explanation of why board members voted how they did.

Lori Weinstein and Gary Bettan also ran on a platform of fiscal respsonsbility.

I wonder what the other options were - if there were any - during negotiations.

BOE Candidate Restrictions

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Spouses Can Legally Take Positions? Can a Lawyer A...":

I don't believe there are any restrictions other than the candidate has to be a resident.

Government always votes for their own raises and benefits so why should school boards be any different?

??? Teachers the Problem?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Apathy Be Gone":

Are you saying that teachers are the enemy of education in this district?

Attention Taxpayers...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "And What About the Principal's Contracts?":

You would be LUCKY if the Administrators contracts were 'the same' as the teachers. Typically they get 2-3 percent MORE than whatever teachers get. The Classroom Aides (hard working, but traditionally underpaid group) and Custodians are also settling contract. Interesting to see what ALL groups...not just teachers get. Stay aware community!!

School Taxes

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Clarification? on Teacher's Benefits":

Thank you for the clarification.
Being thankful and hoping for betterment does not help pay the school taxes:}

Hold BOE Accountable For Future Budget and Keep Costs Down

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Teachers Should Retire on Their Own Money":

No golden parachutes for civil servants.

There should be state and federal restrictions on all labor contracts. Local governments are very generous with taxpayer money and it's time for this to end. We can't afford it and these jobs don't deserve it.

Our community is stlil paying for past superintendent Brooks health insurance! Was that really necessary to have him sign a contract? It's inappropriate and never should have happened.

The community needs to get involved at budget time and ask a lot of questions. Force transparency and hold our BOE accountable for keeping costs down.

Mr. Dempsey-Haphazard Education Has Got to Go

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "PCT Partner?! Since When?":

The main problem here is that anything goes in the classroom and no one is watching what's going on.

The results speak for themselves and its time for administration and the BOE to take action about education, not spend hours discussing a ridiculous Wellness policy that everyone knows will never be enforced and won't make any difference in the obesity level of our community.

The school budget has hundreds of thousands of dollars for salaries of department chairpeople - why? What do these people do? If every school has their autonomy and within that every teacher is doing their own thing, why do we need these people?

Take the recent example of ELA workbooks. Old Beth, Parkway and Pasadena bought ELA review books (different ones) for their kids. Stratford didn't budget for any. They didn't feel they were necessary as they used other materials.

A parent questioned this decision and made this inequality public.

But why would this ever happen to begin with?

Why would the BOE allow this to happen this when it first came up LAST SPRING and say - hey - this is not OK - we need to provide equitable materials for ALL students.

Aside from the fact that Stratford ELA scores are consistently the lowest in the district wouldn't some PAID administrator or BOE member say Gee lets see if a review book like every other kid in our district (and Long Island) gets would help these kids in Stratford.

Instead the parent had to continue the battle into the fall, pressuring the school district to spend about $2000(out of a $127 million budget)to buy an $8 ELA workbook for 3rd and 4th graders to put Stratford kids on even footing with other 3rd and 4th graders in the district whose schools wisely budgeted for these materials.

Where was the ELA chairperson in all this? We know he's not doing anything to create any ELA curriculum for all elementary students.

How do we have confidence in a district that doesn't take initiative to make sure things are the best they can be for the students and always denies and makes excuses for the most obvious wrongdoings?

It's a joke how kids from class to class and school to school have unbelievably different ELA experiences in reading, writing and instruction, with some children not getting much of anything in these critical areas while others enjoy reading groups,class books and bonafide writing instruction.

Central administration has ignored this big problem.

So has the BOE.

Our kids education is too important to be left to this laissez faire style of overpaid management where everyone is afraid to tell anyone what to do.

The BOE talks about talking about doing something to achieve better than state standards. Our kids are getting older, our taxes are going up. Many of our kids are barely at state standards. Years pass and nothing happens. This is unacceptable. It's time for action and change that we can see when our kids come home every day a little smarter.

This has to start at the top. Our superintendent Dempsey is being honored by BOCES as a "person of influence." It's time for him to influence the district he manages. Influence chairpeople, principals, teachers that things need to be consistent, curriculum needs to be covered in all classrooms, no excuses. Create curriculum if none exists. But the haphazard education going on has to end. Whether its that only certain kids getting materials or certain classrooms reading books, it's unacceptable and needs to end. Our children deserve better.

And What About the Principal's Contracts?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Clarification? on Teacher's Benefits":

what's going on with the principal's contract?

Hopefully this hasn't been rubber-stamped to be the same as the teacher's.

It is far too generous since their salaries are already over inflated and undeserved in school where state assessment scores are still in the toilet.

How To Mobilize the Community?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Make Your Complaint Count, ....VOTE!":

According to this blog, it seems that the current BOE members up for re-election will be running again - Gary Bettan, Lori Weinstein and Angel Cepeda. Also, it has been rumored that two spouses of teachers will be running also.

None of these options looks good for any child or taxpayer in this community.

It's a conflict of interest to have someone voting on teacher contracts that their spouses will receive the benefits of.

The current BOE moves too slowly and has not focused their priorities on the betterment of education.

It's true that the measly voter turnout (3,000 or so voters) has a decent portion comprised of PCT members, their families (spouses and voting age children), and other sympathetic union members.

We need two things - (1) community voter turnout by those not influenced by the PCT and (2) candidates that can make a difference.

Incentives Are To Help Local Districts

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Teachers Should Retire on Their Own Money":

These are incentives that authorized at the state level. the purpose of these incentives is to save the local districts money by replacing a highly paid teacher at the end of their career with several lower paid teachers who are just starting out.

Spouses Can Legally Take Positions? Can a Lawyer Answer?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Are Teacher's Spouses Planning to Run For Board? T...":

I would think that if a teachers spouse ran for the board (even if the teacher retired) that would be a clear conflict of interest because they are being compensated or are benefiting financially from the school even if it is a spouse they are still benefiting. Any Lawyers out there that can answer that question?? I guess we would have to call the state department of Ed up in Albany

Bravo Mr. Cepeda

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Correction and Urge to Vote":

Mr Cepeda then deserves our vote because he had the guts to say no. Now it should be clear who should not be re-elected

Board Has No Guts.- Get Out Keep Them In Check

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Make Your Complaint Count, ....VOTE!":

The Game is played in the voting booth by the lack of residents voting. The bottom line is that the board is supposed to be looking after the best interest of the children and the residents. That does not seem to be happening because the board as a whole does not have the guts to stand up to the PCT and say if your so unhappy here with the working conditions then we could get thousands of resumes of prospective teachers that are just as qualified that would love to work in our community. Look at the economy and then look at what just happened . It is disgusting and should be an inspiration for everyone to get out,attend the budget/board meetings, and vote