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bernie stringer June 12, 2013 at 10:37 am
That some teachers are over paid (salary and, retirement and benefits) is not a result of the tenure…Read More system. That poorly performing teachers have been protected by tenure is a flaw of the system is true. It is also true that good teachers at every level need the protection of tenure from school administrators and school boards that would for their own crazy reasons fire strong professional educators.
Littman June 12, 2013 at 07:49 pm
Wah wah wah. I miss the days when you could tell people, to work hard, go to college, get educated…Read More and make it pay off for your future. Now the whiners that work in the private sector cry about public sector workers, their neighbors and humans like themselves. I remember when they had to find ways to get people to take those jobs or keep them because they would get experience in the public sector and run to private for more money and benefits. Yet meanwhile they say nothing about the corporations who pay no taxes and even get refunds on our backs while they successfully started blaming the worker who pays taxes just like everyone else. Seriously, get a new job if you hate yours so much.
leesther brown June 11, 2013 at 01:51 pm
@Ian..You are exactly right..and there should be a choice..
As far as having the Graduation in the…Read More Paramount..Good move!
I enjoyed walking up to the Graduations,and standing watching them from the grounds,but over the years it became..a bit too much...giving the sign of the times...anything may jump off...Congratulations Class Of 2013..
Ashley Elam June 13, 2013 at 01:55 pm
@elisabeth, since 2002 they've wanted to move it to the Paramount.
Philly June 9, 2013 at 08:50 am
Maya Angelou - one of the most influential figures in modern American literature. An amazing woman,…Read More and basically living walking digest and source of quotable quotes, which is why I'll be catching her interview today on the bookreportradio (dotcom) when Elaine Charles discusses her poems with her #muchexcitement
sayitsnotsojack May 27, 2013 at 12:20 pm
How many of you go to school board meeting? How many of you voted in the budget election? I am…Read More sure most of you who post here have some involvement, but for the vast majority people are so lazy, they would rather stay home and eagerly watch roller skate dancing with the stars than attend a meeting. Until that attitude changes there will no change in the school system, unqualified board of Ed members will be voted in and the waste and poor education, with unions running the district will continue.
Dutch June 3, 2013 at 06:44 pm
The Board of Education would like to set the record straight and clarify any misinformation…Read More circulating regarding the separation settlement agreement between the Board and Superintendent of Schools, James Wills. Citing irreconcilable differences between both parties, it has been mutually determined that in the best interest of the district, the Board of Education and Mr. Willis have decided to terminate their working relationship effective July 13, 2013 when Mr. Willis will retire. Under the terms of the separation agreement, Mr. Willis will receive six months’ pay under his initial working agreement post resignation date. In addition, Mr. Willis will receive health insurance benefits as long as he remains retired and unemployed. Mr. Willis will not be entitled to any other monies or benefits.
As previously communicated, this was a mutual agreement between the Board of Education and Mr. Willis and the Board wishes him well with his retirement.
Roz Bratter May 22, 2013 at 09:56 am
Can you please tell me what the Hen Hud number translates to re: percent tax increase for a…Read More homeowner in Cortlandt Manor?
Teleman May 22, 2013 at 01:14 pm
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Mc Cann, Daniel T…Read More Ndr $279,227 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Catalan, Enrique Ndr $207,340 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Gottlieb, Alice S Ndr $202,058 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Kane, Helene K Ndr $180,495 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) LaVallee, Paul R Ndr $175,537 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Mackin, James L Ndr $165,925 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Swerdloff, Mathew Ndr $162,657 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Mc Guigan, Mary F Ndr $160,733 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Hall, Lynda A Ndr $160,697 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Solomon, Craig J Ndr $158,952 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Baker, Thomas P Ndr $156,661 2011
Hendrick Hudson Central Schools Hendrick Hudson Central Schools (NYSTRS Member) Bugara, Ron Ndr $155,049 2011
sayitsnotsojack May 23, 2013 at 02:40 pm
Those gym teachers would refuse to coach a extra after school curricular sports team unless they got…Read More paid even more.
Dutch May 21, 2013 at 06:45 am
Another weak candidate. " I wouldn't consider cutting any area unless it is absolutely…Read More necessary, I would rather raise funds and get the community involved in doing so." Good luck with that idea. Perhaps you should of given a concrete plan for how you will raise funds. With the number of free and reduced lunch (and may I add breakfast) students in this district do you honestly think there is money Peekskill.
joshua tanner May 21, 2013 at 09:42 am
Most of the candidates seem to say the same things "I am comitted to high quality…Read More education" etc etc. Only Rolv (Nick) Nicolaysen said things like "There has been no attention been spent on conservation of resources. We seem to be throwing good money after bad with no regard to its lack of effectiveness". Peekskill is one year of Carmelo Anthony's salary away from spending a tenth of a billion dollars on a yearly budget. We have multiple asssitant superintendents making more than Cuomo and they keep wanting to raise the taxes on senior citizens among others to pay for these. More and more money evey year and the schools get worse.
joshua tanner May 21, 2013 at 01:20 am
This is the only candidate that seems to have some substance. - which means he probably will do…Read More poorly in vote
Kirsten Berger May 14, 2013 at 02:50 pm
You're welcome. It's vital for all to know, regardless of where one stands on the issue.
sayitsnotsojack May 14, 2013 at 09:57 pm
Another spend and tax who only thinks that throwing huge amounts of money after bad is going to fix…Read More the problems.
joshua tanner May 16, 2013 at 09:53 am
"Students continue to increase scoring 65 and above on the English"
Lol this is like a…Read More hospital bragging their patients continue to show signs of breathing
Dutch May 20, 2013 at 06:42 am
Have either one of you attended a board meeting? Although I do not agree with all the decisions Mr.…Read More Simpkins made as a board member I will support him this election. Out of the 6 running, Mr Simpkins is the only one that has experience and a good idea of what goes on in this district. When was the last time either one of you has been in our schools? Do you have any idea of what it takes to educate a child. First and foremost it takes having parents who support the child 100%.
Kirsten Berger May 16, 2013 at 10:19 am
Dutch, when gifted kids find that they are bored in school and the school does not push them to…Read More their fullest potential, they lose motivation to do the work. Thus, their grades and classwork do not reflect their true abilities. Being gifted is not the same as overachieving or being advanced. It's a common assumption people make. THere's a lot of literature, both online and printed about this. Kids for whom school is so easy in the early years get overlooked because it is assumed that because they perform at grade level, that they don't need help. In the upper grades, when things may actually get harder, they don't know what to do and the sudden challenge is very hard for them to deal with because they never learned to do challenging work before and their grades end up tanking. I think Jillian wants to change things for kids like this., so that no child is really left behind. I don't Stephanie's son's whole story but from what she has said, the boredom he experiences tends to be a motivation killer in general and if he's truly gifted, then even more so.
Dutch May 16, 2013 at 05:47 pm
I still dont understand why her son is not graduating. Was he a student that was given false credit?…Read More I do agree that more programs need to be put into place for those students that fall in both the gifted and advanced areas. But it seems as if the needs of a few are placed to the wayside . This is a high need district that is full of ELL. They are being given top priority.
sayitsnotsojack May 15, 2013 at 10:21 am
“I feel the mayor and council did a poor job. We are going to face a lot of hardship if…Read More something is not done”. What would you have them do? While the Mayor and council have not been the best at some things, blaming them for the Tax Cap is false. They are not the Governor and the state legislation. Do you want the Peekskill government to start giving the schools additional money by having the mayor and council institute some additional school tax? Making a statement like the one you have demonstrates your lack of understanding of how school financing is obtained. The real problem with the money is the unsustainable salary contracts and benefits that have and are given.
Shannon Casiano May 15, 2013 at 11:01 am
I thank you for your feedback. And yes you may be right of my not knowing exactly how all the school…Read More financing is obtained for I have no experience in this which I am pretty sure is the case for many. This is something I am trying to research and educate myself on. As far as the Mayor is concerned my issue is local communities have the ability to override the cap and I have made a call to the NY State Comptrollers office to find out more information on this. I feel this is one of the reasons the district should work on having a stronger relationship with organizations such as the council. And I did state the higher paying salary of admininistrators should be looked at as well as inquiring more on how the money is being spent. I appreciate your comments and feel this is very important to have these type of discussions.
joshua tanner May 14, 2013 at 12:50 am
These shows have better things in them than the "artists" exhibitions in Peekskill
Andrew Pinto May 12, 2013 at 02:01 am
Mr Tanner tells the truth. But it seems that no one wants that anymore, including our White House…Read More occupant. Political correctness be damned.
Andrew Pinto May 12, 2013 at 02:14 am
How about getting rid of some of the top-heavy school administration. A very highly paid…Read More Superintendant with many assistants who are very well paid also. Too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. Get back to basics and maybe we'll stand a chance otherwise more taxes and/or city bankruptcy. Just take a look at Washington, DC. and see where it's getting us. You can't spend more than you take in so how can our city do it?
jo May 15, 2013 at 08:07 am
the super gets too much and we are top heavy with administrators.. I am voting NO...
Random May 12, 2013 at 08:10 pm
@ Leesther & all others who continually put the PCSD down negatively....the comments made here,…Read More especially the "You must be a product of the PCSD" is highly insulting & has instantaneously, in one fell swoop degraded each and everyone of the current & former students, the teachers & al faculty, & every single parent who has worked hard & diligently to ensure that they receive the best education possible and graduate with a NYS Certified Regents Diploma. The PCSD has some of the most highly qualified teachers in the area and has some of the finest, hardworking and resilient students in New York State. Please stop insulting ALL of the students & former graduates with overarching accusations. I advise anyone who insults the PCSD to walk into any school building & into any classroom to witness the engaging lessons & education that our students are receiving. As a former graduate who has recieved a very well rounded education from PHS & the PCSD, I went on as many of my classmates did to, not only receive an undergraduate degree but a masters as well. Our District has had graduates accepted into some of the finest colleges and institutions in the United States such as Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Howard, West Point Military Academy, and the Culinary Institute of America as well as every SUNY & CUNY schools in the State & City.
Random May 12, 2013 at 08:10 pm
Instead of insulting our Current & former students, with extreme generalizations of their…Read More quality of education, lets work in the schools, the teachers, the classes & with the BOE to enhance our schools & create a better school district. Instead of people trying to open up a new school, why dont you try to help the schools that we currently have. The Board of education, the Teachers, the Administrators and the students CANNOT do everything on their own in a vaccum. The PCSD needs the help of the COMMUNITY AND PARENTS not another school in the name of "hope & change."
Stephanie May 12, 2013 at 11:18 pm
@ leesther brown, I cannot have an intelligent conversation with someone who tries to berate me for…Read More misspelling their name. Your obtuse comments and rants are meant to divide a community. Whether you are for or against the charter school, please keep your comments constructive.
You seem to be passionate about your beliefs. I respect your fervor. You do not need to degrade and put down my views in order to get your point across.
We are part of the same community. Inspire your community to come together to formulate a solution. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches.
sayitsnotsojack May 5, 2013 at 04:50 pm
You are correct, if schools were operated on a sound business model there would be no unions to…Read More perpetuate the horrible performance of staff, and the education administrators who are certainly some of the most overpaid, performing people on the planet would all be gone. There would be consolations, there is no need for the hundreds of districts that exist now which would save millions of dollars in tax money and wasted spending on salaries and unsustainable benefits. There would be a produce or else atmosphere, one that encouraged and rewarded hard work and performance, which is not the way it is now. The first step in improving the systems is to eliminate all the self-serving unions.
Michael Feder May 5, 2013 at 05:42 pm
Excuse me, Ms. Claire, but competition and accountability are not the same thing. The school I…Read More teach at is highly successful not because we have to compete with neighboring schools. Our school is successful due to a combination of highly competent and caring teachers and administrators, and parents who get involved to make their children's school better. No successful school has ever existed because of a "competitor". No teacher has ever been motivated by outperforming his/her colleagues in another school. These are children we're talking about. Reducing the job of an educator to the battle for market share between Coke and Pepsi I find incredibly offensive.
Stephanie May 9, 2013 at 01:13 am
The application was not rejected. The organizers want you to think it was. Hmm, wonder why? Maybe so…Read More the public sits back and does nothing, while the charter school opens up under our noses.
The Peekskill Cortlandt Patch should check its facts. Call Albany. The application is still a "live" application.
Residents should be aware that several city employees have written letters supporting this charter school. The letters recommend that the charter school be opened. These letters are part of the charter schools application. The fact that city employees, whose salary is paid for by taxpayers, wrote letters in support of the charter school on official letterhead is disturbing. Writing a letter on official letterhead indicates that city residents are behind the charter school endeavor. This is not the case.
Valerie Swan, Executive Director of Peekskill Youth Bureau and Sibyl Canaan, Director of Field library wrote letters on official letterhead. Leo Dylewski, Peekskill police officer wrote a letter in support of the charter school.
Surprising enough John Testa wrote a letter of support on official county legislator letterhead. John Testa use to be a Peekskill City School technology teacher. How he could write a letter that directly hurts the students he once taught is disconcerting.
joshua tanner May 2, 2013 at 03:20 am
I wonder how many Rosetta Stone Spanish intruction kits could be bought for $550,000 dollars? Its…Read More incredible that a city with half its kids getting free/reduced lunch 5 jobs cost over a million bucks. The librarian I could live with but 4 teachers to teach Spanish in a Spanish city where kids are failing almost eveything else in droves is obscene. Kids could get the same Spanish lessons off YouTube for free.
Patrick D. May 4, 2013 at 04:49 am
You could take teachers from the best schools from all over the world and put them in that district.…Read More It takes more then just teachers. It takes support and discipline at home. Drive in the area of the high school at dismissal time and tell me that its the teachers fault. As far as the Spanish curriculum comments, foreign language is a graduation requirement. Kudos to those teachers for such success. English is one of the hardest languages to master and again, interacting with kids in Peekskill...they'd be better off speaking spanish then the non stop slang and jibberish they speak.
Judy Lohbauer May 9, 2013 at 02:55 am
I hope she sues them for defamation of character and gets millions! They only have what they…Read More themselves planted and used alison as a scapegoat. We should all b ashamed of our district..
Kirsten Berger May 10, 2013 at 01:53 pm
Well said, Vicki, thank you. I too wonder why Mr. Hutchinson was placed in the post as principle…Read More after he was supposedly hired to be head of reading and gifted in the district. Last year, he actually helped us with our son and was supposedly trying to develop a curriculum for kids like him. Well, that went down the drain with his reassignment. Yes, we need more money for services, for ALL levels of learning. There are all kinds of kids getting left behind and to all parents out there with the same concerns, please consider getting involved with getting the administration to make this a great district for all. May seem idealistic, but it's worth a shot.
joshua tanner May 6, 2013 at 04:34 am
Spanish ruled Ecuador for 300 years. Many were killed off by Spanish brutality - many more were…Read More killed off by Spanish brought disease. The Inca people and culture are long gone.
Peekskill Students ‘Grow’ to Love Salad They’ve Grown
Comment Recommend Ellen Lane