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Dear Taxpayers,

You've heard me criticize the School Committee many times as a body that "has cost the Warwick Taxpayers over a billion dollars since 2009". I have also strongly called for an independent audit because of their continuous mismanagement of funds. The above is a perfect example. It is only the most recent one of hundreds that came before.

I have read the School Committee's " Powers and Duties". It says "The School Committee shall determine and control all policies affecting the administration, construction, maintenance and operation of the public schools in accordance with the Warwick City Charter".

I couldn't find anywhere in the City Charter where it said "Use duct tape on a disconnected fire alarm and allow raw sewerage to drip from the ceiling."

The School Committee is a horrible embarrassment and a very mismanaged $160,000,000 annual cost-to-the-taxpayers. They caused these problems and their solution is to give them an additional $85,000,000 to fix the issues that a BILLION DOLLARS couldn't. I wouldn't give them another 85 cents of the taxpayers money; not 85 cents!

East Greenwich has similar budgetary/School Committee problems. To fix their issues, they brought in Gail Corrigan, the financial consultant who handled the Central Falls receivership. I warned everyone when Detriot went bankrupt. I said it again when Central Falls did and I told Warwick taxpayers how close it was to "home". I shouted it out loud when the Coventry Fire Department went bankrupt, stating that "it's next door in Coventry". Now we can see it starting to happen literally NEXT DOOR IN EAST GREENWICH.

There is only one solution. The School Committee MUST become more accountable to the taxpayers that are paying their salaries. The taxpayers deserve transparency and have gotten the opposite. An audit from an independent outside company would go a long way toward restoring faith in the Warwick School Department. How about it members. Who is going to step up and fix this? The taxpayers and especially the students deserve better.

Don't they?

Happy Easter everyone.

Rick Corrente

The Taxpayers Mayor

(who campaigned that he would require accountability from the School Committee BEFORE we turn over $160,000,000 of taxpayers money, because we have no control once we do.) That is still my pledge.