RIDGEFIELD'S CONSCIOUS UNCOUPLING

Gwyneth Paltrow coined the phrase a "conscious uncoupling" to describe her divorce and, oddly, it appears we've had a "conscious uncoupling" here in Ridgefield. 

School Superintendent, Karen Baldwin, spoke a language that I never quite understood so a "conscious  uncoupling" seemed a fitting way to describe her termination agreement. 

Kudos to the Ridgefield Press for acquiring a copy of that agreement via FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) & publishing an article about it. Shame on BoE for making it come to that.

The article states that BoE "found no wrongdoing or misconduct in [Ms. Baldwin's] performance", that BoE had "not requested [her] resignation" nor had they "forced [her][...] resignation. In addition, BoE found no "deficiency, wrongdoing or misconduct with respect to Dr. Baldwin's performance or actions". 

Moreover the resignation did not "constitute an admission" by Ms. Baldwin that she did anything to warrant her termination and that -- according to the Press account -- Ms. Baldwin simply "suggested she would resign". 

Accordingly she would continue to receive her full salary until June 30th plus an annuity of $14,660 plus her un-used vacation days at $894 per day.

So from all accounts, it appears to me that Ms. Baldwin woke up one fine morning & just quit her $200,000 plus job because she simply felt like it. 

The problem is that after her self-serving resignation, she will continue to receive her full salary until June 30 and there is no mention of plagiarism. So what's the takeaway?

In my opinion, neither side has taken responsibility for anything in this matter. There is no "learning moment" for the 5,000 Ridgefield students from whom we demand more. Its' hypocritical and disgraceful. 

"First Selectman Rudy Marconi said he felt the arrangement [was] a “fair agreement for both sides.”

I give it an "F".

INVESTIGATIVE REPORT (:-) IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The conversation about parking ebbs and flows. A few years back there was discussion of building a multi-level parking garage off Bailey Avenue. The current discussion has taken on a new dimension. 

On the one hand there is the danger of burying a stream near the Boys & Girls Club & creating "too much asphalt". 

On the other hand, there is an idea, voiced by the First Selectman, to create a pocket park frontage to hide more parking spaces on Catoonah -- a creative idea. 

However, I have a different take. I'm not sure there is a parking problem. I think there is a people problem. We chose Ridgefield to live in, not for parking convenience.

This is what I saw On Monday, July 17th at 1:00:40 pm.

Even though these are snaps of one sliver of one summer week day, it still raises the question (in my mind) whether we really do need more parking spaces. 

If it's for weekends or community events, maybe we should consider walking more. We know taking 10,000 steps daily is a healthy goal. 

I ask myself, if downtown is so crowded on Saturdays, why are so many businesses going out of business? Is everyone having coffee at Tazza?

And what about weekday parking? Here's something else I saw at 11:04:27 the same day.

A woman walked out of this Main Street establishment and erased the chalk parking mark from her right front tire.

While I'm sure she's not alone in this kind of activity, I submit that before we spend one additional taxpayer cent on more parking, we FIRST address the people problem. Otherwise  we risk transforming our quaint village into a parking lot to service the lazy and inconsiderate.

Jan Rifkinson

169 New Road

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

"It’ll be hard, tough — “devastating,” a couple of school officials called it — but the state’s 2.5% cap on municipal spending increases is a limit officials at [the] tri-board meeting said Ridgefield should stay under. [...] That’ll help keep taxes down."

And now the State wants to shift a portion of the teacher's pension cost from the state to the towns. 

That's the way this year's budget process began. It was certainly an important wake up call.

While I appreciate the Board members who spend hours on budgeting, most years the bottom line is aided by pulling a rabbit out of a hat. This year “Revenues exceeded budget by $1,460,000, due largely to collection of back taxes,” [BoF Chairman] Ulmer said." 

But it is my opinion that going forward, we must develop zero based budgets without rabbits because, eventually, they will go the way of the dinosaur & taxes will definitely soar.

[BoE] Ms. Baldwin drew a line with three supervisors. Mr. Hendrikson purportedly put $120,000 in the wrong budget column &  Ms. Manners is “[...] offended every year by the [BoF] who feel that they have to cut us [...]" 

OK. So everyone played their role in this annual drama.

I have long argued that Ridgefield should develop budgets & subsequent mill rates that are not subsidized by transfers from the surplus fund. 

Otherwise there will come a day when we will lose some services we currently enjoy or taxes will rise to a level that will limit the real estate market only to the wealthier amongst us.

New Canaan, Darien & other Fairfield towns have fine school systems but many of you, young families, can't afford to live there which is why you chose Ridgefield. Our real estate prices and taxes remain affordable and we have a fine school system.

Please, let's keep it that way.

Published in the Ridgefield Press

May 4th, 2017

GOOD CHANGE SHOULD MAKE COMMON SENSE

An excellent Letter to the Editor was titled "Insufferable amount of time to replace Route 35 bridge"

And this is the outfit we want to "improve" our little Main Street?

What for?

If you are one who is annoyed with the inconvenience of waiting a few minutes on Main Street while on your way to the Post Office, I say "beware".

All you will get is less sidewalk and more traffic. And if you are one who is worried about lack of parking space, you will have less.

If you are one who wants to straighten the intersection from Prospect Street to the CVS parking lot, I ask why? You will lose even more parking space and will end up with a traffic lane adjacent to a Ballard Park entrance instead of having a buffer.

And will all this speed Route 35 traffic along Main Street? Maybe. By 10 seconds? 20 seconds? 30 seconds? An entire minute? And the trade-off is?

Well, if the bridge on 35 is any guide, downtown interruption will last for who-knows-how-many-months, there will be less sidewalk, fewer parking spaces, replacement trees, more traffic traveling faster.

While further down 35 how many vehicles do you see just missing each other at the intersection with 116 or darting out of South Street or across double yellows coming out of Starbucks or Adam Broderick or pedestrians dodging traffic crossing 35? How about all the cars with children and seniors gauging their chances driving into and out of the Recreation Center & Founder's Hall?

What we really need are improved pedestrian crosswalks from Main Street to Farmingville, re-marking 35 so there are turning lanes to the strip mall businesses and a traffic light on 35 at the Recreation Center intersection.

I'm all for change but it should make common sense.

Published in The Ridgefield Press, April 27, 2017

THE BOTTOM LINE: LEADERSHIP MATTERS

It’ll be hard, tough — “devastating,” a couple of school officials called it but...

“From my perspective as a superintendent,” Baldwin said, keeping three elementary supervisors is a “non-negotiable” need.

 

“It’s a totally different environment,” Baldwin said. “The bottom line: Leadership matters.”

I agree 100%, Ms. Baldwin. "Leadership matters."

But just so I understand this: you are saying three administrators supersede improved curriculum? This really makes you sound more like a bureaucrat than a school superintendent whose priority should be focused on learning.

Despite fewer students, the reason we had a 5.5% increase in last year's school budget was -- according to you -- because we had to solve IEP inequities.

Well, this year IEP is still the problem. In fact, it has been a problem for every one of the 19 years I've lived in Ridgefield. Time to come up with something else, I think.

Naturally parents fall for your edu-speak because they want the best for their child. That's totally understandable but does it make sense?

Well, I'm one resident who is willing to spend more of my money on education BUT NOT ON MORE BUREAUCRACY. So I will vote 'no' on this budget especially when other towns in our DRG have requested far less.

For parents who, like me, want more dollars spent in the classroom: here's a thought.

1,262 kids are issued Chromebooks costing $189,300. How about you BUY that $150 Chromebook for your child; not a big deal for a wealthy community, right?

It would be a tiny bit of tax relief for your neighbors or it could mean more dollars for the classroom if you can make it clear to your superintendent that you want your tax dollars spent in the classroom, not for more administrative bureaucracy.

PTA, BoE & all voters, remember "the bottom line, leadership matters".

Published in the Ridgefield Press April 20, 2017

LETTER TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHED 12/08/2016

Broadening Ridgefield's tax base, improving Main Street while maintaining Ridgefield's quaintish [sic] lifestyle should be the top priority for the Selectmen.

We have spent thousands of tax dollars on economic development consultants without any change. 

We know renting first-floor, Main Street storefronts for office space only subtracts from a quaint Main Street. You took months to contemplate a food truck ordinance but have not been able to decide on first-floor occupancy for years.

Currently, you are discussing hiring a Parking/Development person at $20,000 a year to wrestle the problem. Adding to government bureaucracy is not the answer. Policy is the answer and you  -- BoS -- are responsible for policy. Maybe after you have a policy, adding an administrative position might make sense. 

But if you must, make it a contract/freelance position at half the salary with a commission incentive, split between the town & property owners, for every new business lured to Ridgefield. 

Then the NIMBY problem -- Not In My Back Yard. There are some 'businesses' that have abandoned plans in town because of NIMBY. 

While I understand the NIMBY concerns, there has to be a balance between special interests and community development.

The state wants to widen Main Street, straighten cross streets, add turning lanes, sync traffic lights for crossing safety. Baloney; don't do it.

The state only wants to relieve Route 7 traffic at our expense. None of their goals will help Main Street. 

Find a charming solution: raise the crosswalks slightly, lay Belgian block for differentiation, maintain the pedestrians crosswalk signs on Main and 35 & enforce the traffic laws. 

Spending an extra two minutes in Main Street traffic isn't a detriment. It's part of Ridgefield living & may even provide a moment for people to glance into a store front window and decide to buy something.

$5 million too radical a one­ year change - Letter to the Editor 5/6/2016

I feel manipulated when it comes to our school financials.

First, ERG equality.

A few years ago, I spoke with Peter Prowda, state Board of Education, the man who developed the ERG system. Mr. Prowda explained ERGs were created so educators could compare pupil test

scores in the same ERG category; not the amounts spent on each student. So the ERG is no reason to approve a 4.99% increase in the Board of Education budget.

Second, more seniors are moving into Ridgefield.

Why? There are many advantages to this town — besides the schools — that make Ridgefield, Ridgefield. After all, Ridgefield was the #1 town in Connecticut for years before the $90,000,000 school

bundle was even considered or passed. So schools are not necessarily the reason for a 4.99% increase either.

Third and fourth: Recent history should have clarified the connection between property values and school budgets. They do not parallel each other. And school expenditures do not guarantee

academic excellence. The #1 town in Connecticut — known for its excellent school system — spends far less per student than we do. Again, no rationale for a 4.99% increase.

We pay pension/health benefits for non­certified Board of Education employees, currently set at $1,051,000. Board of Education wants to add another 19 to its payroll. Why do we need more

people for fewer students? An increase of 4.99% makes even less sense.

I still don’t understand what happened between 2015 and 2016 that requires an additional $5 million. That’s a radical change especially in view of a declining school population.

It feels like expenses are just spinning out of control again. How do we regain control? The only way we can — by voting.

Squeezing taxpayers is only one part of the budget formula, not the entire formula.

A proponent of excellent education,

Jan Rifkinson

5/6/2016 Letters

Copyright © 2016 Hersam Acorn

The Chameleon Language of Edu-speak - Letter to the Editor published in the Ridgefield Press April 14, 2016

Edu-speak is nothing if not a chameleon language that takes on definitions that aim to obfuscate rather than clarify. 

The argument that this BoE budget should be supported because it is Ms. Baldwin's first makes sense only if we are now throwing Deborah Lowe under the bus after praising her repeatedly. It begs credulity.

The Board of Finance volunteers worked hours to arrive at a financial formula that they believe is fair and equitable.

But I believe we are throwing millions at a school system without solving structural issues. 

The bulk of the problems surround the Special Needs community, a current mix of in-house programs, lavish outside contracts, settled lawsuits and exorbitant legal fees under no central authority that I can discern. Why are taxpayers just hearing about this via a doubled increase for 'education'.

I question why our technology is lacking, why we buy student laptops instead of having each child use their own. Why can't students plug in whatever tool they want to use to learn, be it laptop, tablet or phone?

I question why $93k is set aside for text books, not because we need them but because some teachers don't know how to access educational materials via the internet. We plan to pay for these teachers to learn to do that so I also question the $900k set aside for teaching teachers. Shouldn't teachers bear some responsibility here? Are principals doing their jobs? Are we hiring the right teachers? 

I am concerned that state shared education funds may be reduced $900k if the legislature has its way.

Despite the many hours put in by the Board of Finance, I question whether the upcoming budget passes muster. 

Written by a proponent for strong education.