January 19, 2010

Wright wants answers on mandates

In response to complaints about unfunded state mandates, state Rep. Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat, sent the following letter to Mayor Art Ward and School Superintendent Philip Streifer this morning:

Dear Mayor Ward and Dr. Streifer,
Thank you for the list of mandates which the state has placed on the City of Bristol in the area of education.  I understand that the cost of these programs is of grave concern to the city and like all homeowners, I have no desire to see unnecessary expenses added to the city budget.  However, before voting on any of the proposals which you have listed, I would like some information on how these savings will be achieved.  Since the list which you have provided is quite extensive, I will limit my questions to some of the large ticket items.
 -                      In the area of Special Education, is it anticipated that savings will be made through the reduction or elimination of current programs?  If so, which programs will be affected and what will the effect be on the students currently enrolled in them?  For instance, will they be mainstreamed into other classes?
-                      In the area of Adult Education, are savings anticipated through a reduction or elimination of  GED or related classes, and what effect will this have on people currently in these classes?
-                      In the area of English Language Learners, is it anticipated that savings will be made by reducing or eliminating classes for individuals attempting to learn English, and what is the expected effect of these cuts?
-                      In the area of Continuing Education for teachers, is this cost simply the result of a state mandate, or is this included in the contract which the city currently has with its teachers?  In other words, would the elimination of this mandate itself bring a savings to the city, or would Bristol then have to re-negotiate with its teachers to achieve these savings?
-                      In the area of providing transportation for non-public school students, it is probably safe to assume that the elimination of this service will lead at least a few parents to enroll their children in public schools.  How many additional students do you foresee coming into the public school system, and how much is being budgeted for this contingency?
-                      Finally, in the area of Teacher/Administrator evaluations, is it your plan that Bristol, at least for the time being, not conduct performance evaluations on its teachers and administrators?  If this is not the plan, how is it anticipated that these savings will be achieved?
 Thank you for work and dedication to the schoolchildren of our city.  I look forward to your responses to me questions.
*******

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im waiting for the anonymous cockroaches to whine some more.

Anonymous said...

Steve - The headline would be more accurate if it read: "Wright Gives Ward a Slap Down!"!!

Anonymous said...

That'll keep Ward busy for about three weeks.

Anonymous said...

asking for clarification is hardly a "slap down."

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh there you are !

Anonymous said...

Mr. Ward

Put up or shut up!

Anonymous said...

Ward did not do anything to help himself, AND the city of Bristol with his comments.

But then, he is acting more like a Republican every day.

vote no for incumbents said...

seems to me that the questions are educational questions for the board of ed, not the city.
wright is trying to cover up the fact that he either does nothing or votes to screw the city - can't wait until november.

holy november said...

can't believe that after all this time, wright seeks answers for stuff that was brought up for two years - too little, too late gardner, I mean chris.

Anonymous said...

GASB 45 GASB 45..do you konw what that is Chris?

It hurts nobody and helps TAXPAYERS!!

In Bristol it is worth $3 million THIS YERA alone.

Why don't you go to your union puppetmasters and educate them?

Maybe we can keep all the education costs in tact. After all...who should sacrifice here...the unions or the students?

Either way it affects taxpayers. Which way is best Chris...the union way or GASB 45 that HELPS taxpayers in Bristol? Take a stand boy!

But...you are too much of a union puppet for us lowly cockeroaches to expect that from a boy wonder like you!

Anonymous said...

"I understand that the cost of these programs is of grave concern to the city and like all homeowners, I have no desire to see unnecessary expenses "

Mr. "Right" is ignorant and inconsiderate. I guess he thinks that the low income folks don't pay any property taxes because they don't own homes?? Are they insignificant because they only pay taxes on their vehicles? I'd like to see the City survive without that revenue!
Just shows how off base, out of touch and biased most of our politicians are.

Anonymous said...

Hahahahahaha....he had the nerve to call out that blowhard of a Superintendent...hahahahahahahaha...these are questions that the board of education should have been holding him accountable for before he shot his mouth off. It is nice to pretend but there is no way he could save the money he needs to.

recall wright said...

Gee there Mr. Wright, there's that $300 million state deficit that your precious public employee unions extorted from the taxpayers with the help of their storm-troopers...the Connecticut Democrats (and you're one of them).

wright is wrong said...

Spend and tax, spend and tax, spend and tax...
That's what Wright and the Connecticut Democrats are all about.

Anonymous said...

January 19, 2010 12:28 PM:

You're describing yourself but you're too dense to realize it.

Anonymous said...

"Finally, in the area of Teacher/Administrator evaluations, is it your plan that Bristol, at least for the time being, not conduct performance evaluations on its teachers and administrators?"

-Wright, do you plan on opposing the teacher unions on this? My guess is NO.

Anonymous said...

Good morning cockroach! Still moanning ?

Anonymous said...

CHRIS we need lay offs in the school system.

Anonymous said...

cRIS just let bristol keep paying teachers big bucks with no guidence.

Anonymous said...

Chris can'y lay teachers off, but Ward does have something to say about that!

simple said...

what do you think that wright will do with any answers that he gets - nothing because the pea-brain won't be able to understand them.

Anonymous said...

We cockeroaches are all smiles today! We stuck it to the socialists ( obama pelosi reid agenda lambs) in Mass and we will stick it to the union hacks here in CT too. Aw what a breath of fresh air, the stench of union government greed is beginning to fade! Happy Days are here again...bye bye !

gop groundhogs said...

9:12, U R hurting their feeling, yep - the only one that they have, and they might react by waking up,popping up their heads, blinking and going back into hibernation.
I don't think that they would want to see that ugly shadow either, very, very, very embarassing.

Anonymous said...

9:25 You should be embarresed. At least you admit you are embarresed!

Anonymous said...

Moan and groan, Moan and groan, Moan and groan and do nothing is the Republican way ! What have they done lately ? Moan and groan !