News Articles, Town Budget, New Teacher Contract

Kent County Times article on Town Budget passage:


Cov. council narrowly passes budget

Tuesday, 09 June 2009
HANNAH CLARKIN

COVENTRY — On a council split two against two, Council President Raymond Spear had the deciding vote on the fiscal year 2010 budget Monday night.
The budget, which Spear prepared with Council Vice-President Laura Flanagan, Finance Director Warren West and acting Town Manager Paul Sprague, came in at a total of $87,021,668, representing a 6.6 percent reduction in the operating costs, a more-than halved capital improvement budget and a level-funded school budget.This budget, nearly $2 million less than the fiscal year 2009 budget, was vocally supported by Flanagan and Councilman Glenford Shibley at the meeting. Both Councilman Frank Hyde and Councilman Kenneth Cloutier said they were uncomfortable with the cuts in the budget and the way it would impact town services. Spear did not state his opinion until the other council members had discussed the budget.The idea of a 0 percent tax increase is an admirable one, Cloutier said, but he was cautious to pass the budget without residents realizing how their services would be impacted. “I fear people won’t know what the cuts are until they happen,” he said. In his personal experience, cuts to the recreation department will take a third of the budget from the local football team, the Rams, and put a $7,000 burden on the people who play.“There are 4,200 kids who play in the town leagues,” he said. “So cuts to recreation are a sore spot with me.”

Hyde was in agreement with Cloutier, he said. “I see the positive reasons for a 0 percent tax increase,” he said. “But we’re cutting a snow plow driver, we’re hurting the kids, and its hard for me to look at my consituents knowing that their children will have to pay to play on the town fields and their services won’t be what they used to be.”Taking money out of the reserves to sustain the 0 percent tax increase and soften the cuts was his suggestion, Hyde said.There is currently $4.9 million in the unrestricted fund balance, said West. Of that, the town has to keep at least $4.4 million in order to keep a good credit rating, this leaves approximately $400,000 that could be used to suppliment the budget this year, West said. There is already $140,000 from the fund balance in the budget to account for deficits in the upcoming fiscal year. She supported the budget, Flanagan said, not because she was elected by any special interest groups, but because she listened to folks as she walked door to door during her campaign season. The overwhelming request from her constituents was for a tax break, and she vowed to support that.“My position hasn’t changed,” Flanagan said. “We’re asking folks to do more with less money. But if we don’t make some major changes it’s going to get worse and worse. I feel badly about some of the things in the budget — in the past we’ve given money away as charitable donations — but we can’t do that this year.“The taxpayers in this town deserve to have leaders who will fight for them,” Flanagan continued, “no matter what pressure comes or how it comes to them.”

Shibley’s campaign promises were similar to Flanagan’s, he said. “This is not an easy budget,” he admitted. “People are making concessions, but they can make that work. We have to hold the line on taxes.”Spear recognized the two sides of the table, he said, and came to a decision after many hours of thought and prayer, bearing in mind his years of background and experience.“Our obligations for tomorrow are already extended beyond reasonable and responsible levels of expectation, resources and funding,” he said in a prepared address. “This requires the necessity to deal with all related factors on a short term of expanding commitment, more careful and responsible planning, and based on more stable assurance that the funding ability to meet such commitments can be reasonably and responsibly met.”Implicit in his remarks, Spear made clear later, was disapproval of the newly negotiated school contract that the school committee will consider this week.“Let us not reach beyond that which we can responsibly control and commit to, based on the facts of today, as we strive to meet our needs and wants of our tomorrows,” he continued.“With these thoughts in mind, I find it necessary, appropriate, and in the best interest of the taxpayers of the community of Coventry, to set forth the programs and services for fiscal 2010 as established in the budget that herewith presented.”

When Spear moved the question so the council could vote on the matter, a resident in the audience made a point of order. She wanted to comment on the budget before the council voted, she said.This was not the appropriate forum, said Spear. “We have had four to six workshops on this budget where you could have commented,” he said. “Now we are going to finish the council’s business and public comment will be after we vote.”The auditorium erupted with shouts, boos and attempts to speak. The auditorium at the Town Hall Annex, the old Flat River Road Middle School, was filled with at least 200 residents who had come to weigh in on the budget. Teachers, veterans, seniors, members of local sports associations, and residents of every political persuasion were there to have their say.But this was not the forum, insisted Spear, even as Hyde challenged him, yelling and waving his arms. Spear took a short recess and allowed the police and town sergeant to quiet the meeting attendees.When the meeting opened back up, the audience began to chant, “let us speak, let us speak, let us speak,” along with claps and stomps.“You have your opportunity to speak at the Financial Town Meeting,” Spear said. “You have had your time to speak at our work sessions. This is not a public hearing and there is no public comment on this item.”

Shibley made a motion to accept the budget, Flanagan seconded it, and the budget passed with a vote of 3-2, Hyde and Cloutier dissenting.In the public comment that followed, the council received both accolades and criticism. But, almost universally, taxpayers were disappointed that the council had not allowed them an opportunity to speak before the budget was voted on.


KCT article on School Committee's passage of new teacher contract:


New teacher contract passed

Wednesday, 10 June 2009
HANNAH CLARKIN

COVENTRY — The Coventry School Committee entered into a new three-year contract with the Coventry Teachers’ Alliance on Tuesday night with a vote of 5-0.
Passage of the contract was not originally the plan for the evening, Chairwoman Katherine Patenaude said, but after hearing from the public and gaining a consensus that the whole school committee was ready to vote, she was ready to take the vote.“Because there was public notice previously that we were having the discussion I think that people who really wanted to know more about it could have made it out to the meeting,” she said. “The people who were there had their say.”The contract, as outlined by Superintendent Kenneth DiPietro represents a cut of approximately $2,210 per teacher over the next year and will save roughly $1 million in the first year.

The first year of the contract is frozen at the 2008-2009 salary schedule, the second year gives every teacher a flat raise of $500 and the third year each step receives a 2 percent increase. When that 2 percent increase comes in, DiPietro said, salaries will still be lower than they would have been just in 2009-2010, had the previous contract continued through to the end of next year. In addition to salary concessions, DiPietro said, some other concessions in the contract included freezing advanced degree increments, curriculum coordinator stipends, coaches stipends, co-curricular club stipends, and hourly professional development rates at the 2007-2008 schedules, DiPietro said. These will be frozen until 2012. Longevity rates were increased, given a flat increase all three years, he added.Through negotiations, the contract also contains language to specify the appropriate uses of advisory, the acceptable uses of common planning time, and the protocol for closing a school. “People say that contracts never talk about students and making a school better,” DiPietro said. “This one does. It puts requirements and expectations on planning time for teachers. And it gives checklists for teachers monitoring their students’ graduation portfolio and capstone projects. I don’t think most districts have these things written into their contracts.”

The contract does give teachers a health insurance contribution freeze, DiPietro said. But the freeze is only in effect for Fiscal Years 2009/2010 and 2010/2011. In 2011/2012 the full 15 percent co-pay will be reinstated. Teachers will be given a $350 reimbursement for purchasing instructional materials, DiPietro said. This funding will come from the supplies lines in the budget.A major give-back that the school committee gave the teachers is a limited layoff provision, DiPietro said. “Tenured teachers with four years of service in Coventry are not subject to layoff,” he said in his presentation. Currently there are only 20 to 30 teachers in Coventry who would be eligible for layoff until the contract is ended. While several teachers and residents did speak in favor of the contract, several residents spoke against it.One resident who identified himself as Joe Brown was not satisfied with DiPietro’s presentation of the budget. “I have to be honest, I’m real confused,” he said. “That’s a lot of information. It looks to me like there is a lot of fluff in the teachers’ salaries with the step increases and I don’t think you’re giving us an accurate picture.”DiPietro did not explain the step increases. “You’re amazingly disrespectful, Mr. Brown,” he said. “You’re accusing me of giving you incorrect information and I am not, these are the numbers.”

The school committee was interested in questions, Patenaude added. “If you have a question, we’ll answer it. Your opinions are not what we are interested in. If you want to stay for public comment you may do so.”Brown requested that the school committee try one more time to go back and get further concessions from the union.“Mr. Brown,” Patenaude responded. “We have met with the unions and we have done our job.”“So you’re satisfied?” Brown asked.“Yes,” Patenaude responded. The answer to the request of more concessions would be “no,” said President of the Coventry Teachers’ Alliance Kelly Erinakas after Brown’s question.“The school committee did what they were asked to and negotiated,” she said. “So did the Coventry Teachers’ Alliance. Members are giving up $2,700 each next year. That’s a lot out of anyone’s pocket and no, you cannot get more.”

Town Republican Committee Chair Charles Vacca asked for a figure of the cost of this contract over the next few years.Coming up with a specific number of the cost involves too many factors, DiPietro told him. The contract will cost an additional $1 million more in health care alone, and many other things will weigh in. Entering a contract without knowing the financial forecast of the town concerned him, Vacca said. “This whole system has a pitfall where we enter into contracts before we know what funds we will have.”

Having closed discussion, the school committee voted unanimously to accept the contract. Yesterday morning, Patenaude was still satisfied with the new contract, she said. “The people who really have their ear to the ground so to speak on what’s going on with contracts in the town knew the details already because we had shared them with the town council the day before,” she said. “[Council President Raymond Spear] showed up and didn’t have any questions, we certainly didn’t get any other calls from people saying ‘what are you thinking?’ And [Councilman] Frank Hyde came to the meeting and commended us for signing the contract.”