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Maggie, the city 'cuts' were for 6 months, then they pay scale went back to what it was and THEN they 1.5% raises that took effect every six months during the last two years of that contract were based on the 'higher' wages, NOT the cut wages. So you are just plain wrong on that point. Please check your info again. The may have froze hiring but the schools actually cut staff when they closed schools and more when they privatized buses. They;ve balkanced their budget for the last 5 or 6 years so you are wrong when you say that they operate in the red. Closing Gorton, in my opinion, was too shortsighted especially when the savings is about what you get when you close an elementary, and moving to middle school frees up space there to close a building AND be ready for all day K should it be mandated by the state. Admin was all for closing Gorton, by the way. it was the efforts of parents on the facilities committe who felt that it was putting the cart before the horse and they prevailed on the school committee to hold off pending a long term plan. So blame me, because I was one of the parents who led the effort to stop and develop long term plan and my kids do not attend Gorton, so its closure woulnd not have affected me directly. If the State does mandate all day K, will you be upset at the school dept when they ask for money to fund it? Good on you that you paid for your son;s all day K. I sent my kids to the public half day K and then paid to have them sent to an afterschool program. Oh, and in every city and town the schools take up more than half the residents tax dollars, most cities take more as a % than Warwick does. You're right, the city stays within it's budget BY RAISING TAXES EVERY YEAR and using just about every one of those extra dollars to fund its side of the ledger. Why won;t you at least admit that? You say that no matter what we give them they still won;t make budget - that is ridiculous on its face because the schools have balanced their budget without any extra revenue for the past four or five years.

From: Schools to press for budget

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