Update: Opinion from the CSDE on the district's ability to 'Reduce SPED enrollment' growth.

In what should be an affront to every parent in Woodstock, our BOE has put forth their ‘scenarios’ to comply with the directive to cut $482,927 from their initial budget proposal.

As mentioned in the previous article, the line items published therein mean absolutely nothing and have no bearing on how funds will actually be spent. However, and it’s a BIG however, if you are a parent who happens to be paying attention, the BOE has seen fit to announce that somehow they have the ability to “Reduce SPED Enrollment Growth” which as you may know is a particular pet peeve of mine. Are they checking with everyone who is considering moving to Woodstock that has a child in need of services and scaring them off? Of course, parents who did their homework wouldn’t come here anyway, but that is beside the point.

While I already know how this is accomplished (and has been for years), to me the audacity to put it in print is something else entirely. You see, there is this pesky federal law called IDEA which precludes any such policy, albeit the enforcement of the law is questionable at best especially here in Connecticut due to an entirely backwoods system of dealing with such actions, and as I learned first hand, once the kangaroo court is through with it, the federal courts run in the other direction rather than apply the law.

The really funny part is that with the district hotline to Shipman & Goodwin ringing daily at $300 per hour, somehow they are going to reduce the aforementioned SPED Enrollment Growth AND the SPED legal budget at the same time- I didn’t know that the SPED Director was both an accomplished denier of services and a magician too.

With regard to policies, this statement doesn’t actually coincide with BOE policies either, but again as we know, that has never mattered in Woodstock.

Unfortunately, the Board of Finance has no interest in asking any questions of the BOE because as we have and continue to experience, once the money is approved they will do whatever they want with it- past budgets vs. expenditures are never scrutinized as they should be no matter how egregious the variances. In this particular instance however, this policy statement and its potential liability issue should be thoroughly questioned and investigated.  Will it happen? I think we already know the answer.

While the BOE continues to scream that they are “starved for funds”, what they are actually starved for is integrity and leadership as is the entire town of Woodstock.