Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

The town of Bloomfield has landed on a new town manager, after a search process lasting several months that pared down a list of 30 applicants.

Stanley D. Hawthorne, who has spent most of his professional career in various city government positions in Florida, started work on Aug. 31.

Where is Stanley D. Hawthorne from?

Hawthorne hails from Sebring, Florida — an area in the central part of the state known for its lakes and orange groves, he said.

He holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Virginia and joins Bloomfield with over two decades of experience in municipal management. He completed his undergraduate education at Troy University in Alabama in 1982. Most recently he served as the assistant city manager in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 2011 to 2019.

Hawthorne also served as the city manager in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, a community of about 35,000 people, from 1998 to 2002.

What are Hawthorne’s goals?

Hawthorne said that despite overseeing management of municipal services, he has a simple mission: building community.

The Florida transplant has spent much of his first two weeks in the role on a listening tour, marked by long hours and plenty of meetings. He said he’s in what he calls the “studying, learning and listening phase” to identify the town’s goals for the future, including the implementation of Bloomfield’s long-term Plan of Conservation and Development.

Hawthorne refers to the town council and other department heads as “constituents” or “stakeholders.” For other members of the community, he uses “neighbors,” and stressed his open-door policy.

“When a neighbor, as I call them, needs something, we should do it as an ambassador, recognizing that they’re the boss and we’re here to serve them,” Hawthorne said.

Why did the council choose Hawthorne?

Bloomfield Mayor DeBeatham-Brown, who was on the town council’s search committee, said she and the council were impressed by Hawthorne’s experience working in communities big and small, and by his robust preparation and knowledge of Bloomfield-centered issues.

“We had great candidates this time around, but he stood out a little more than the rest,” DeBeatham-Brown said.

The search committee’s process was more deliberate than in the past, according to DeBeatham-Brown. The council voted last September to enter into a severance agreement with the previous town manager, Robert Smith, after just 13 months, paying him $80,000.

Smith was hired to replace Philip Schenck, who was retiring. Schenck was brought back on an interim basis while the council conducted the search that resulted in Hawthorne’s appointment,

What does the town manager do?

As town manager, Hawthorne serves as Bloomfield’s administrative head, implementing policy set out by the town council and overseeing town departments.

“The role of a manager is to ensure that the vision of the community is known, and we’re putting into place those steps that are necessary strategically to make them happen,” Hawthorne said.

Hawthorne will also play a key role in managing town personnel. As the lone appointee of Bloomfield’s town council, Hawthorne has the authority to appoint most other town employees.

How much are they paying Hawthorne?

Hawthorne will earn $170,000 annually under his contract, which is subject to renewal.

Seamus McAvoy may be reached at [email protected]

The National Association of County and City Health Officials recognized the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District.

|Updated Wed, Mar 8, 2023 at 11:28 am ET

WEST HARTFORD/BLOOMFIELD, CT — A trio of public health professionals that serve West Hartford and Bloomfield were recently honored by their national peers for their work during the pandemic.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials recently recognized the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District’s Coalition Against Healthcare-Acquired Infections team (CCAH) as its latest "Infection Prevention and Control Champion."

The team comprises Megan Westcott, epidemiologist, Nancy Dupont, infection preventionist, and Janice Gibson, public health nurse.

In the spring of 2022, the health district created the coalition in collaboration with two other local health departments.

Their mission was to educate local long-term health facilities about infectious disease outbreak prevention and reduce negative outcomes associated with COVID, flu, healthcare-acquired infections and microbial-resistant pathogens.

Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"To this day, the team continues to share resources and information at quarterly meetings with facilities in three jurisdictions representing 20 towns and continually seeks opportunities to improve its communication and relationships with their community partners to address ongoing health needs," wrote the Town of West Hartford.

"Congratulations to our team who have been working hard since early on in the pandemic to build relationships with the long-term care facilities in our jurisdiction."

Check out NACCHO’s member spotlight blog here: https://www.naccho.org/blog/articles/whbhd-ipc-champion-2023.

For more information on the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District, click on this link.

BLOOMFIELD — The Bloomfield Early Learning Center will close its doors Friday after a state inspection raised concerns about health and safety, Mayor Danielle Wong said.

The state Office of Early Childhood inspected the BELC the week of Jan. 9 and found "a number of areas of non-compliance on the inspection report specifically related to the health and safety of children in following the requirements of the program’s previously issued consent order," Town Manager Stanley Hawthorne said in a statement.

Wong did not explain the "health and safety" concerns. Hearst Connecticut Media Group has filed a request for the inspection reports under the state Freedom of Information Act.

The center is subcontracted by the town of Bloomfield and funded through state School Readiness and Child Day Care Contract. Since it is funded through the state, the BELC's non-compliance raised additional concerns for inspectors, according to Hawthorne, who sought to mitigate the issues by providing a plan for continuing the contract with better oversight.

A total of 20 families are affected by BELC's closure. The families can relocate their children to either the First Academy of First Cathedral Church or the Bloomfield Preschool and Childcare Center at Bloomfield Congregational Church.

Bloomfield has 52 child care slots funded through the about $1 million School Readiness and Child Day Care Contract, all of which will be subcontracted to the First Academy and the Bloomfield Preschool and Childcare Center, pending OEC approval.

Following the inspection, Hawthorne shifted oversight of the child care program from the Finance Department to the Social and Youth Services Department.

In his Feb. 23 town manager's report, Hawthorne stated he would recommend "enhanced staffing" for the Social and Youth Services Department now tasked with oversight.

"This was not an easy issue to work through and I want to thank Town Manager Hawthorne for his diligent and calm leadership while working through this urgent matter swiftly and effectively, ensuring we received all the facts, clarification and guidance from OEC before finalizing and submitting our updated plan to OEC for approval," Wong said in a statement.

During Monday's Town Council meeting, Hawthorne said the inspection reports will be available to the public later this week.

"I have never worked in an organization that had responsibility for a day care center," Hawthorne said Monday. "Not the day-to-day responsibility. That's why we contracted it. But the contract is very clear about our oversight abilities and when those things go wrong, we are the department who is supposed to correct it and come up with the plans."

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect the town subcontracted the Bloomfield Early Learning Center.

[email protected]

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

BLOOMFIELD — The Board of Education unanimously approved a $53 million budget for Bloomfield Public Schools Thursday, an 8.8 percent increase over the previous budget, without a single parent in the audience.

Bloomfield Public Schools, known for trailing test scores despite spending significantly more per student than the state average, has consistently increased its budget since the 2014-15 school year, but this year's 8.8 percent increase is the largest single-year increase.

"It's the first time I haven't seen a myriad of parents here," said Board of Education member Howard Frydman at Thursday's meeting. "We love to see our parents. We invited them to come. And we continue to invite you to be with us."

Several factors drove the increase, including a 38 percent increase in the cost for special education transportation. The cost of special education support staff also increased 2.3 percent. Additionally, the cost of "facility supplies" has increased due to inflation, resulting in a 28 percent increase in the budget.

Bloomfield spends $21,496 per pupil per year, according to state data from the 2021-22 school year. The state average is $19,134 per student.

The special meeting, intended as a public hearing, lasted 25 minutes and two Bloomfield residents, neither of whom were parents, spoke out against the sharp budget increase. One was skeptical a budget increase was necessary when student performance continues to stagnate or decline.

"Our school system has consistently requested additional funding that has led neither to improved performance or to the removal of Bloomfield from the state's list of low performing schools," said Kevin Gough, one of the two Bloomfield residents who spoke during public comment.

In grades three through eight, 35.7 percent of students met or exceeded expectations in English/language arts in the 2021-22 school year. Just 20.8 percent met or exceeded expectations in math that year, both numbers reflecting a decline in mastery from the year before.

Board of Education member Robert Ike took issue with the accusation that the board did not care about test scores and shouted his disapproval.

"Everyone here is aware of the test scores," Ike said Thursday. "Every board member. We are not trying to hide anything. We know we have some deficiencies. We are trying to move ahead. I am not here to hide nothing from nobody."

The high number of students in Bloomfield designated as "high needs," as well as the increasing number of students leaving the district for costly outplacements or magnet schools, could be driving up the budget.

Superintendent James Thompson addressed the problem of outplacements in the first paragraph of his budget proposal document.

"Developing the 2023-2024 district budget represented a significant challenge as there were increases associated with out of district tuition costs, transportation and health insurance," Thompson wrote.

Over 65 percent of the students in Bloomfield are considered high needs, according to state data from 2021-22. High needs means the student has a disability, is an English learner or is eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Approximately 20 percent of the student body is considered a "student with a disability."

Currently, the district is spending $2.39 million to send 417 students to out-of-town magnet schools that charge the district tuition. The district also currently pays tuition for 43 out-of-district placements for students with disabilities.

The 2023-24 budget passed Thursday accounts for 24 additional students requiring special education services while attending magnet schools. The total cost of tuition for special education services and magnet schools totaled $6.8 million, a 46 percent increase from the previous school year.

The district shared news about the meeting in a few ways, according to a spokesperson for the district. There are notifications on the Town of Bloomfield website and the Office of the Town Clerk website and an agenda is posted in a glass case in the Board of Education office.

Additionally, the meeting information is posted on the district's website and calendar. A brief about the meeting ran in The Bloomfield Messenger. Lastly, the Feb. 23 superintendent's weekly update included information about the meeting later that night.

A lack of public input is not unique to the budget process. A perusal of meeting minutes from the past several months show that since June, there have been only two public comments at regular meetings other than the two non-parents who spoke against the budget Thursday.

One of the comments was in support of the track team and the other was about the upcoming musical. No meeting in this time period has lasted longer than an hour and 25 minutes, but the budget meeting Thursday was the shortest.

Next, the budget will advance to the Town Council for approval. In the previous year's budget season, the Town Council and Board of Education have agreed on school expenditures, but Mayor Danielle Wong did not speculate on how the council would act this year.

[email protected]

The ending of this program means eligible families will lose about $90 each month for food, leaving them to make up for that difference at food banks.

BLOOMFIELD, Connecticut — Many states are rolling back on Supplemental SNAP benefits that families relied on throughout the Pandemic for groceries. Connecticut is one of them.

Now, food banks are preparing for an influx following the end of this program.

“It’s not that we’re expecting it. We’re already seeing it,” said CT Foodshare President and CEO, Jason Jakubowski.

After nearly three years, the federal government ended pandemic-era payments on Monday for low-income families on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

This means eligible families will lose about $90 each month leaving them to make up for that difference at food banks.

“We’re already seeing the increases in the lines at our mobile trucks. We’re seeing an increase in demand at our pantries across the state of Connecticut,” said Jakubowski.

He said they’ve been anticipating this for quite some time.

“We saw it when a lot of the food drives that the federal government was providing us expired. We saw it when child tax credit expired and now, we’re seeing it when this particular benefit expires too,” said Jakubowski.

The boost in benefits has been a lifeline for many people. According to a study from the Urban Institute, the additional benefits were credited with keeping 4.2 million people out of poverty since the fourth quarter of 2021.

“They are going to need to get that food somewhere and they are probably going to come to us and our network in order to get it,” said Jakubowski.

Places like Bloomfield Congregational Church are ready for that influx.

“That’s why we’re connected to people in social services, youth services, and senior services to make sure we’re thinking ahead before it happens so that we can begin to be prepared,” said Pastor Shawn Fisher.

Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines

They have a backpack program where they partner with local schools.

“Every Thursday we pack up a weekend’s worth of food for a family of whatever size that family is. Typically, a family of four to help supplement them to have enough food to get through the weekend,” said Fisher.

Making sure that with this change, people know that they are there.

“We may need to reach back out to the schools, to the social workers, to the community and say we know this is happening. If you didn’t need help before but you do now, we’re still here to help you in the meantime,” said Fisher.

If you are in need or know someone in need, you can go to ctfoodshare.org or call 2-1-1.

Related Articles

DeAndria Turner is a multi-media journalist at FOX61 News. She can be reached at [email protected]

---

Have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

----

HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS

Download the FOX61 News APP

iTunes: Click here to download

Google Play: Click here to download

Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.

Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.