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Riverport Festival
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The Riverport festival lasts from a Friday night to Sunday. There are carnival rides and a fireworks show Saturday night. It is a venue to highlight the town of Cromwell. The Cromwell FD is also hosting the state fire convention that weekend so hopefully the show will go on and people frm near and far can enjoy the riverport festival.
Meeting for volunteers is Wednesday, May 21st at 7:00 p.m. in the Cromwell Police Headquarters in the community room.
Come sign up to help out. We are looking for as many volunteers are possible to make this event happen.
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Cromwell Taxpayer
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GRIN AND BEAR IT wrote: 1. To Jodie Mozdzer--Courant writer and author of "Cromwell Panel Revises Budget Plan"
Your math in the second paragraph is incorrect: You wrote "The board ultimately reduced the education proposal by $32,000, or about 1 percent."
$32,000 out of $24.98 million = 0.128 % Your calculation is off by a factor of 8 !!!
2. The adjustment figure is not only pathetic, but it cries out for the educ. budget to be voted down again. It's an insult to Cromwell voters. Why did the Board of Finance (BOF)offer such an absurdly small adjustment?
I wish someone from the BOF would respond here. I'd really like to know what they were thinking.
3. In the matter of the tie vote the Cromwell Charter states:
"Section C204. Breaking a Tie.
When any regular or special municipal election, primary election or referendum conducted
pursuant to the provisions of this charter results in a tie, an adjourned election shall be
conducted in accordance with the provisions of Section 9-332 of the General Statutes, as
amended, to determine who shall be elected, or in the case of a question at referendum, whether
it shall be accepted or rejected, provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to
questions at referendum which, under the provisions of this charter or of the General Statutes,
require a minimum number of electors voting in favor of such questions in the event that the
number of electors voting in favor of such question does not equal the said minimum number
required by such provision."
Are there any lawyers out there who can interpret this? I totally agree with 1 & 2. 3)Seems to not matter as the "new" budget is reduced. I'm still voting NO and would encourage others to do the same. The reduced 32K is a slap in the face. What's that going to save me .35 cents. We need to keep the BOE's feet to the fire until they get the mesage - we can not afford what they are asking for. NOT that the teachers don't deserve it - WE CAN"T AFFORD THE 5+% INCREASES. Connecticut in general has an attitude that they don't care about it's citizens. Just keep taxing them EVEN IF IT KILLS THEM. Read the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's monthly Government Affairs Reports. CBIA keeps begging our legislators to fix our business environment - the legislators just don't listen or care. It just keeps getting more unfavorable to do business here in CT. We are all loosing as a result.
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another parent
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FedUp wrote: <quoted text>
Unbelievable! So we are supposed to vote yes at budget time when we don't agree with how the school system is run?? That is insane.
Responsible taxpayers have an obligation to vote down this education budget. Maybe then the BOE will realize business as usual will not suffice anymore. What makes you an expert in how to run a school system? Every administrator/manager will run an operation differently. No 2 people will ever agree...but no, we need to hear about the plannned exaggerated 7 new hires, when it is only 1-2 new hires....repeatedly.... I think certain people may have a vendetta against the school system...maybe, they weren't able to make it out and they blame the system....I don't know... we need to stop exaggerating and be factual..I don't object to factual info...I do object when I hear or read unsubstantiated opinions...
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another parent
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FedUp wrote: <quoted text>
Look, the way I see it the issue is not the average teacher salary. It's the guaranteed annual increases. I've read the super's budget memo and an increase in total spending of 5.85% is needed just to cover salary and benefit increases. That tells me the expenditure for salaries and benefits alone is rising faster than the 5.85%. A company such as aetna has this expenditure item capped at 3.5%. High performers get more, poor performers get less. No one is guaranteed anything. A teacher has this guaranteed raise on top of absolute job security. No other profession has a sweeter deal. I'm all for rewarding good teachers but like everyone else they have to earn it. And to me, guaranteed pay raises requiring close to a 6% total spending increase every year seems very excessive. I think even you would agree with that. Again, let's keep the facts straight...the 3.5% you reference at Aetna is a merit pool increase...benefits are completely separate...as well as the annual bonus...
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shartflhs
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What does it matter if it is a merit pool increase? The problem is not that they are getting an increase. The problem is the amount of the increase. The real world has been tightening the belt with raises being reduced and benefits costing the employee much more for years. Town employees get some of the lowest cost (to them) benefits and best retirement plans. The public cannot continue to support this when people are losing their jobs, houses, and are struggling to fill the tank (car and home), put food on the table. I grew up in this area and really didn't want to move but now I am seriously considering it. Thank god my job allows me that choice. What happens when the masses have had enough and do the same? Then the teachers and town employees will be losing their jobs because there will be no one to teach or support.
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another parent
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shartflhs wrote: What does it matter if it is a merit pool increase? The problem is not that they are getting an increase. The problem is the amount of the increase. The real world has been tightening the belt with raises being reduced and benefits costing the employee much more for years. Town employees get some of the lowest cost (to them) benefits and best retirement plans. The public cannot continue to support this when people are losing their jobs, houses, and are struggling to fill the tank (car and home), put food on the table. I grew up in this area and really didn't want to move but now I am seriously considering it. Thank god my job allows me that choice. What happens when the masses have had enough and do the same? Then the teachers and town employees will be losing their jobs because there will be no one to teach or support. It matters quite a bit...merit increase pools are developed annually based on COL and the company performance... not true in union land...the BOE can tell you today what next year, 2009 - 2010, will bring in wage increase alone....why? because it is a contractual arrangement...the ONLY variable in the equation is atrition... Union contracts were negotiated when? 3 years ago??
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shartflhs
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I dont know when the last contract was signed but when it comes up for renewal I can assure you there will be quite an uproar if they try and keep the same type of wage increases in it that they have now. And merit increases are NOT based on cost of living. If they were my raises would have been much higher over last few years. another parent wrote: <quoted text>
It matters quite a bit...merit increase pools are developed annually based on COL and the company performance...
not true in union land...the BOE can tell you today what next year, 2009 - 2010, will bring in wage increase alone....why? because it is a contractual arrangement...the ONLY variable in the equation is atrition...
Union contracts were negotiated when? 3 years ago??
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another parent
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shartflhs wrote: I dont know when the last contract was signed but when it comes up for renewal I can assure you there will be quite an uproar if they try and keep the same type of wage increases in it that they have now. And merit increases are NOT based on cost of living. If they were my raises would have been much higher over last few years.
<quoted text> you truly believe that? I remember those statements too...based on performace NOT COL.. Then why in the early 80's when COL was in the teens, merit increase were in the teens.... now, they align to 3-3.5% Agree - what we are told and what occurs are 2 very different things... and yes, please uproar next time a contract is negotiated for wage...
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shartflhs
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I absolutely believe it. Years ago in the corporate world, when I managed people we were given two figures, usually a COL figure that was not up to the rate of inflation, and another that was to be doled out to be determined by performance, like 4% for the department. More recently you got the 4% without the COL raise, again to be based on performance. So generally in the corporate world the COL raise is gone, unless there is a bargaining unit involved. another parent wrote: <quoted text>
you truly believe that? I remember those statements too...based on performace NOT COL..
Then why in the early 80's when COL was in the teens, merit increase were in the teens.... now, they align to 3-3.5% Agree - what we are told and what occurs are 2 very different things...
and yes, please uproar next time a contract is negotiated for wage...
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FedUp
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another parent wrote: <quoted text>
What makes you an expert in how to run a school system?
Every administrator/manager will run an operation differently.
No 2 people will ever agree...but no, we need to hear about the plannned exaggerated 7 new hires, when it is only 1-2 new hires....repeatedly....
I think certain people may have a vendetta against the school system...maybe, they weren't able to make it out and they blame the system....I don't know...
we need to stop exaggerating and be factual..I don't object to factual info...I do object when I hear or read unsubstantiated opinions... It doesn't take an expert to see the BOE is unable or unwilling to control costs. I haven't determined which yet, but it's still bad. Look, we all want good teachers to be rewarded. But the BOE is out of touch with the rest of the country and economy. Salary increases in most organizations are limited to a 3% increase pool. High performers get more, poor ones get less. This across the board salary increase for all teachers is out of touch. And the rate of increase seems out of touch. As for benefits, again the BOE is out of touch. Teachers pay nothing for their retirement and have a defined benefit plan. The rest of us have transistioned to defined contribution plans and 401k's putting the onus of retirement on the worker. Teachers have some of the richest insurance coverage plans. The rest of us are paying more and more of the cost of insurance with less coverage. The past few years I have seen a rapid rise in my share of medical insurance premiums. The increase has been as high as 40% in some years. On top of the excessive benefits and salary increases, teachers have a job for life; absolute job security. No one else today has such a thing as absolute job security. I agree with shartflhs, there will be an uproar if the next contract is status quo. I'm disappointed if people are telling lies about the number of hires. I like to have a civil debate with facts, like you. However, there are some that make the issue a purely emotional one instead of being objective and seeing it as a fiscal one. We can all agree that we want a quality educational system. But we first all need to agree that there is a limit as to how much we can pay for it. Some want to frame the debate as robbing kids of their future, which is pure nonsense and a complete lie in and of itself. Once we can all get past that, we need to realize that excessive benefits and salary increases do not necessarily translate into a quality educational system. This year is a prime example. The BOE will have to make cuts just to continue to line the pockets of teachers and administrators.
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Taxpayer
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I agree with FedUp. The teachers don't need raises every year. Plus their benefits are a lot better than mine and MY TAXES have to help pay for their benefits. I say let them pay their OWN benefits. I have to pay my own insurance with a $2,000. ded. I pay $8,000./yr. and that only covers Hospitalization. No Doctors, Pills, Eyeglasses, Dentist - nothing. If I want better coverage, I have to pay a much higher premium. The kids will still get a good education if the teachers, etc. pay for their own benefits.
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another parent
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Taxpayer wrote: I agree with FedUp. The teachers don't need raises every year. Plus their benefits are a lot better than mine and MY TAXES have to help pay for their benefits. I say let them pay their OWN benefits. I have to pay my own insurance with a $2,000. ded. I pay $8,000./yr. and that only covers Hospitalization. No Doctors, Pills, Eyeglasses, Dentist - nothing. If I want better coverage, I have to pay a much higher premium. The kids will still get a good education if the teachers, etc. pay for their own benefits. Shouldn't that apply to everybody....why is Al's Mobil raising his gas prices? that's not fair...he doesn't need to...oh, his expenses have increased? same applies to teachers and to the town.. I have compared the town coverage to my large employer's coverage...monthly premium - within $10's for like plans... coverage - nearly identical... remember - be armed with the facts...heresay is worthless.. Plan selection is critical....need to match plan benefits to expected needs...for example, don't select the plan that doesn't offer maternity benefits if you are a newlywed with intentions of starting a family... if your coverage is that limited, it sounds like you bought one of those individual plans with minimal benefits....that's too bad...
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another parent
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FedUp wrote: <quoted text>
It doesn't take an expert to see the BOE is unable or unwilling to control costs. I haven't determined which yet, but it's still bad.
Look, we all want good teachers to be rewarded. But the BOE is out of touch with the rest of the country and economy. Salary increases in most organizations are limited to a 3% increase pool. High performers get more, poor ones get less. This across the board salary increase for all teachers is out of touch. And the rate of increase seems out of touch.
As for benefits, again the BOE is out of touch. Teachers pay nothing for their retirement and have a defined benefit plan. The rest of us have transistioned to defined contribution plans and 401k's putting the onus of retirement on the worker. Teachers have some of the richest insurance coverage plans. The rest of us are paying more and more of the cost of insurance with less coverage. The past few years I have seen a rapid rise in my share of medical insurance premiums. The increase has been as high as 40% in some years.
On top of the excessive benefits and salary increases, teachers have a job for life; absolute job security. No one else today has such a thing as absolute job security.
I agree with shartflhs, there will be an uproar if the next contract is status quo.
I'm disappointed if people are telling lies about the number of hires. I like to have a civil debate with facts, like you.
However, there are some that make the issue a purely emotional one instead of being objective and seeing it as a fiscal one. We can all agree that we want a quality educational system. But we first all need to agree that there is a limit as to how much we can pay for it. Some want to frame the debate as robbing kids of their future, which is pure nonsense and a complete lie in and of itself.
Once we can all get past that, we need to realize that excessive benefits and salary increases do not necessarily translate into a quality educational system. This year is a prime example. The BOE will have to make cuts just to continue to line the pockets of teachers and administrators. The defined benefit plan they have also includs their social...and they do contribute to a 403 (like a 401) can't even collect on a spouse's soc in the event of the spouse's death..
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shartflhs
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Teachers salaries and benefits are only part of the problem. Things like granite countertops in schools, and the latest technologies that are not needed is also part of the problem. When times were good schools got the best of everything and now they feel they are entitled to that same level every year. As I stated in an earlier post, I once dated a teacher and one of the reasons it did not work out was that feeling of entitlement she had about everything. She could not understand my point of view at all. She complained that I made more money yet she didnt understand that I was working almost 2500 hours a year to her 1800 if that. She would leave for school andhour after I left and be home well before me when I worked an 8 hour day which was rare. Also comparing medical benefits, the medical was similar but her costs were 1/10 what mine were. Add in the pension which was 100 times better than mine and you can see the disconnect.
I am also in education in one of my roles, but in a highly technical industry. I created the whole training program myself including writing training manuals, presentations etc. The cry that teachers spend hours every day after school working is a bunch of bull. Their material changes yes but not drastically. Mine changes much more and I don't spend that much time on it. I grade tests too but it doesn't take that long.
One of the biggest problems I had that caused the breakup was that I was always working and she had tons of free time. Yet she felt she deserved more pay.
Things have changed since then, teachers salaries are up, they may be paying more for their benefits but I am sure it is not much more. And teachers are all still working. As for me, I was laid off after working 23 years for the same company. I am doing quite well as a highly paid consultant but my benefits now cost me about 7 times what they did when I was full time, and I no longer have a pension, anything I need for retirement I have to save myself in a 401k.
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FedUp
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another parent wrote: <quoted text>
Shouldn't that apply to everybody....why is Al's Mobil raising his gas prices? that's not fair...he doesn't need to...oh, his expenses have increased? same applies to teachers and to the town..
I have compared the town coverage to my large employer's coverage...monthly premium - within $10's for like plans...
coverage - nearly identical...
remember - be armed with the facts...heresay is worthless..
Plan selection is critical....need to match plan benefits to expected needs...for example, don't select the plan that doesn't offer maternity benefits if you are a newlywed with intentions of starting a family...
if your coverage is that limited, it sounds like you bought one of those individual plans with minimal benefits....that's too bad... You are good at twisting logic but it's quite a stretch to compare a gas station raising prices to teachers pay. Merit increases are just that, they are to reward a worker based on the merits of his/her performance. They are not tied to cost of living increases. Where I work, it's possible to not get an annual increase. Some how teachers have come to believe they are entitled to such increases. Usually there is a trade off for having absolute job security. By that I mean, the pay wasn't great or the annual increases. For teachers, this principle doesn't apply. Shows you how out of whack things have gotten. I could not find any information on the benefits so I can't verify your claims. There are options to help reduce medical utilization and thereby get a reduced premium; has the BOE employed any? We've had our differences but i can see you have at least some knowledge. Let me ask you this. What can be done to reign in costs for the educational system? Or are we doomed to higher property taxes forever?
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GRIN AND BEAR IT
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On top of what you wrote, consider this about chief Salvatore. PUBLIC ACT NO. 96-231 AN ACT CONCERNING HEART AND HYPERTENSION BENEFITS. To add insult to injury, I predict the following for Salvatore: He's going to start claiming heart problems, if he hasn't started already. When he's close to retirement, he's going to claim more heart problems and hypertension. And he's going to blame those medical problems on the job as police Chief. Then he'll qualify for a disability pension, which will be something like 75% TAX FREE. I for one am not impressed with his integrity or ethics. He's still part of the old boy network. If anyone has legal Heart Disability Act facts to the contrary, please enlighten me. No opinions here, just facts please. Tax-paying residents of Cromwell, what do you think of this scam, while you and I are having a harder time paying our taxes. Vote No wrote: Gengler said, ""reasonable given the times we face." How about a Police Chief who makes $110,000K a year and got a raise. A superintendent that makes 140K a year, and got a raise!!! I am not disputing job performance or educational background or if these guys are nice or not but the times we face, these people should get NO raise. The average salary in town hall is 59K a year. I highly doubt anyone that works for town hall or the Cromwell education system is suffering financially.
Cutting a "new wireless timekeeping system". Yeah, that is really gonna hurt. The kids are just not gonna get a great education now (said with extreme sarcasm). I wonder how many other little non-essential things are in the BOE budget?
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Town employees
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If you are going to complain about teachers, also target employees in town hall. Very good salaries, guaranteed raises, FULL salary pension, very nice medical benefits, 13 paid holidays, no accountability.....
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Cromwell Taxpayer
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VOTE NO TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!
Not because they don't deserve more, Because we just can't afford to pay more.
Maybe this time around they should teach in Cromwell for the kids sake, not for a salary increase.
I didn't get an increase this year. Yeah it sucks, but I still get up and go to work each day - to pay my taxes - to pay teachers to teach my kids.
SUCK IT UP. I did.
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Nick
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I think I can see why there are problems at town hall.
This form the middletown press.
An estimated 8,740-plus residents who are registered voters are eligible to vote, Town Clerk Darlene DiProto said.
"Gengler said last week he hopes that far more than the meager 8.6 percent of registered voters turn out Tuesday to vote."
A little less than 800 people voted.
Ok now how is it that the CHAIRMAN OF THE FINANCE COMITTEE can not do a simple percentage calulation.
If this guy thinks that 800 of 8000 is 8.6% then we have met the problem and it is him.
Save Cromwell Send calculators and quickly
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Taxpayer
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VOTE NO TOMORROW.
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Judge it!
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