Flynn PTO Update 5/11/14

Hey There Flynn Families - Hope all the moms had a nice day - lucky for us, we had super fine weather!  Anyone else notice that the leaves and plants are taking off? - they seem to grow inches overnight!  I just love Spring!   

There is a lot of School Budget information in the blog this week, coming from a few sources.  Just a little disclaimer that this blog is a product of the Flynn PTO and the content within comes from Flynn parents, community groups and at times, BSD employees.  Flynn school/BSD employees can ask you to vote on the revised budget but they are not allowed to advocate for a YES vote - just share facts.  The PTO and the PTO blog are not district employees and we can advocate all we want!  I will pass along as much info as I can find to help you make sense of this mess.  You will find a Vermont Public Radio transcript and Burlington Friends of Education information that might help inform your decision making on June 3rd.  There is a meeting on Wed you can attend followed by an opportunity to volunteer some time getting leaflets/signs and other get out the vote materials ready for distribution.  

Hope to see families out this Sunday at Springfest - lots of FREE and low cost fun for the whole family.  Don't forget your sneakers for the fun run!!!


5th Grade Pictures FYI, Ambient will be in first thing Tuesday morning to take the 5th grade photo - 5th grade families, please remind your kiddo to get him/herself to school on time if they want to be in the picture!!!

CCTA has developed a plan to consolidate the AM Neighborhood Special service effective Monday, May 12, 2014. The consolidation is based on two primary factors: 1) critical driver shortages CCTA is experiencing during peak morning service hours and 2) CCTA has identified some redundancy in the service to residential streets and has identified locations where there is no ridership. The consolidation will result in eight (8) morning Neighborhood Specials instead of the current ten (10) with the elimination of Neighborhood Specials #134 and #38.

Neighborhood Special #134

Neighborhood Special #134 BHS/Edmunds/Flynn will be eliminated. This bus was added last year based on requests by residents in Appletree Point to serve students attending Flynn School. Neighborhood Special #39 will now pick-up the students in Appletree Point after leaving BHS at 7:40am. Pick-up times for Flynn students who live in Appletree Point will stay at the current 7:50am. 

Good News is that parents have pledged plenty of yummy foods for the Staff Appreciation Luncheon coming up on May 22nd. (email reminder to come!)  Many thanks for your generosity!  Playground/lunch coverage still needed!!!  Here is where we still need parents: 2 for shift 1, 2 for shift 2 and 4 for shift 3...  Please contact Kate Belluche at akbelluche@aol.com if you can take a shift or two below - heck, take all three and get to know the fine child specimens we have at Flynn school!

Shift 1      11:15-12:10 *11:35 out	Shift 2    11:55-12:50 *12:15 out	Shift 3      12:15-1:05 * 12:45 out
Tracy Truzansky	Deb Maher	Krista Poquette
Heather Simmons	Heather Simmons	Tammy Kuypers
Sarah Deshaw	Sarah Deshaw	Heather Simmons
Sandrine Kibuey	Kate Trombly	Meghan Rubman
Mary Anne Kohn	Shannon Monniere
Marty Welsh	Marty Welsh

Hey Burlington Friends of Education! Please come to a working meeting at The Miller Center in the New North End on Wednesday, May 14 from 6-9 pm. We will have a short presentation on the budget and the rest of the time will be devoted to sign making, leaflet bagging, and other tasks in support our “Vote Yes” campaign.

The hope is that folks can find one hour or more during this time frame to come out and help. All we need is YOU!

Let us know if you can make it by emailing: bfoevt@gmail.com

And, feel free to bring a friend, a neighbor, or a loved one. Kids are welcome as many many hands make for light labor.

Even if you only have a short amount of time, that’s fine — you can simply swing through, grab a lawn sign and a leaflet route.

Springfest this Sunday afternoon 1-4!   There will be a fun run, bouncy castle, games, face painting, magic show, book swap, bake sale, silent auction, and much more! Books can be brought to the office and be put in the big book bin. The book swap will be at the Spring Fest this Sunday, but it's great to bring your books in early! It's fun to get new summer reading!

Help Needed for Spring Fest!

Spring Fest will be happening Sunday, May 18, from 1:00 to 4:00 at the 
Flynn School playground. There will be a fun run, book swap, bake sale, 
bouncy castle, silent auction, games, face painting, a visit from Champ, 
and much more!

To make this event possible, we need your help. You can donate your time 
by helping with set up, the fun run, or other events. You can donate an 
item for the bake sale, including frozen freezy pops; just bring them 
the day of the event or if it's nonperishable you can drop if off on 
Friday, May 16 in the office. You can donate something (including a 
service) for the silent auction. Or or you can donate books for the book 
swap. If you can help in any of these ways, please contact Tammy Kuypers 
at kuypers5@yahoo.com.


Amazing Deals at the Spring Fest Silent Auction

Make sure you check out the silent auction at Spring Fest and put in 
your bid for some exciting opportunities, including a Burton jacket, two 
nights at a house on Lake Champlain, mother/child weekend at Camp 
Abnaki, a ride in a fire truck, Ben & Jerry's ice cream and merchandise, 
babysitting, a homemade dinner, and more!

Nadworny: School Budget (from VPR)

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By RICH NADWORNYIn March, Burlington, like many other towns around the state, voted down its school budget. People felt that the proposed 9.9% property tax increase was just too much, especially after the increases of previous years. Lost in the debate was the fact that over 2/3 of the increase comes from the Legislature increasing the property tax rate to fund the state education system.

To make matters worse, a school district audit found that the previous budget was based on projected, rather than actual, numbers. The school district was in the red for much more than it had estimated. And that made people really angry.

So we’ve been hard pressed to remember that when compared to similar sized school districts, Burlington spends less per student with below average administration costs. And this is while serving what is Vermont’s most diverse and most challenging student body. In fact, Burlington is the envy of many area educators for its new innovative practices at Burlington High School, nationally acclaimed Magnet Schools that replaced challenged inner city schools, and a commitment to equity and diversity far beyond what most other school in Vermont has achieved so far.

But people are so angry right now they’re not in the mood to support a new, revised, and more accurate school budget. At a local NPA meeting recently, a Burlington city counselor urged his constituents to “Bite the Bullet” and vote NO on the new school budget. I always thought biting the bullet implied pain and suffering. But the impact a NO vote has is clear: layoffs that threaten the Integrated Arts and Sustainability academies and other cuts that lay the suffering squarely on the meager shoulders of our young kids. I think we have to be careful that our resolve to clean up the mess doesn’t make Burlington’s children suffer for its administrators’ mistakes, its politicians’ ambitions and its adults' ire.

Certainly, it’s our responsibility, some might say our moral duty, to support and protect our kids, the smallest and most vulnerable members of our society, the ones who don’t pay taxes and can’t vote. And it’s unfortunate that this year, the school budget debate in Burlington seems to be all about the adults, because when it comes to education, that’s where things can go very wrong indeed.

As a community we talk a lot about the future of Vermont and the future of Burlington. But you can’t talk about the future without talking about kids. And you can’t talk about a future for kids without a plan for providing a public school education that allows our children a path to success in their lives and careers.

When it comes right down to it, the things that keep people moving to and staying in cities like Burlington aren’t the new flashy objects like renovating the old Moran plant on the waterfront, what attracts families to live here is the ability to provide a quality education to their kids.

Vote YES on June 3, 2014 - Burlington’s children need your vote! 

On June 3, Burlington voters have a chance to say YES to a school budget that supports our children and YES to a new era of leadership that supports our desire to see greater fiscal oversight, leadership reform, and accountability to voters.

Since March, the newly-elected school board members have taken swift action and shown they are committed to fiscal oversight, leadership reform, and budget transparency. They have worked hard to develop this budget and are committed to continued oversight. Now it is our turn to show our support for this collaborative effort and vote YES to a responsible, transparent budget. The new board has cut $2.5 million in staff and services to bring you this new budget — a budget that spends less in the coming year than we did last year.

A YES vote keeps devastating cuts out of the classroom.

What exactly am I being asked to support?

The Facts: The new, proposed budget is $67.4 million, which, although it's higher than the proposed budget in March, is a decrease from the $67.8 million spent in FY 14. That’s less money, and is what voters asked for after the March vote. So, Vote YES to Spend Less.

This budget pays off a nearly $1.5 million deficit, and also includes $2.5 million in cuts and $1 million in new revenues – equalling a real $1.5 million cut. In March the local spending portion of the budget (that which is not controlled by Montpelier) was a 3.1% increase. This budget is a 2.4% increase.

The taxes will also be lower because the state legislature is considering decreasing its portion from the 7% proposed in the March budget to 4-6%.

The new Board’s work in the last month is a down payment of good faith that they are ushering in a new era in the district and we, as voters, should give them a chance to continue their work without the distraction of making additional, painful cuts to core programs and initiatives. If not, well, the entire Board is up for re-election in 2015 due to redistricting. If they haven’t kept our word, then that election can serve as a referendum on the Board’s performance.

What was cut in this budget?

The new budget includes a net total of $1.5 million in cuts – that’s $2.5 million in cuts, and then $1 million in new revenue.

These are real cuts, not some “savings” and will impact every school in the district and touch nearly every classroom. They include:

·  $261,000 in unspecified non-classroom expenses

·  20 para-educator positions ($500,000);

·  3 Spanish teachers elementary- and middle-school level ($240,000);

·  Several Burlington high school teachers ($300,000);

·  $120,000 in subsidies for students’ bus fare;

·  $150,000 in professional development programs;

·  $100,000 in professional services;

·  $220,000 by making a 1.5 percent cut across seven different areas of the budget; and,

·  Elimination of police officers in the schools.

What budget cuts could happen if this budget fails?

Then we would default to a budget that is roughly $800,000 less than this one. The board has already cut $2.5 million from the budget, focusing as much as possible on cuts that did not affect the classroom.

More cuts could result in the loss of:

·  Additional classroom teachers;

·  Additional paraeducators;

·  Additional academic coaches;

·  Additional athletic programs;

·  Subsidized transportation; and,

·  English Language Learning educators.

Increased classroom sizes, which negatively affects the quality of education, would be also on the table. Burlington already has classroom sizes that are larger than other districts in the county, and more than the statewide average.

If you vote yes on this budget, this is what your increase:

If your house is valued at $200,000, your increase would be $186. If your house is valued at $300,000, the increase would be $279.

·  If the budget fails, you will still see an increase. That is because of increases in the statewide property taxes.

·  On a house valued at $200,000, the increase would be $142.

·  On a house valued at $300,000, the increase would be $213.

* These calculations assume that the state legislature will increase taxes by 4%. The final amount is still being determined and could be anywhere from 4-6%.

Why do you keep hearing about $43?

The bulk of the tax increase is coming from Montpelier, so taxes go up whether we vote yes on June 3rd or not.

·  If you have a $200,000 house, you’ll only pay $43 more per year ($4 a month) than you will if the budget fails.

·  If your house is $300,000, your increase will be $66 ($5.50 a month).

We believe that $43/year is a FAIR amount to pay to keep potentially disastrous cuts out of the classroom and away from our children.

We have much to celebrate about our school system, including:

·  High graduation and college placement rates;

·  Growing enrollment across the district in contrast to statewide trends;

·  Lower per-pupil spending than similar-size districts;

·  Average teacher salaries when compared countywide;

·  Larger classroom sizes than surrounding schools, and above the statewide average;

·  Innovative learning- 1:1 Technology Initiative;

·  Partnership for Change;

·  Nationally recognized magnet school successes in achievement and equity;

·  Low administrative overhead when compared countywide; and,

·  Meeting the new world challenges of equity, diversity, and accessibility.

There is tax relief for people who can’t afford an increase

Yes, roughly 3 out of 5 Burlington homeowners receive a tax break on their school taxes from the state, with an average payment of more than $1600 – or roughly $6 million a year.

These payments are made directly to the city and appear as a credit on your tax bill. If you’d like to know what your credit is, call the city assessor’s office at (802) 865-7114.

I am shocked by some of the financial problems that have been exposed. What is the school board doing to fix this mess?

In the last few weeks since these issues have come to light the school board has worked quickly and intensively to fully understand the financial challenges facing the district and to take action to address them. The school board has:

·  Created a F15 budget that REDUCES spending from F14 levels and is designed to avoid further deficit spending.

·  Begun to create and implement tighter financial management and spending controls that will include:

o    an audit of personnel resources and greater oversight on hiring decisions

o    updated processes for approving and overseeing expenditures

o    a more robust system of checks and balances for payroll and other expenditures, and

o    auditing and updating all current financial controls

·  Taken a more active role in overseeing administrative decisions regarding spending and financial planning, ensuring that decisions are fully explained and detailed background documentation is available to the Board and the Public.

·  Established a joint cost control committee with members of the School Board and City Council to determine potential cost savings through economies of scale, consolidation and efficiencies.

·  Secured Mayor Miro Weinberger’s support to develop a plan in which City financial expertise can be used to assist the School District through this critical transition period.

The new Board can’t dig the district out of nearly a decade of problems in just a few months. These initial, and important, steps are a show of good faith that they’ve heard the call from voters. This is the start of a multi-year process to get the district fully on its financial feet.

That’s why Burlington Friends of Education is saying … Vote YES to Clean up the Mess!

We got by with far fewer services when I was a kid. Why do we need all these extra stuff, like academic coaches?

Our education system has changed a great deal over the past few decades, and school systems are now mandated to provide more services than they were when you were young.

A recent is example is the introduction of the Common Core curriculum, which will require training and coaching of teachers to master. Academic coaches help teachers stay abreast of the latest curriculum developments and best practices in each subject area and play a key role in ensuring quality education.

For example, our award-winning food system provides 6000 meals a day to our children. Of those meals, 60 percent of children being served are coming to school hungry, and have limited, or no, access to food at home.

At the same time, the federal government has cut $1.5 million from the district’s budget in recent years to provide mandated services to low-income children and children with special needs. These cuts came as a result of federal budget cuts, and the recent federal budget sequestration, and those costs are being passed along to local taxpayers.

Chess Club Wraps up Congratulations to all players who showed up early Wednesday mornings, tried out a new activity, or improved his/her game!  Everyone was responsible and had fun.  The following 67 students were participants in the club:

Riley & Noah Poquette, Will Belluche, Noah, Lovis and Summer Tegeder, Reuben & Caleb Lodish, Brooks, Fields and Webb DeShaw, Nick Richardson-Goms, Gabe & Nate Mitchell, Rejos Neopaney, Naveen & Kiran Bleakney-Eastman, Emma Thompson, Zen & Sunny Nguyen, Christian Mitchell, Drew Barring, Quinn & Kai Sessions, Dominique Simmons, Peter Kuypers, Chenoa Messinger, Gonzalez Arakaza, Nicolas Uforquru, Ezra Weisman, Ramsey Elder, Memphis Gendren-Everest, Kaylee Jocelyn, Tyrone Bernabe, Tobey, David Wilson-Bahoun, Lahwah Mou, Devion Hunter Wado, Dakota, Michel Ndayishimiye, Tony Hammond, Brennan Langlais, Ian Maher, Jacques DeBedout, Jean-Baptiste Gatanga, David Abesa, Rubin Upreti, Nathan Mitchell, Carter Blanchard, Aidyn & Anissa Porter, Abdi & Abdirizakh Hussien, Eamon Smith, Michael, Amar Dzinic, Ryleigh Ritchie, Shyanne Giroux, Ali Abdullahi, Sam Rubman, Lily Hauser, Noah Batten, Jaydin Martell, Colton & Dalton Devenaugh, and King Kyendamina.

And thank you to Karen Carr, Sarah DeShaw and Gordy Maher for their assistance with the club.

-Shanta Eastman and Jon Kuypers

How to Stop Screaming and Start Engaging

For more information on parenting visit KidsInTheHouse.com

As parents, most of us will ask our kids to get dressed, or brush their teeth, or go get their homework so we can get in the car. As kids, they typically will ignore that first request. We then follow with a few more requests using a really nice calm voice. The kids continue to ignore us. And it’s at that point that we change from nice to screeching, yelling, demanding, and threatening. And it seems to us as parents that’s the only time our children get engaged, when we escalate into the screaming, which is not really what we want to be doing. Most parents I speak with say they would love to be able to stop screaming.

It’s important for parents to understand that first of all most kids are parents deaf. It’s a little bit like the Charlie Brown scenario. What they hear through those first requests is [wah-wah, wah-wah]. All of these requests and reminders train the kids that they don’t really have to move until we escalate. So one of the ways to break that pattern is to start out by giving our kids choices, because they have to answer you.

When you speak to your kids change from a direction to a request or a choice. “John, would you like to brush your teeth now or after this commercial? Mary, would you like to get your homework now or after we finish dinner. Jamie, do you want to brush your teeth now or after we finish reading the book?”

The child is required to then respond in some way. Once you receive a response, you can move the conversation forward. Even if the child replies by saying, “neither”, you have the beginning of a conversation started and you can answer, “I see. When would you be willing to…?” Try it and see if this helps you to stop screaming.

Save the date...

May 14, 21 - Kindergarten tours and practice lunch for incoming families
May 18 - Springfest at Flynn - 1-4 pm
May 20 - 5th graders visit Hunt, Parents visit Hunt at 7pm for an Evening orientation
May 22 - Staff Appreciation Luncheon
May 26 - No school - Memorial Day
June 3- Vote on School Budget (or call city hall today for absentee ballot)
June 9 - 5th Grade Bridging Ceremony - 6pm

June 11 - Last Day of School (note date change due to last snow day...)