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I would like to explain further the problem Warwick Schools have with the educational gap between Warwick's highest performing students and our lowest performing students. Warwick schools have received deficiencies by the Department of Education for multiple years and are in a "Warning" status. I have talked with several administrators in the last 6 months and they have confirmed this for me. I first became aware of it while I was on the School Committee. A Jr high school was placed on warning and if the Jr High school did not close the gap between these 2 groups the Dept of Ed would take corrective action just as action was taken in Central Falls. It was explained to me by an administrator that in the last 2 years not only was the gap not closed but the gap increased because the lowest performing students did not increase performance, and the highest performing students (ALAP and Honors students) did increase performance. Warwick Schools have been under a warning status and according to the administrator I spoke with, if the gap is not closed by the end of the year, the State will take corrective action. The schools have the money to keep ALAP. They are choosing not to keep ALAP.

I find no reasonable explanation why they would not want to keep it. I have heard that principals have complained that ALAP creates a scheduling issue as they must use a classroom and there might not be room so they have to work to find a room for them. This is a complaint that has been forwarded to the Director of Elementary Ed. I have heard that teachers don't like students being taken out of the classroom. Karen Bachus is doing interviews with students? She should be talking with the parents not the students. If you ask any student a question the right way, you can get the answer you want. Her solution, after school program with stipends for teachers. More money for teachers? I'm not surprised. There is no reason NOT to keep this program until a real solution is found. This program has existed for 30+ years.

I believe that Warwick schools has given up on trying to close the gap by increasing the performance of the lowest performing students and they are attempting to slow the learning of the highest performing students to correct the gap. Why would they want to do this? It is simple. According to the administrator that I spoke with, the Department of Ed will come into the schools that have not closed the gap and they will relieve all administrators at the school form their job. The principal will be relieved of their job and will lose their certification in the State of RI. The teachers can be let go and only 50% will be able to be rehired. It will be just like Central Falls right here in Warwick.

This is a very real problem for the Warwick Schools. If the lowest performing students can not increase their scores at the elementary level, then the Superintendent should be let go. The director of Elementary Education should be let go, the Principals at those schools should be let go, the teachers should be let go and the School Committee should take action to NOT renew all of the people I have listed. Instead, they will attempt to correct the problem by cutting the program that benefits the highest performing students. It is immoral, and I will not stand for it.

I am surprised that we have not seen a full story on this in the Beacon. It would take a simple call to the Dept of Ed to ask which schools are under warning and what the consequences are if they do not improve performance.

It should be noted that all students by RI policy are to be provided a free AND APPROPRIATE education. This means students at each level of the learning spectrum. I fought for every special education student while on the committee, I fought for every accelerated student while on the committee and I will fight for every student even if I am not on the committee. It is appropriate that these students receive this instruction. If they do not receive this instruction, I expect each parent of an ALAP student to go to the school immediately and ask for an IEP for their student. Request... demand an IEP for your student. The Warwick Schools must provide a response by law as to why they will not provide an appropriate education for your student. It will certainly cost much less to provide ALAP to every student who qualifies than to create an IEP for each student.

I know this seems like a drastic course of action to preserve the program but administration does not care about the program, finds no benefit to keeping the program and the program will be lost forever. Switching to an after school program is a temporary solution as the after school program will immediately be cut.

Finally, Warwick administration insists that the program costs $325,000. The fact is that outside of the 2.5 Teachers assigned to the program only $2650 is spent on the program. If the 2.5 Teachers are returned to the regular classroom which is the plan, only $2650 will be saved. $2650 plus the salaries of the 3 teachers that do not need to be recalled from the lay off list. Ten of the lowest paid teachers have been laid off and of these 10, 3 will stay laid off if the ALAP program in not reinstated. The salaries and benefits of these 3 teachers is approximately $165,000 at a maximum. So, if the 3 ALAP teachers return to the classroom, the schools save $165K plus the $2650, a total of $167,650. The school committee currently has a $170K surplus that must be placed somewhere. They can easily reinstate the program. In fact, if they take the 2.5 ALAP teachers and place them in the classroom, they increase costs because the .5 teacher becomes a full time teacher so they have a net loss because the ALAP teacher is a higher step than the teacher that would be recalled from the lay off list.

The argument to take the ALAP budget, $2650 for supplies and disperse it among all the Warwick students is a joke as well. If you take $2650 and divide it amongst 9500 students, that is 28 Cents per student. I believe 28 cents buys a pencil today. So, we can provide a pencil to each student on the first day of class, let administrators keep their jobs by closing the gap between our highest performing students and our lowest performing students by lowering the bar rather than working harder to prepare our low performing students or we can keep a program that has served the Students of Warwick for decades. What do you think is the right thing to do. Please contact your School committee member and let them know what you think. Jennifer Ahearn and Eugene Nadeau have already voted to keep ALAP. Contact Beth Furtado, Karen Bachus and Teri Mederios. Contact the Superintendent too. Let him know you are want this program in the Warwick Schools.

You can reach your school committee members here: http://warwickschools.org/scomm/sccomm.html

The superintendent contact info is:

Richard D'Agostino, Ed.D.

401-734-3100

dagostinor@warwickschools.org

The director of Elementary Ed contact info is here:

Director of Elementary Education

Robert Bushell: 401-734-3010

Sincerely,

Former Warwick SC member,

Patrick Maloney Jr.