Warwick's biggest problem...and a solution

Posted 2/23/17

To the Editor: The Warwick Taxpayers (capitalized on purpose) are paying out about $295,000,000 a year in total tax revenue. It goes to four basic categories: Fire, Police, Municipal and the School Committee. The first three, Fire, Police and Municipal,

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Warwick's biggest problem...and a solution

Posted

To the Editor:

The Warwick Taxpayers (capitalized on purpose) are paying out about $295,000,000 a year in total tax revenue. It goes to four basic categories: Fire, Police, Municipal and the School Committee.

The first three, Fire, Police and Municipal, all report to the City Council and the new City Council is doing the difficult job of keeping them accountable to the taxpayers that are paying the tab.

The School Committee, however, that receives more than the other three departments put together, (approx. $160,000,000) are not accountable to anyone. In fact they got legislation enacted to make it illegal for anyone to question what they do with “their” money, from the moment they receive it. The result is:

Teachers with no contracts,

Students with no Chromebooks,

Buildings that are literally falling down,

Black mold, brown water, falling ceilings and no heat.

And a total distrust from the taxpayers that have paid over a billion dollars since 2010. The result is a student population that has crashed from 17,000 to less than 9,000. How is this present plan working out? Students, teachers, parents and taxpayers aren’t just walking away. They’re running for their lives!

The School Committee has a solution. They want an additional $85,000,000!!! They horribly mismanaged their annual $160 million and they want the taxpayers to reward them with $85 million MORE!! Anyone who would consider giving them a penny more is insane! They are saying, “Look at our track record. We can’t be trusted, but give us more of your hard-earned money. We promise to spend it on improvements that we never spent money on before!” (and don’t worry. We will still respect you in the morning.)

That’s the problem – here is the solution:

Accountability. Period.

Accountability creates the trust that has been missing. Accountability will gain support from the taxpayers who are paying the tab. Showing a “need” for $85 million when there is no guarantee that the money won’t go the route of the last BILLION dollars is, as I said, insane! (Remember the $25 million dollar bond from 2006? It was for the same purpose and the Mayor hasn’t even released all of that money yet.)

Accountability can be a voluntary gesture from the School Committee themselves, or accountability can be mandated by the City Council but that would require a lot, and if we went that route; if we forced accountability on the School Committee, the taxpayers would still distrust them. The best solution is for the School Committee to offer it themselves. How about it Karen, David, Gene, Bethany, and Terri? Can one of you make the first step? Our students, teachers, parents and taxpayers deserve it.

Happy Spring, everyone.

Richard Corrente

Warwick

P.S. $160 million plus this $85 million divided by 9,000 students bring our cost of educating each student to over $27,000. Compare that to Bishop Hendricken at $11,650.

Comments

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  • davebarry109

    The fact that half of the city's budget is out of the council's control is criminal.

    Thursday, February 23, 2017 Report this

  • MadInWarwick

    You clearly have not looked at the city budget versus the school budgets for the last 10 years. The problem is on the city side. The schools have been flat for the past 7 years or so while the city has gone up exponentially. Whatever we do let's not put the city in charge of the school budget. Schools need more money. Investing in our schools is the best way to drive up our home prices, period. We have done nothing else to drive property values, invest in schools and they will come. Look at EG and Barrington, their schools are consistently in the top 10 and look at their property values. It's not rocket science! I voted for you Richard but after reading this it won't happen again. You just lost my vote.

    Thursday, February 23, 2017 Report this

  • Thecaptain

    Once again the Non Taxpayer Mayor who whose lips move without his ears working makes more false statements. As yet another example of his complete ineptness and and failure to perform the simplest of tasks he states (among his other foolish comments) that Bishop Hendricken tuition is $11,650. Maybe in 2004, but now the tuition is $14,025 + $400 enrollment fee, + $300 for books. He offers yet another example of fecklessness. But then again:

    Its not that the Non-Taxpayer Mayor was late with "a couple of dollars", its the fact that every where he travels he leaves a trail of unpaid bills and litigation. Property taxes, utility taxes, car taxes, defendant in 14 civil cases, two civil cases as defendant against tenants, lost both, still refused to pay even after loss of appeal, court order and judgment. Then, he decides he can only pay $25.00 per month just to spite his tenant and takes 7 years to pay her back her damage deposit and costs of her damaged property due to his non- insured roofers who screwed up the job. Then there's the 9 years of contesting his child support.

    From the court records:

    " Further evidence that Plaintifff Corrente believed the order to be inequitable at its issuance is found in past court records from previous court appearances. The computation of Corrente's income has been the central focus of the past nine years of litigation.

    Corrente has continually urged in past court appearances before different judges, that the Family Court's method of computing his income is inequitable because the court has not subtracted what he considers to be legitimate business expenses from his gross earnings. Appearing before Justice Michael Forte in the same matter on March 12, 1997, Justice Forte asks Corrente, "What's your annual income?" (Record, 3/12/97, page 12, line 7) Corrente responded , "Under $7000 per year, and I can prove that to you. My gross earnings is (sic) one issue. What I live off is a fraction of that, Yor Honor." (Record, 3/12/97, pg 12, lines 8-11) In the same court appearance, Justice Forte asked Corrente, "I'm asking you what your willing to pay temporarily until I can resolve this. If you're a good father - and I'm sure you're going to stand there and tell me that you are - then you're willing to pay something. How much?" (Record 3/12/97, pg 11, lines 8-13) Corrente responded - " I don't want to set a precedence (sic) Ten dollars a week is about what I can afford." (Record 3/12/97, pg 11, lines 14-16) to clarify Corrente's response, Justice Forte later asked,

    The Court - "You're telling me, you can only pay ten dollars a week?"

    Mr. Corrente - "Yes sir"

    The Court - " You're telling me that on the record?"

    Mr. Corrente - "Yes sir, I'll stand by that"

    Mr. Watson - There is a W2 form that declares $40,000 in income in 1995

    The Court - "What happened to that?"

    Mr. Corrente - "Gross earnings, Your Honor, He's neglected to tell you the $25,000 that it cost me to make that, Your Honor."

    The Court - " Well, we're going to have to wait. We'll deal with it at the hearing".

    Mr. Corrente - "You cant look at gross receipts and consider them earnings, I wish you could."

    In a court appearance before Justice Forte on January 28,1997, to determine his income for child support payments, Corrente stated on the record, "He (defendants attorney) does not know what my income is. All he know's is my gross receipts , and he's trying to manipulate this Court into believing that my gross receipts is my income." (Record, 1/28/97, pg 3 lines 22-25)

    This small sample of on the record statements demonstrates plaintiff's concern with the court's computation of his income - specifically his contention that certain business and/or personal living expenses should be deducted from his gross earnings. It also shows the amount of money that Corrente believed he could afford to pay for child support: $10.00 per week. Corrente was aware at the time of the issuance of the May 27th court order that the court had not deducted the amounts from his gross earnings thathe had wished. He was also aware the the court order stated he must pay $223.15 per week for child support payments: $213.15 more than he stated on the record he could afford. It is hard to imagine how this order could ever have been considered "equitable" by Corrente in light of his previous testimony. His statement on the may 27th record confirms this theory. "

    Thursday, February 23, 2017 Report this

  • Reality

    The school issue is very complex and there are no simple solutions. You will note that certain people with a political agenda will always castigate the school committee but yet those same people never criticize certain former and current city councilors who did nothing to address the fiscal abuses on the city side of the budget. Just this week the million dollar abuse in fire dept unused sick time buybacks has come to light but yet these same school dept naysayers say nothing about the former finance chairperson Ms. Vella-Wilkinson who increased the unused sick day bonus for firemen by 50% just last year. Over the years this goodie will cost the taxpayers millions.

    PS. This discussion should ONLY take place with taxpayers who actually pay taxes on time and in full. Anyone who doesn't has no seat at the table. I think it's time a petition be started asking the city council to pass an ordinance that wouldn't permit anyone who doesn't pay their taxes on time the right to run for office. It easy to advocate for new teacher contracts, increase pay for firemen as long as everyone other then the tax deadbeats are paying the bills.

    Thursday, February 23, 2017 Report this

  • Reality

    The school issue is very complex and there are no simple solutions. You will note that certain people with a political agenda will always castigate the school committee but yet those same people never criticize certain former and current city councilors who did nothing to address the fiscal abuses on the city side of the budget. Just this week the million dollar abuse in fire dept unused sick time buybacks has come to light but yet these same school dept naysayers say nothing about the former finance chairperson Ms. Vella-Wilkinson who increased the unused sick day bonus for firemen by 50% just last year. Over the years this goodie will cost the taxpayers millions.

    PS. This discussion should ONLY take place with taxpayers who actually pay taxes on time and in full. Anyone who doesn't has no seat at the table. I think it's time a petition be started asking the city council to pass an ordinance that wouldn't permit anyone who doesn't pay their taxes on time the right to run for office. It easy to advocate for new teacher contracts, increase pay for firemen as long as everyone other then the tax deadbeats are paying the bills.

    Thursday, February 23, 2017 Report this

  • NoStoryHere

    MadinWarwick....Are you serious....property values not increasing. My property values increase every re-evaluation, unlike EVERY known Major Warwick politicians and there family members. Check out on the Warwick online site.names like Chaffee, Langevin, Walaska, Noel, Avedisian, Travis, Solomon, Pisaturo, and other names you recognize from the Warwick Democratic Committee. .... and on and on. Also check Warwick Beacon property on Warwick Ave of John Howell All values down in last assessment. People like Iggy's Gravino ' s abd their SG Associates. Wake up. None of these people, their cronies, and family members all paying less after giving more money to ALL public union employees in 2015. Nothing will change until THEY ARE ALL VOTED OUT and rightfully exposed for the deadbeats that they are. REVOLUTION MAY BE THE ONLY SOLUTION IN WARWICK AND RI.

    Saturday, February 25, 2017 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Dear Davebarry109,

    Thank you for your bluntly honest statement that I couldn't agree with more.

    Dear MadlinWarwick,

    I agree with you that we have issues on the city side but this letter only addressed the School Committee which I feel is the "Biggest Problem".

    You accurately state that "the schools have been flat for 7 years" but you don't factor in that their need-for-money decreases every time they lose another thousand students and fire another 64 teachers.

    I totally agree that we need to "invest in our schools". That's why I disagree that we should give any more money to an organization that doesn't; like the School Committee. Their track record for spending the taxpayers dollars includes

    1. teachers with no contracts (and walking out on contract negotiations)

    2. students with no Chromebooks

    3. buildings that are STILL in horrible condition

    4. a huge and growing amount of taxpayers money spent on litigation, additional "School Committee" staff, and PR

    5. black mold, brown drinking water, falling ceilings and no heat (until recently)

    6. a student population (the true indicator of their performance) crashing from 17,000 to less than 9,000 with test score that are embarrassingly low.

    I deeply appreciate your vote last November MadlnWarwick, and I'm sorry you don't feel that way today. Call me, if you like, at 338-9900. You and I have the same goal. I just think we are going about it differently.

    Happy early Spring everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Saturday, February 25, 2017 Report this

  • RISchadenfreude

    It's small wonder that the teachers' unions fight school choice- we can't have parents deciding what's best for their children...let the nanny state decide for you.

    If the School Dept. and School Committee were in the private sector, they would have been fired long before now for fiscal malfeasance and incompetence, and possibly charged and convicted.

    Perhaps it's time to look at privatization or some type of hybrid- it's obvious that the past and present people entrusted with the Warwick taxpayers' hard-earned money have no idea what they're doing, yet they're not held accountable and walk away scot-free after displaying massive ineptitude.

    I wish I could display such incompetence and keep my job, but I hold myself to a higher standard.

    Monday, February 27, 2017 Report this