By Charles Stannard
REGION 4— A total of 17 teachers have accepted the early retirement incentive offer from the district’s school boards.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said early retirement was accepted by three teachers at Chester Elementary School, five teachers at Deep river Elementary School, three teachers at Essex Elementary School, three teachers at John Winthrop Middle School, and one teacher at Valley Regional High School.
There were 1.7 early retirements from teachers funded under the Supervision District budget, which covers shared services. Both are art teachers who rotated between schools.
To be eligible for the offer, teachers had to meet state requirements for early retirement. The teachers had to be at least 50 years old with 20 years of service as a public school teacher, or any age with at least 25 years of service as a public school teacher.
The Region 4 offer had two options, a cash payout of $10,000 per year for five years, or an option that had no cash payment but five years of health insurance coverage for an individual or four years of health insurance coverage for an individual with family or spouse. Levy said seven teachers took the cash payout and 10 teachers accepted the extended health insurance coverage.
Levy said the 17 retirements was slightly more than she anticipated. Levy said the early retirements would generate savings in the 2010-2011 education budgets because salaries for new and younger replacements would be lower. She said the early retirements had averted the need for any consideration of teacher layoffs, at least under the budget plans for 2010-2011 now being prepared by the district’s school boards.
Levy projected that at least 15 of the 17 positions would have to be replaced, though some positions could be eliminated through attrition depending on student enrollment for 2010-2011.
By Charles Stannard
REGION 4— The Region 4 Board of Education has approved a $16,999,527 budget for 2010-2011 that will be presented to the voters of Chester, Deep River, and Essex at an April 8 hearing.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said the budget was approved on a unanimous vote of the board at a March 4 meeting. The gross budget represents a 1.71 percent increase over current spending. The $16.99 million total is reduced by anticipated revenue to a net budget of $16,780,530 that will be assessed to the taxpayers of the three towns. The net budget total represents a 2.14 percent increase over the current net appropriation.
The budget plan includes a 1 percent salary increase for district teachers. It also funds an in-house television studio at Valley Regional High School that was started with a donation from the Region 4 Foundation. New funding for the television service totals $5,632. The budget also funds an upgrade for the part-time athletic director position, and converts the existing one-half time assistant principal position at John Winthrop Middle School to a full-time position. The asisistant principal at the school currently dedicates half time to school social worker duties.
Levy, who assumed the superintendent job last June after working previously in the district as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said the budget proposal “takes in to consideration student needs and a difficult economy.”
The $16.78 million net budget is assessed to the towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex based on the number of students from each town attending the middle school and high school.
Chester, with 271 students, has an assessment of $4,616,324, an increase of $174,438, or 3.95 percent over the current assessment. Chester had an increase of 11 students at the two schools over the previous enrollment total.
Deep River, with 295 students, has an assessment of $5,025,769, a decrease of $80,510, or 1.58 percent from the current assessment. Enrollment from Deep River at the two secondary schools has dropped by four students.
Essex, with 403 students, has an assessment of $7,138,437, an increase of $256,132, or 3.72 percent, from the current assessment. Enrollment from Essex at the two schools increased by 16 students.
The budget hearing is scheduled for April 8th at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at John Winthrop Middle School. Voters of the three towns will vote on a budget plan for 2010-1011 at a May 4 referendum.
Supervision District Budget
The proposed Supervision District Budget for 2010-1011 totals $5,811,229, an increase of 3.5 percent from the current supervision district appropriation. The supervision district funds shared services among the two secondary schoolls and the elementary schools in Chester, Deep River, and Essex. Shared services include central office staff and operations, bus transportation, and staff that work at more than one school.
The supervision district budget is divided among the three towns and Region 4 based on student enrollment, with the components then included in the spending plans for Region 4 and the three elementary schools. The budget has received unanimous approval from the Supervision District Committee and each of the four district school boards.
Proposed new spending in the supervision district budget includes $18,410 for a four-tenths time upgrade of a school psychologist position serving the three elementary schools, an $8,000 stipend for a doctor who would be on call for the district, and $10,000 for a consultant to assist in preparing a full regionalization plan for the district.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said the district school boards are working on a full regionalization proposal that could go to the voters of the three towns in a referendum by the end of this year. A full regionalization would merge the districts five school boards, the Region 4 Board of Education, the Supervision District Committee, and the school boards of Chester, Deep River, and Essex, in to a single elected board of education that would run the three-town district.
DEEP RIVER— Art work and other achievements by students in Region 4 schools will be on display in a gallery at the district’s central office building on the grounds of John Winthrop Middle School in Deep River.
The display will begin with an open house for the public on Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 4 to 5:30 p.m . The display will feature work from students in each of the district’s five schools.
The Region 4 Supervision District education budget will be presented at a public hearing this evening, February 8th, at 7:00 p.m. at the John Winthrop Middle School.
The proposed budget is $5,838,307, a 3.99% or $223,348 increase over last year. The Supervision District funds shared expenses between the three elementary school districts in Chester, Deep River, and Essex as well as the Region 4 Board of Education for John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School.
The distribution of the budget, which is determined by the enrollment of students from each town, will become the foundation of the individual budgets to be presented later this spring.
Links:
Supervision District Budget Document (PDF)
Region 4 Schools
(L. to R.) Marissa Barnes, Maria Pecoraro, Ally Frese, Amelia Penniman, Meredith Whaley, and Zoe Snyder are part of the cast of Valley Regional High School’s production of Sound of Music, coming up March 26th through the 28th.
Nuns on the run? These “sisters” are taking their act on the road, and have been spotted in Essex, Chester, and Centerbrook promoting the Valley Regional production of the Sound of Music.
The Sound of Music boasts one of the most popular scores ever written by Rogers and Hammerstein, featuring favorites like “Do, Re, Mi”, “Climb Every Mountain”, and “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.”
“Sound of Music” cast members Alex Cannon (right) and Isaac Burns (left) of Valley Regional High School get measured for formalwear by Ruth and Colin Cantalupo, owners of Pietro’s Tuxedo, on Main Street, in Old Saybrook. The tuxes were among fifteen donated as costumes for this spring’s musical production by the Cantalupos, who also generously supplied shirts and accessories for the cast. The costumes will be used in the ballroom scene.
Show times are Friday, March 26th at 7 P.M., Saturday, March 27th at 1 and 7 P.M., and Sunday the 28th at 1 P.M.
For more information, please call Valley Regional High School at 860-526-5328.
The local Haitian community in Deep River is joining with the Rotary Clubs of Deep River, Essex, and Chester as well as the Interact Club at Valley Regional High School, to raise funds in an atmosphere of cultural diversity and sharing on Tuesday, February 23rd from 6 – 8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Deep River (1 Church Street).
From authentic Haitian cuisine to the sounds of Patois and music, guests will enjoy a taste of Haiti while helping to provide funding for much needed medical care.
The devastation in Haiti can be felt right here in our own backyard. Families in Deep River like Elina Aspilaire, Justa Maignan, and Lauraine Buissereth are still searching for information on family members and mourning the loss of their loved ones’ homes and all that was once Port au Prince.
Thanks to the generosity of local businesses and organizations including the Whistle Stop Café in Deep River, Essex Printing, the First Congregational Church of Deep River, and Essex Meadows, 100% of the proceeds from the benefit will be directed to the Haitian Health Foundation and Hôpital Albert Schweitzer.
The Haitian Health Foundation (HHF) was established by New London Rotarian and orthodontist Dr. Jeremiah Lowney in 1982. HHF relies on donations from individuals, private foundations, religious organizations, civic groups, schools, etc., to provide health and social services to more than 100 impoverished mountain villages in and around Jérémie—increasing the health and well-being of 225,000 needy Haitians.
Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) is a model for health care facilities in developing countries around the world. In 1954, on the site of a decommissioned banana plantation, Larry and Gwen Mellon built and staffed a medical complex that fit the needs of a neglected rural population. Essex resident Jenifer Grant continues to support her mother and stepfather’s vision. Today HAS provides medical care and community health and development programs for more than 300,000 impoverished people in the Artibonite Valley of central Haiti. Although the hospital experienced serious tremors it was unharmed and the wonderful staff, all Haitian except one, the Swiss Medical Director, were immediately able to begin to care for the injured. Many who were unable to get care in Port au Prince for the first several days made their way to Hopital Albert Schweitzer. They had as many as 600 patients in the hospital at one time, most awaiting badly needed surgical care.
Tickets for the event are $20.00 and are available through any Essex, Chester, or Deep River Rotarian. A limited number of tickets will also be available at the door. For more information or tickets, please contact Jeff Mehler at (860) 767-9700.
Links:
Deep River Congregational Church
Hospital Albert Schweitzer
Chester Rotary
Deep River Rotary
Essex Rotary Club
Teams are needed for the 6th annual Region 4 Spelling Bee to be held on March 12, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. in the Valley Regional High School auditorium.
Teams consists of three members and a $300 per team entry fee is required. Teams may be sponsored, and costumes and team spirit are encouraged!
Competitors can rest easy this year as three time winner Victoria Su will be serving as the official moderator of the event and will not be competing.
To participate in the Bee please make checks payable to R4EF and mail to Taffy Glowac, 61 Ingham Hill Road, Essex, CT 06426. For more information call Taffy at 767-0650 or email her at tafyc@aol.com
By: Charles Stannard
REGION 4– Region 4 school boards are offering an early retirement incentive to teachers at district schools in Chester, Deep river and Essex.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said the retirement incentive for “veteran teachers,” is an effort to generate some savings on salaries in the 2010-2011 education budget that is now under preparation. More experienced teachers earning higher salaries would be replaced by new and younger teachers that would start lower on the salary scale. The last time Region 4 offered an early retirement incentive to teachers was in 2005.
Levy said at least 19 of the district’s 220 teachers would be eligible for the early retirement offer. Teachers must meet state teacher retirement requirements, which include being at least 50 years old with 20 years of service as a public school teacher, or any age with at least 25 years of service as a public school teacher. Prospective retirees would also be required to have at least five years teaching in Region 4 schools.
Teachers have been offered three incentive options. One is a cash payment buyout of $10,000 per year for five years. The other options provide no cash payout, but would guarantee continued health insurance coverage for five years for an individual, or four years for an individual and spouse.
Teachers must apply for the early retirement incentive by Feb. 26. Levy said she expects each of the district’s five school boards to approve the incentive offer by the end of the month.
The early retirement incentive has already been approved by the Supervision District Committee and the Essex Board of Education, with action pending for the Region 4 Board of Education and school boards in Chester and Deep River. The incentive plan must be formally authorized by each of the district’s five school boards.
By: Charles Stannard
REGION 4— Region 4 school boards and teachers have approved a new three-year contract that includes a one percent pay raise for 2010-2011 and a salary reopener for the second and third years of the agreement.
The contract covers about 225 certified teachers at five schools in the district towns of Chester, Deep River, and Essex. Negotiators for the teachers and the school boards reached the agreement last month. Jim Francis, chairman of the Essex Board of Finance, also attended the negotiating sessions.
Superintendent of Schools Ruth Levy said the quick agreement, without the need for state-assisted mediation, showed “a real willingness to work together as a team,” from both sides. “Both sides were extremely collaborative and both sides really understood the economic conditions,” she said.
While most contract language will be in place through 2013, negotiations on salaries and benefits will resume next summer. The agreement for 2010-2011 also raises the teacher’s share of the costs of health insurance premiums from the current 16.5 perent to 17.25 percent effective July 1.
Levy said some teachers will also receive salary scale step increases based on years of service and compensation for additional college degrees. When the general one percent increase and step increases are combined, total salary expenses will increase by 2.76 percent for Deep River, 2.54 percent for Chester, 3.04 percent for Essex, and 2.41 percent for teachers at Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School. Total salary expenses for supervision district employees that provide shared services at all five schools will rise by 2.37 percent.
The district’s school administrators are in the final year of a three-year contract. Negotiations with the administrator’s association on all portions of a contract, including salaries and benefits, will also begin next summer.
By: Charles Stannard
REGION 4– Linda Hall, an eight-year member, has been selected as the new chairman of the Region 4 Board of Education. Hall, a Democrat, was selected on a unanimous vote of the board last week.
Hall replaces Terry Stewart, an Essex Republican who has led the board since 2005. Stewart did not seek a new six-year term in the town election this year. Mary Beth Harrigan, an Essex Republican who has served on the board since 2005, is the new vice-chairman. Richard Strauss, a Chester Republican, was picked as the board treasurer.
The panel left open the position of secretary because one newly elected member, Pamela Christman of Chester, was still awiting confirmation from an election recount when officers were selected on Nov. 5. The nine-member Region 4 Board of Education governs the operation of Valley Regional High School and John Winthrop Middle School.
Hall is the director of the CDE Cooperative Nursery School in Deep River. The mother of two grown children who graduated from Region 4 schools, Hall was elected to the Region 4 board in 2001 and re-elected for a second term in 2007. She previously served eight years on the Deep River Board of Education, including two years as chairwoman from 1999-2001.
Hall said a developing a proposal for a full regionalization of Region 4 schools is a top priority for 2010. While the Region 4 board runs the secondary schools, local school boards run the elementary schools in Chester, Deep River, and Essex.
In a complex arrangement that is unique in the state, a supervision district board of education comprised of 36 members of all four boards manages shared services, such as the central office, special education services, and transportation. The regionalization proposal, which must be approved by voters in referendums in all three towns, is expected to call for creation of a single elected Region 4 Board of Education to run all five schools in the district.
Hall said Friday “the timeline is fluid,” for holding referendums on a regionalization plan as school administrators and board members work to adress all details related to the proposed change. “We could hopefully vote by June but we’re not wedded to that,” she said.
Hall said developing a budget for 2010-2011 that can win voter approval at the annual three-town referendum in May is another priority. “The budget is something we’re going to have to do a real good job of looking at,” she said.
