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4 biggest challenges

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: City Manager
Forum Description: Discuss the city manager administration including all city departments.
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6303
Printed Date: Nov 24 2024 at 12:19pm


Topic: 4 biggest challenges
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Subject: 4 biggest challenges
Date Posted: Mar 30 2016 at 9:50am

Posted: 8:49 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Middletown’s 4 biggest challenges outlined by mayor

By Mike Rutledge

Staff Writer

 

MIDDLETOWN — 

Leaders in Middletown face four major challenges this year, Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. said Tuesday in his State of the City address.

Those four, he said, are deteriorating roadways; expensive federally required repairs to sewers that overflow during storms; the heroin epidemic; and school performance.

In a move that emphasized his fourth point, Mulligan invited Middletown Board of Education President Chris Urso to share the evening’s stage, and provide a State of the Schools speech.

With the schools, “As a community we must step up and address the situation,” Mulligan said. “Certainly the new and improved facilities will bring the middle school and high school into the 21stcentury.”

“So much of our community identity is associated with our schools,” Mulligan said. “The new school board will be able to address the issues closely and is working to improve performance.”

Middletown as a district recently received overall grades of three F’s and a D — F’s in the categories of percent of standards met; overall value-added; and annual measurable objectives. The district received a D for its performance index score.

Urso was blunt in describing the importance of report-card grades.

“In contemporary times, the most salient measure of a school district’s efficacy is the State Report Card,” Urso said. “All in attendance this evening realize that our district’s grade is an impediment to our community’s ability to grow.”

“Our grade contributes to a narrative, a story, about the capacity of our teachers and our students while propagating an overall image of our community,” Urso said. “Your Board of Education fully realizes this reality and intends to directly confront this issue through the strategic planning process.”

Urso expressed hope that the strategic plan the district is creating, with input from a diverse cross-section of Middletown residents, can lead to significant progress.

Mulligan, meanwhile, expressed hope that the early childhood education, including Middletown Community Foundation’s “Ready! Campaign,” will help children, particularly from disadvantaged families, be prepared for kindergarten, so they can be more successful throughout their school careers.

Mulligan mentioned these positives during his speech:

Crime is down, he said. Overall calls for service dropped 12 percent from 2014 to 2015; Total Part 1 crimes — the most severe ones, including homicide, forcible rape, robbery, burglary and arson — dropped 17 percent. He said arrests were down 9 percent and theft-related crimes decreased 15 percent. In addition, Middletown Municipal Court had its lowest number of cases in 21 years, he said.

Mulligan thanked the Windamere Event Venue and Art Gallery, which opened in October and hosted the speeches, saying the facility demonstrates the rebirth Middletown is experiencing.

He also cited construction of the $36 million AK Steel research and innovation center; and NTE Energy’s $645 million gas-fired power plant as investments that are creating jobs.

“Activity at Towne Mall Galleria — once considered a dying mall — is seeing the results of years of planning and hard work coming to fruition — new retail stores; new uses with Planet Fitness; new investment in new out-lot locations: Aspen Dental and BW3’s,” he said.

“Our future looks brighter — we have a plan in place to start addressing our roads. We will resolve the sewer issues and the heroin crisis. Working together we will improve school performance,” he said. “We have the benefit of many great assets in our community. We will build upon those to achieve our greatest potential as a city.”

 

 


Replies:
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Mar 30 2016 at 10:38am
"With the schools, “As a community we must step up and address the situation,” Mulligan said. “Certainly the new and improved facilities will bring the middle school and high school into the 21stcentury"

Have the new elementaries, built years ago, made any difference and "brought the district into the 21st century" as yet? No? Then why would we think that building a new middle school and adding onto the high school would be any different?

"“So much of our community identity is associated with our schools,” Mulligan said. “The new school board will be able to address the issues closely and is working to improve performance.”"

If this is true, that the schools are associated with the community identity, we are in big trouble Mulligan. In other words, we have a known lousy school district with little value at this time, so the community must be lousy as well in comparison. Not good. As to the "new" school board addressing the issues......the previous school boards have failed to "address the issues". What makes one think that this school board is so dynamic as compared to the others, that they can really make a major difference in what we have seen so far?

Urso:

"“In contemporary times, the most salient measure of a school district’s efficacy is the State Report Card,” Urso said. “All in attendance this evening realize that our district’s grade is an impediment to our community’s ability to grow.”"

"“Our grade contributes to a narrative, a story, about the capacity of our teachers and our students while propagating an overall image of our community,” Urso said. “Your Board of Education fully realizes this reality and intends to directly confront this issue through the strategic planning process.”"

Wow. Impressive jargon here full of big Roget's Thesaurus words with little content as to meaning. Sounds like a rehearsal for an MIT doctorate program. Now, in laymen's English, what is your game plan for improving the district without giving us more of the same ideas that have never worked.

"Urso expressed hope that the strategic plan the district is creating, with input from a diverse cross-section of Middletown residents, can lead to significant progress"

Meet the new plan. Same as the old plan. Been tried before with no real relevance as to outcome. Just words spoken to fill in time. Professional jibber jabber.

"Mulligan thanked the Windamere Event Venue and Art Gallery, which opened in October and hosted the speeches, saying the facility demonstrates the rebirth Middletown is experiencing"

Yes indeed, the city of Middletown is experiencing a rebirth due primarily to the huge impact the arts community has had since it's inception. Heck, I would imagine nearly 5% of the population of the city has been influenced by the arts theme emanating from that hollowed downtown area. Incredible.

And lastly.....

"“Our future looks brighter — we have a plan in place to start addressing our roads. We will resolve the sewer issues and the heroin crisis. Working together we will improve school performance,” he said. “We have the benefit of many great assets in our community. We will build upon those to achieve our greatest potential as a city.”"

Addressing the roads....oh, you mean you put the money you took, that you never replaced back in the 80's, back in the road fund finally? The sewer issues are so costly now, since you took the money meant for sewer upgrades from decades ago and funneled them to other projects, knowing that the day would come when the c--- would hit the fan and just now you want to confront the issue? Heroin will be taken care of with the Douggie Adkins hospital committees, a lot of talk and some money thrown at the issue. Sure, choose to believe that if you wish. And "all of us working on the schools".....my my. Never gonna be fixed with the current climate of operation that has permeated the school culture for decades. After many decades of failure, it would make sense to change the mode of operation, culture and thinking wouldn't it? Historically, the school board has never listened to new ideas if the ideas come from outside their little community of academia.....same attitude that council operates under.






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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.

Posted By: spiderjohn
Date Posted: Mar 30 2016 at 3:23pm
the mayor is in place to trumpet the positives and to foster hope for the future(sound familiar?). he is also in place to systematically and quietly erase the negatives. we all know how bad it has become--don't need anyone else to pound it home. the former downtown area is finally beginning to show progress. the summer season should bring a few places/things to fruition. a good thing....

sacrificing the rest of the community for that progress hasn't help many others though.

at least the new head of the school board didn't spin it as better than the test scores. credit to him---now the hard part starts. I think that you will see a broad spectrum of the community work towards a new "master plan" for the school system(maybe Vet should apply?).

hopefully the city has finally bottomed out(can't go much lower).
it will take everyone together to move forward, and I honestly believe that both city admin and the boe now understand that. the sos and same old faces haven't moved the needle.

talk and promises are a dime a dozen(from both the positive people AND the negative people). we can't offer all new school facilities and remain at the bottom of the school scoring ledger. even our main athletic programs have moved to the bottom.

some day(hopefully soon) we will look back proudly at the rise to our new standards and prosperity. Is there any other way to go?

time for everyone to quit talking and contribute.

Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Mar 30 2016 at 6:07pm
Spider:

"at least the new head of the school board didn't spin it as better than the test scores. credit to him---now the hard part starts. I think that you will see a broad spectrum of the community work towards a new "master plan" for the school system(maybe Vet should apply?"

How many "master plans" have we heard over the years Spider? Many, right. And how many have come to fruition to produce hard line positive results? None to date.
And after how many years since the schools started their decline? Since the 70's, right? You ask me if I should apply? Apply for what, school board, superintendent, a newly created position designed to eliminate the time worn failed nonsense and start with something totally new? Think the old guard academic people would go for that in this district? I see alot of resistance in that idea. If I had the time I sure would be involved attending school board meetings for a start. Problem is, I have a full time job during the day and take care of my wife in the evenings. Problem I have always had is that they will not listen to you if they sense you disagree with the current course of action. When will the supporters stop hoping against hope and start plotting a new course of operation?

Spider:

"it will take everyone together to move forward, and I honestly believe that both city admin and the boe now understand that. the sos and same old faces haven't moved the needle."

Neither the city leaders nor the school people want EVERYONE together to move forward. Past experience in conversation with Steve Price produced an adversarial situation when I showed him the test scores and asked why this district continues to flounder. His answer....."I just don't see it that way" I asked what other way could you see it with the numbers staring you in your face? They don't want to identify the problems much less find a solution to them. Gotta admit you have a problem before you can fix it.
I do not see any evidence that the city nor the school people understand that the sos and same old faces haven't moved the needle. Actually, I see the same old thinking still in place that has taken the city and the schools into the abyss. They may talk change but I don't believe it. They want their same old failed ways in place for as long as they are here to run things.

Spider:

"talk and promises are a dime a dozen(from both the positive people AND the negative people). we can't offer all new school facilities and remain at the bottom of the school scoring ledger. even our main athletic programs have moved to the bottom"

But the same old people who vote for their levies will continue to do so no matter how bad it gets and the same old faithful will continue to patronize the games no matter how many last place teams Middletown produces. They, like the school people and the city leaders, are hoping against hope that things will change while doing nothing to change it. The old adage of "support it and it will change" is not panning out here.

Spider:

"time for everyone to quit talking and contribute."

This would work if we were all in the boat rowing together but there is too much division in the direction for the boat to go, so, as we all would row, we would do nothing but go around in circles with no agreed upon direction. Perhaps if the city and the school people would be more open to new ideas, and seriously consider them instead of playing the passification game, we could respect each other's camp. As it is now, it is all their way even though "their way" has time and time again, been the wrong way as evidenced by the results.

Will the powers in charge ever give in just once and listen to the "negative camp" or will it be business as usual? Would they stop playing the exclusion game long enough to listen and accept another way of doing things?





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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.

Posted By: Bill
Date Posted: Mar 31 2016 at 7:12pm
"Urso expressed hope that the strategic plan the district is creating, with input from a diverse cross-section of Middletown residents, can lead to significant progress."

Puh-lease. Spare us yet another initiative where the community's input is sought.  Would this be the same community where only a handful of do-gooders, attention seekers, ministers, and nonprofit employees seem to volunteer their time, effort, and "input"?  If the town and schools have failed for years why get more internal input?  Nope, it's time to get input from the outside.  Find some experts who have a fresh view on this town and can bring something to the table.  Not more of the same. 


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