New Haven Independent

Citing a smaller pot of available state money and fiercer competition expected for it, Mayo (pictured with the mayor and Board of Ed member Michael Nast) called on Monday night at the board’s regular meeting for the creation of a new position, a legislative liaison. Its purpose would, in effect, be for the person who gets the job to function as the BOE’s full-time Hartford lobbyist.

In brief remarks contained within a personnel report, Mayo said, “the smaller the pot gets, the more important it is to lobby for it.”

The job’s description includes, he said, developing legislation as well as lobbying on behalf of the New Haven Public Schools at the state level. He also indicated “a schools’ legislative day” would be created, as a result of the new position.

Mayo, who often employs self-deprecating jokes in his remarks, then added a remark that applied in this regard not only to himself but the whole board.

“Talk about No Child Left Behind,” he quipped. “Let’s not have this Board of Education left behind.” He implied that the BOE would be in jeopardy of precisely that without the new liaison position.

The school system’s director of personnel and labor relations, Andrea Lobo-Wadley, did not have a specific job description available at the BOE meeting but said it would be available on the schools site as soon as Tuesday and applications would be welcome. The position would be one appointed by the superintendent and would report to him.

Custodians’ Campaign Continues
If the superintendent wanted to add a job, the schools’ custodians continued their campaign, if in absentia, for the BOE to get rid of the jobs of ARAMARK, the national management company that currently supervises the schools plant, eating facilities, and energy.

Although no custodians were in attendance at the meeting, taped to every elevator in the BOE headquarters was a flyer announcing a rally on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at College and Crown on behalf of the custodians in their call to have ARAMARK fired. The flyers were produced by the New Haven American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3144 Management Union and its executive director, Sal Luciano, and local President Larry Amendola.

At the last BOE meeting the custodians of Local 287 of Council 4 of AFSCME were out in force complaining of a hostile work atmosphere and procedures that put profit ahead of kids. They also submitted a petition with some 175 members’ names. BOE officials played down the complaints and said they were open for discussion.

Lobo-Wadley was not aware of any developments on this front. Messages sent to BOE Chief Operating Officer Will Clark and the union’s spokesman were not responded to by press time.