EDITORIAL

Team up to plan, rebuild Warwick schools

Posted 11/28/17

Now that a contract has been reached, this publication will be ecstatic to report on educational stories that don't involve picketing, angry misunderstandings or personalized agendas. The negativity that festered from the imbalance created by the two

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EDITORIAL

Team up to plan, rebuild Warwick schools

Posted

Now that a contract has been reached, this publication will be ecstatic to report on educational stories that don’t involve picketing, angry misunderstandings or personalized agendas. The negativity that festered from the imbalance created by the two sides being at continuous odds needed to end, and mercifully it has.

But now, what we’re left with is an educational situation in Warwick that, while far from unique in the state of Rhode Island, presents a complex and challenging problem for the entirety of the city to deal with – no matter what side of the contract issue you found yourself to be.

Teachers and school staff don’t need to hear it from us or from the state-sanctioned Jacobs report because they work in these schools every day – and they certainly know. The schools need serious work and they needed it years ago. The city estimates $85 million to fix up school buildings to a decent standard, the state estimates $190 million to completely fix everything up to good standards.

Tomorrow the City Council will hear a report on the school department’s pleas to obtain a new bond request. They are not seeking approval at this time, merely input. There are two options right now – a bond for $85 million which is the result of a year-long process of assessing expenses from the city’s school building committee, and a $117.7 million bond which slaps an additional $32 million in order to fulfill state space standards for the elementary level.

Now, any time there is discussion of bonding in a municipality, it’s impossible for people not to be swept up in a sea of disarray, confusion and, in some unfortunate cases, blatant misinformation. This is, after all, a confusing issue with many layers and timelines and estimations and approximations.

Some will be absolutely appalled by the thought of taxpayers being on the hook for either number – just look at how many zeros are after those numbers. However actually breaking things down – and assuming that RIDE reimburses their 40 percent of the costs – the average taxpayer is looking at a modest additional $80 per year in tax payments for the $85 million bond option. Considering the breadth of need in the district, it’s a price that could be much worse.

Perhaps the most divisive issue seen throughout the teachers’ contract mess was the notion of whether or not the teachers or administrators had the “best interest of the kids” in mind. You could sit on either side of the same issue, coming to the complete opposite conclusion as your neighbor about who was right and who was wrong and yet, in all cases, the person with the opposite viewpoint was the one “hurting the kids.”

That must end. The only thing truly hurting our kids’ education now is not having proper spaces for them to learn in, and our teachers not having adequate spaces to instruct in. We can address that problem one way and one way only – through careful, layered bonding over many years, chipping away at what we can do a little at a time. Big, widespread problems require calculated, long-term solutions.

What cannot be done is to allow this bonding issue to be turned political. RIDE has drawn a line in the sand regarding aspirational capacity despite knowing what districts are able to realistically afford. Knowing this, school districts must at least probe the possibility of addressing these standards, even if they know they are unrealistic to bond for. The City Council should be able to recognize this and advise accordingly, not take the opportunity to grandstand about not wasting taxpayer money.

The contract dispute is over, but the real problems have just begun. We have never needed an informed, level-headed and united front between the school committee, school administration and on-the-ground teachers more than we do at this moment. Team up for Warwick so we can provide the kind of education that people felt inclined to picket in defense of.

Comments

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  • richardcorrente

    If there was a bond issue to raise $85,000,000 for the needed renovations to our schools and it was spent by a neutral third party ACCOUNTABLE to the 80,000 taxpayers that are paying the tab, I might support it. But to give another penny to the Warwick School Committee who won't let us know what they did with OVER A BILLION DOLLARS since 2009, is insanity. Remember taxpayers, they don't want $85,000,000. They want $85,000,000 MORE!!! (In addition to the $160,000,000 they already HAVE!!)

    Merry Christmas everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Wednesday, November 29, 2017 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    not one more dime, accountable or unaccountable should be given to the schools. I agree with the taxpayers mayer, we need to cut off all funding to schools. Let them rot. People with good families are fleeing Warwick in droves, so why should we support "them".

    Thursday, November 30, 2017 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    The disgraceful, delusional, lying fake "mayor" clearly does not want to upgrade Warwick's aging school buildings and attempts to justify it by inventing a conspiracy theory about the school committee and ignoring easily-available evidence, particularly the financial reports published on this website: http://www.warwickschools.org/departments/district-financial-documents/

    After yet another pathetic attempt to mislead readers, the fake "mayor" is sure to continue making a humiliating spectacle of himself.

    Thursday, November 30, 2017 Report this

  • davebarry109

    I love how 'only 80 dollars a year' gets thrown in like its nothing. Add THAT 80 to the hundreds it will cost to make up the 3% every year for the next several years in salaries for these teachers and the 3% the cops and firemen get and then throw in the raised the remaining 'other' municipal workers get and soon you're talking real money. Add that to the rise in electric rates because of nimbys and the rise in our ever growing water bills that are divided quarterly to avoid sticker shock. You get the idea.

    Thursday, November 30, 2017 Report this

  • Straightnnarrow

    Add the billions requested by the climate change professors from URI for their nonsense research and development (keeping in mind that Oaklawn Beach was closed for 26 days in 2017 after millions were spent); add the additional sewer costs each year etc and you get the idea. Our government boys & girls will do very well while the taxpayer & ratepayer will be reamed.

    These are the same boys & girls that gave us the the train from Wickford Station & the Apponaug rotaries?

    Friday, December 1, 2017 Report this

  • patientman

    To the Superintendent and School Committee, Will all $85,000,000 be put to use in 2019? Perhaps the bonding could be broken down to the most urgent projects that are "shovel ready" in 2019. Hold a bond referendum to finance those projects in 2018. After assessing the cities fiscal situation there could be another referendum in 2020. I'm okay with supporting the investment for the kids. I'm not happy about blindly writing a huge check without further due diligence. Prove to the taxpayers that either of the bond amounts merit a yes vote. That means budgets for individual projects. Start and finish dates for each project. Who is accountable for each project and who is responsible for each project. Sharpen your pencil and make the case. The taxpayers deserve nothing less.

    Thursday, December 7, 2017 Report this