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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: SHARED SACRIFICE STARTS WITH SUPERINTENDENT'S OFFICE

According to sources, Hartford's Superintendent of Schools has stated that she is not willing to ask other employees to do something she is not willing to do herself.

Again, according to sources ,Dr. Beth Schaivino-Narvaez  , Hartford's Superintendent of Schools is cutting several key staff positions in her office in preparation for the upcoming budget crisis. At least four positions are on the chopping block, including Kelvin Roldan, Chief Communications and Public Policy Officer, Jennifer Allen, Chief Talent Officer, Don Slater, Chief Operations Officer, and Jeron Campbell , Chief Data and Accountability Officer. The first three positions are being eliminated. Campbell is leaving his position.

The media spin for the Board is that Roldan is leaving to go back to College, but apparently the position has been eliminated and no replacement is planned for Roldan's position. Roldan was a holdover from the Eddie Perez Administration, Roldan transitioned to the Board Offices prior to Mayor Perez's indictment on corruption charges

Eliminating and consolidating these positions alone is projected to save up to $1Million dollars in salaries and related benefits

Several Executive Director positions are also being eliminated according to those same sources familiar with the Board's operations. Those position vacancies are mainly due to retirement or elimination of departments. Several other  Director's positions are being scrutinized as for their need.

Much more on this as streamlining a top heavy Board of Education continues, but this is a good start to show the real meaning to all employees of "Shared Sacrifice". No one is exempt and cuts can not only be made to the lowest paid employees. The Board does allow "bumping" of positions eliminated which allows higher priced employees to transition into a lower paying position to continue their employment.

According to those sources, upwards of 200 positions may be eliminated or reconfigured to conform with budget  realities.

 Just to recap, more than 200 job cuts are anticipated for the upcoming school year, that includes five of the most senior people in the school district, as detailed above.
·         The more widespread cuts will impact all job classes...teachers, administrators, and other staff, and w may likely mean the consolidation of schools.


·         The anticipated  budget gap the district will be dealing with is an estimated $20 million.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

i wonder how important Mr Rodan's position was in the first place. Let's not forget, he was a Perez boy. That's Perez with an Eddie in front. The good ole days when elected thieves only pilfered a a few thousand instead of 10s of millions like Pedro Maria. Please bring back the good old days.

Anonymous said...

We know that 2 council members will vote in favor of the mayor's resolution package ,one was offered a state job and another was offered a $50,000 raise in next 5 yrs and a promotion at the MDC. Corruption at its finest. So much for getting rid of Segarra and Perez. Stay tuned we will see how they vote on Monday for the opening of Union contracts. Then I will reveal the names of both members,but we are the problem right ???

Kelvin is a Melvin said...

Kelvin Roldan was an absolute turd. Pedro Zayas is 100% better, smarter, nicer and harder working than Kelvin could ever be. Pedro is already making Kelvin (and David Medina) look irrelevant. The Super Intendant is an amazing person. She is a stand up person.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Pedro for your comment

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

6:55pm,

Who is the State job for? Email me privately or respond here and I will not post it until you say so, thanks

Anonymous said...

When I read the title of this post I thought I was going to read on to find the superintendant was going to lead with a voluntary pay cut. Ha!

Anonymous said...

As I understand it, Roldan was not eliminated. He was actually offered a larger role but turned it down. Apparently he will be going to Harvard University to do his doctorate on a full scholarship.

Anonymous said...

@6:55

So you think they have been bought out? Let's examine your theory. Someone is getting $50 thou over a 5 year period. Why didn't you just say, $10,000.00 per annum raise? Or $100,000.00 over a ten year period. How about $200,000.00 over a twenty year period? What is your point? Are you trying to create a case for the person selling out with the end result of helping solve d Cade's-long poor fiscal policy? Are you a union captain? Is that it?

And who is "we?" Sounds as if you want to build a case for a pro-Union block against Bronin. Is that your goal? Because someone allegedly found state employment, they are supposed to stand by and do nothing because you say that they have been bought out? Do you realize how old that dirty little trick is to nutralize a vote? It's old. And you are hoping that Kevin will swallow this hook, line and sinker.

Anonymous said...

Keep your eye on the moving shells. Although the senior cabinet members have been cut. The real big money is in the inordinately large central office bureaucracy. Look into the layers of salaries in the "portfolio directors" and you will find a great deal of payroll that has no direct impact on student success. In addition, if the offices would move out of their 960 Main Street expensive headquarters into one of the properties owned by the Hartford Board, there will be additional cost savings. Yes times are tough and we need to tighten up our belts and do more with less. There will be cuts, let them be with the overhead rather than the education of the students of Hartford.

Orwell was prophetic in many ways. One line from his work Animal Farm comes tom mind. As the animals of the farm had taken over, the pigs, led by Napoleon, said "some animals are more equal than others" when asked why the pigs were being given more resources and food.

As the bloated behemoth of central office bellies up to the trough, we must ensure that our children are not left without the resources the need for a meaningful education.

Central office must cut more of the glitter and fat from their ranks so that the schools can teach with the limited resources they have to work with.

Anonymous said...

Sanchez MDC with job given to wife under her other name. Thames getting state job.

Anonymous said...

Hartford students and valued educators come first. The HPS Superintendent is not in a classroom with students all day long. Superintendents walk a good walk and talk a good talk but in reality they do nothing but receive big salaries and very generous benefits. The day is coming. There will be one Superintendent of schools in the greater Hartford region.

Anonymous said...

At least the school district is doing something about the deficit other than pinning it on the backs of retirees like Bronin is doing. The Superintendent is showing some leadership. Why doesn't Bronin set the tone and eliminate some of his high priced positions. Then he might have some credibility with the unions, the state delegation and the residents/taxpayers. Right now he's got zilch.

KEVIN BROOKMAN said...

11:21PM

Regionalization will prove to be the answer to many of our problems, whether it be education, public safety or many other municipal services. First though, we need to get over the individual turf wars and ego driven mini-kingdoms we now throw our tax dollars at.

Jim Brady said...

The strong mayor experience has been a failure. Perez/Segarra/Bronin.....all 3. cut from the same cloth....narcissistic ego driven insecure men who ruin Hartford.

Anonymous said...

Hartford voters did not understand what was going to happen with the Hartford Charter change. I did. I did not support the change. Yet, the votes were casted in favor. The first era was the Eddie Perez administration. Ever since Hartford's operation went right down the drain. Hartford on the Rise!

Anonymous said...

@6:09

I think you have a simplistic way of looking at changes in charters and personalities voted into office. It is not so much the charter. It is the quality of leadership that is chosen decade after decade. It has been said that the lowest of the low seeks public office. Not always but often. And even when someone comes along relatively honest and with some good intentions, there seem the need to drag out of the closet, rehashed old trash since the community called for it. So this is not about whether we have a strong mayor or manager form of government. It is all about whether the trash stinks less now than it did before. I hope the mayor can voyage through the quicksand of Hartford and make progress. Time will tell. But bringing up old skan... Never mind.