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Mr Corrente,

To say that I agree with your facts is one thing because some of your facts were correct. To try to imply that, by doing so, I somehow support your argument (in part or in whole) is quite another. What you did, in my view, is attempt to mislead with facts. Anyway, the increase in Admin positions and decrease in teacher positions is another such example. A year or so ago a consultant was hired to look at the WPS and they gave an historic assessment. In that, they did find that there was roughly a 20% decrease in students over the last 15-20 (I think) years, a 20-25% decrease in teachers, and a 20-25% increase in Admin staff. But here is where I think you mislead: A 20-25% reduction in teachers is roughly 150-200 teachers. An increase of 20-25% of Admin staff is, maybe, 10-12 positions. It's called the 'Law of Big Numbers'. Also, I'd add that School Departments have had many new regulations hoisted upon them by both the State and Federal governments as well as RIDE which often necessitates more staff at the Administration level. When student population declines, common sense tells you that you'd shed more teaching positions because there are less students to teach BUT that doesn't lessen what a District has to do Administratively. Also your attempt to somehow say that I, or any other committee member wants to derive more power to themselves is baseless.

With respect to SC members not being as responsible to the taxpayers as Council members, I think you are very wrong. How is an elected Councilperson more responsible to the taxpayers than an elected School Committee member? They're both elected by the same voters and if they do a bad job the voters have the same remedy to voice their displeasure and change things - they vote them out. Lastly, I'd remind you that three SC members run across three city wards and two run at-large, or across the whole city so, by definition, they have to appeal to a larger share of the voters than any Council person does. Sorry, sir, that dog won't hunt.

From: Corrente portrayal of schools `theater of absurd'

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