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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

SEGARRA: WE ARE ONLY FAILING ONE THIRD OF HARTFORD'S KIDS NOW

That was apparently the message of Mayor Segarra's press release issued earlier today. Segarra was touting the numbers released that showed 71% of Hartford's High School Seniors are graduating now. Granted, that number is up, but what about the other almost 30% who don't graduate. Is that a number Segarra is proud of?

It seems like he is almost feeling good saying "we  are no longer failing half of our kids, we are only failing a third of them now" .

This is definitely not something for Segarra to be proud of until that number is much lower and every Hartford child has a fair shot at a decent education

Statewide last year, the graduation rate was 85.5%


CITY OF HARTFORD SCHOOLS POST LANDMARK GRADUATION RATE
Increase of 43 Percentage Points Over Seven Years of Reform
--- NEWS AND COMMUNITY STATEMENT---

(Wednesday, May 14, 2014) Hartford’s high school graduation rate, which seven years ago stood at a low of 29 percent, has completely reversed itself and hit a landmark high of 71.2 percent in 2013, according to figures released today by Connecticut’s State Department of Education. The figure represents a steady climb of more than 43 percentage points, since 2006 when Hartford Public Schools launched an ambitious effort to reform its education system and began calculating its graduation rate based on a four-year cohort.

“This is great news for our entire city, especially our students, parents and schools,” said Mayor Pedro E. Segarra. “Absolutely nothing is more important than the education of our young people. This increase is the result of collaboration, parental engagement, rigorous academic standards, and the focus and attention needed for our students to succeed. I’m pleased with our progress so far and I encourage all those invested in this issue to stay involved so more Hartford students graduate in the future.”

The cohort graduation rate is determined by dividing the number of students who graduate in a given year by the number of students who enrolled as freshmen four years earlier. This method of calculating graduation rates, first proposed by the National Governors’ Association in 2004, is considered the most precise way of measuring them. The NGA method is now the standard in many states.

For Hartford Public Schools, today’s news means that of every 10 students who enrolled as high school freshmen in 2009, more than seven of them graduated. In all, Hartford graduated 1,009 students out of a pool of 1,418 entering freshmen. The figures also represent an increase of 6.4 percentage points from the previous year’s rate of 64.8 percent, when the district graduated 905 students out of a pool of 1,396 freshmen.

Statewide, the cohort graduation rate for 2013 was recorded at 85.5 percent.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Mayor Segarra, State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor and Dr. Jacqueline Jacoby, Special Assistant to the Hartford Board of Education, announced the state and city graduation rates at a noon press conference held at High School, Inc., the city’s insurance and finance academy at 275 Asylum Street.

“These numbers reflect the great work that our schools have done, our efforts at building leadership that contributes to success and the incredible contributions from all segments of the larger Hartford Public Schools community,” Dr. Jacoby said.

She cited credit retention programs, where students who are far behind in their studies are given time and opportunity to catch up; student success centers that offer tailored academic instruction and personal support to “off-track” students and previous drop outs who returned to city schools; the conversion to smaller themed academies that offer more personalized instruction; and a higher degree of parent engagement in the education of their children.

All but three of the 14 city high schools experienced significant gains in their graduations rates. Among the leaders was High School, Inc., under the leadership of Principal Terrell Hill, where the graduation rate jumped more than 18 percentage points from 52.4 to 72.8. At the Law & Government Academy, led by Principal Frank Samuelson, the graduation rate increased from 47.4 percentage points to 71.7, a gain of 24.3 percentage points. And Principal Steve Perry’s Capital Preparatory Magnet School graduated 100 percent of its 33 seniors in 2013.



INTERNAL AUDIT COMMISSION TO REFER SEGARRA TO ETHICS COMMISSION

I'm not really sure what the mechanism is to enforce  or correct violations of Hartford's Charter. But at least Hartford's Internal Audit Commission is taking the first step to make that clearer.

The Commission today unanimously voted to file charges against Mayor Segarra with the City's Ethics Commission for failing to carry out his duties as required under the City Charter.

Specifically, the Commissioners are bothered by Segarra's failure to follow Charter requirements in the hiring of Department Heads.

The issue was brought to a head after a complaint filed with the IAC over the continued appoinment of Hartford's Director of Public Works Keith Chapman. Chapman has been in an "acting role" over the 6 month period allowed under the Charter. The key issue is, according to sources, is that Chapman refuses to move to Hartford as required if he were to accept the permanent position. Sources have also confirmed that Segarra has offered the permanent position to Chapman, but he has refused to accept it.

The Hartford City Council has authority under the Charter to Conduct hearings and investigate Charter violations but for some reason they seem to choose to ignore the violations and Segarra continues to violate the Charter requirements.

This one should generate some media attention, but also keep in mind that the Mayor appoints the members of the Ethic's Commission. They haven't paid attention to much that has happened so far, so I am not holding out much hope. Maybe it is time for a taxpayers group that might consider filing a Superior Court law suit to force compliance.

THE APONTE CHRONICLES: THE NEXT CHAPTER, THE CORRUPTION CONTINUES

You can give someone the title of leader, but that doesn't necessarily make them one. Such appears to be the case of Hartford City Council's "Majority Leader" Alexander Aponte.

For a refresher, here is a previous posting  that caught Aponte up in a Federal Food Stamp Fraud Investigation http://wethepeoplehartford.blogspot.com/2011/02/aponte-chronicles-journey-of-deception.html

As a result of that investigation and the resulting complaint from the woman Aponte claimed as his client, Aponte and the Statewide Grievance committee accepted a deal to avoid further action against Aponte.

According to recent documents, Aponte has breached that deal and even bounced a check that was sent as restitution ordered by the  "Bad Lawyer Committee". The check was issued in July of 2013, and according to the documents, apparently has not been made good after it bounced.


Be sure to read the "Aponte Fraud Complaint" below and  it should put Aponte's actions into question as far as his integrity and honesty. Is he really someone we want to call a Hartford "leader"? Is this really someone who should have a leadership role on the Hartford City Council. Is it any wonder why voter turnout is so low in Hartford and why most people are so turned off with the system?

I would ask Councilman Aponte to do the right thing and resign, but it is pretty clear he isn't known for doing what is right. Maybe he should focus on his law practice so he isn't bouncing checks to his victims.

What is next for Aponte, a judgeship?



Tuesday, May 6, 2014

HPD SEEKING HOMICIDE SUSPECT

The Hartford Police Department Major Crimes Division Homicide Detectives have solve a 2013 homicide and are seeking the public’s help in locating the accused.

On September 19, 2013 at 9:31pm HPD patrol officers responded to reports of an unresponsive victim in the area of South Marshall St and Case St. Officers located the victim, 39 year old Kareem Lewis of Hartford, unresponsive, suffering from a gunshot wound to the upper torso. Witnesses reported hearing a single gunshot. The victim was transported to St. Francis where he was pronounced at 10:18pm.

The investigation by the Major Crimes Division Homicide Detectives led to identifying the accused- Shadeed Islam, Date of Birth-05/08/1980, as being the shooter in this incident.  On April 28, 2014 an arrest warrant was submitted and approved for Shadeed Islam for the homicide of Kareem Lewis.  Islam has a $5,000,000.00 judge set bond. Shadeed Islam has an extensive firearms and narcotics history with 39 previous arrests (just in Hartford). The firearm used in the homicide has not been recovered and HPD believes he may be armed and dangerous.

HPD’s efforts to locate Shadeed Islam have not been successful. The Hartford Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating him. If you have any information please call Sergeant Brandon O’Brien at 860-757-4089. Tips can be posted anonymously and for a potential reward call 860-722-TIPS.

This is the third arrest warrant obtained for a homicide in a week by the homicide detectives.

SEGARRA VETOES KENNEDY RESOLUTION

Mayor Segarra once in a while does so the right thing. Councilman Ken Kennedy, who has a history of introducing resolutions to micromanage the operations of HPD, today lost another round in his scuffle with HPD. Remember the corvette engine resolutions  on the new cruisers?

Kennedy had introduced a resolution to disband both the HPD Fiscal management Unit and their Human Resources Division. Both moves would have been penny wise and pound foolish. The HPD Fiscal unit has oversight over the HPD budget and manages all purchase orders and invoices payable.

For anyone familiar with the internal Audit reports, HPD has never been a problem when it comes to fiscal management. I am not aware of any issues or questions regarding  the use of HPD P-cards( credit cards). The reason... the strict oversight of all purchases by the HPD Fiscal manager. Doing away with that oversight would be a small savings and a huge mistake.

After the Council passed the resolution it was sent to Mayor Segarra for his signature. According to sources, Segarra today vetoed the resolution, leaving the HR and Fiscal Departments intact at HPD, at least for the time being .

DISGUSTING


The above comment was apparently made at last nights budget session by Hartford City Councilwoman
Cynthia Jennings and then tweeted by Steve Goode of the Courant.

Now I think most of us realize not to expect too much out of Hartford City Hall when it comes to leadership, but this is a new low when it comes to the Council. The actions of the Council repeatedly show little or no appreciation for HPD, but this is an insult to every good hard working member of HPD and the Dispatch Center .

The big question is why this comment now? This Council has had oversight over the budget for several years and has run the City budget into the ground year after year. Are the deficits suddenly the responsibility of Chief Rovella and HPD. This Council has shared an equal part in the recklessness and over spending for years now.

Not to mention that the "high pay" Jennings' references has all been voted on and approved  by Jennings and her colleagues. Neither police officers or EST Dispatchers make up their own salaries, they are set by the collective bargaining agreements approved by the Council.. If they don't like the salaries, have a backbone and vote against them, don't bully the employees at budget time.

I am not sure how many of the Council have actually taken the time to ride with a police officer or sit with a dispatcher on a busy night. I would venture to say very few.

I would challenge Councilwoman Jenninngs to be the first one jumping out of a cruiser on Garden Street and running toward the sound of gunfire from a Tek-9 machine gun being fired in a backyard, or maybe sitting with the overpaid dispatcher taking a call from a parent whose child is choking on a piece of candy and turning blue.

See how low the threshold is as the overpaid dispatcher multitasks to hopefully save a life, entering the call for EMS and Fire to respond quickly, at the same time trying to calm down the parent who may be watching their child dying in their arms and trying to relay life saving instructions to the caller.

I have to disagree with the Councilwoman, the skill set is extrremely high, especially at those times when we as residents need to rely on our Police Officers and Dispatchers.The Councilwoman also needs to do a little more checking on the skill sets and I think she will be surprised by the number of Hartford Police Officers with advanced college degrees, including masters Degrees and Law Degrees.

No matter what the intent of the comments was meant to be, it is not what I expect from someone who should be a leader and the Councilwoman owes an apology to everyone she offended.