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I have this vision of the city council insisting that deck chairs be painted white, while the school committee insists that they be yellow. Back and forth, back and forth. Meanwhile, the ship has run aground and is taking on water. Most recent RICAS data indicates that 5347 Warwick students took a RICAS measurement (RICAS test, PSAT, or SAT). Of those, only 28.4% were deemed to be meeting or exceeding expectations in Math. Ponder that for a second as you wail about funding school sports. Of 5347 kids, 71.6%, or 3929 are NOT meeting expectations! That's most of them, gang. And that's after we funded sports, teachers contracts, teachers aids, professional development, math coaches, "middle school model", custodians, cars for school employees, and a host of other things. And the result: Most kids who are products of the Warwick public schools can not do basic Math. It only gets worse, as it appears the longer a student stays in the Warwick public schools the less proficient, on a relative basis, he/she becomes. And for those who are reassured by the fact that "...at least we're not Providence", keep in mind that four Providence elementary schools academically out perform fully half of Warwick's elementary schools. Chew on that as you celebrate the funding of sports at two of the largest high schools in the state, whose boys teams are relegated to the state's lowest levels of competition. It's bad, folks, and $4M does little but fund more of the same.