The Warwick City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Saturday, July 20 at 3 p.m. to appropriate approximately $4 million to the Warwick School Department...
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The Warwick City Council has docketed a special meeting to be held on Saturday, July 20 at 3 p.m. to vote on an emergency appropriation of funding to the Warwick School Department in the amount of $3,985,474 so that the schools can fund sports, after-school programming and other priority items.
The resolution also includes language that would allow the school department to pay back a $4 million deficit for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2019 in four, interest-free $1 million installments over the next four years.
The appropriation of funding is proposed to come from the city’s budget, specifically in the form of:
The resolution includes other stipulations, including lines mandating a detailed review of the school department’s financial situation and a plan to reduce its expenditures in the future. The resolution would need five votes to be approved by the council.
The Beacon will update this story as it develops.
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Reality
So next year the school committee has to pay back $1 million to the city and the teachers' salary increases cost $4 million.
The city max. tax increase is $ 8 million so that leaves only $3 million to fund the city side of the budget.
Let's put Judge Flanders on speed dial to start receivership proceedings.
Thursday, July 18, 2019 Report this
Samuel
This city is being run by a bunch of buffoons
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
Flo5582
What a joke... But aren’t we all glad we had those lawn signs!
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
whomewhy
just like the name says @&*%&#warwick
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
JohnStark
I have this vision of the city council insisting that deck chairs be painted white, while the school committee insists that they be yellow. Back and forth, back and forth. Meanwhile, the ship has run aground and is taking on water. Most recent RICAS data indicates that 5347 Warwick students took a RICAS measurement (RICAS test, PSAT, or SAT). Of those, only 28.4% were deemed to be meeting or exceeding expectations in Math. Ponder that for a second as you wail about funding school sports. Of 5347 kids, 71.6%, or 3929 are NOT meeting expectations! That's most of them, gang. And that's after we funded sports, teachers contracts, teachers aids, professional development, math coaches, "middle school model", custodians, cars for school employees, and a host of other things. And the result: Most kids who are products of the Warwick public schools can not do basic Math. It only gets worse, as it appears the longer a student stays in the Warwick public schools the less proficient, on a relative basis, he/she becomes. And for those who are reassured by the fact that "...at least we're not Providence", keep in mind that four Providence elementary schools academically out perform fully half of Warwick's elementary schools. Chew on that as you celebrate the funding of sports at two of the largest high schools in the state, whose boys teams are relegated to the state's lowest levels of competition. It's bad, folks, and $4M does little but fund more of the same.
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
Happy
Told you!
I said many previous times that the City Counsel would give the SC whatever they want whenever they want it! The SC is very sharp by getting the students and parents all worked and here it's not even August.
Have to give Bachus credit, she gets her way, one way or the other.
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
bendover
I guess butch and jabba the hut found a new revenue stream....BITCOINS! You want to know how this will all end? Follow the number of houses for sale now on Trulia, Zillow, Statewide MLS, etc...then look again in 6 months or a year...
Also, watch the businesses that leave or are OOB...Remember, coming into an election year, bad news gets covered up until AFTER November...Wait until Hasbro goes to Austin, TX...and others will follow....You think CNBC is wrong with their worst State to do business in...prove them wrong.
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
Thecaptain
In addition to the facts presented by John Stark, (obviously a product of Bishop Hendricken) the council is in violation of the open meetings act by not docketing the special meeting 48 hours before said meeting is held. Read the regulations.
R.I.G.L. § 42-46-6. Notice.
(b) Public bodies shall give supplemental written public notice of any meeting within a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and state holidays in the count of hours, before the date.
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
Scal1024
Captain, what would be the repercussions for such a violation? Are we looking at a slap on the wrist? Fines?
Friday, July 19, 2019 Report this
Interestedparent
I think people are missing the point here. This issue is all about the children and what they are learning. They are learning that adults are not better at math then they are. People have commented that students’ maths scores are down. Who’s fault is that? The teachers, school council... Who is there for them to look to to get better? The teachers that are using their math skills to pad their pockets? The school council that can’t seem to use their math skills to balance a budget? I guess their parents, that have difficulty using this new common core math? How do scores change if there is no one to rectify the problems?
What else are they learning? That the schools’, teachers’, school council’s needs are more important then theirs. People think that athletics are just some line item in a budget. It’s more than that, it’s friendship, leadership, camaraderie. It’s being a part of something bigger than individual achievements. Being part of a team unit which Is something they need to accomplish to survive in the real world. No one is an individual in society. We are all part of a team and need to learn how to interact in that atmosphere. Athletes teaches them to strive for more and not sit back and except failure. There are so much more I could say about the benefits of athletics.
End of the day, we have let our students/athletes down and we need to remedy this. They are the ones that are affected by these decisions the most. Do your jobs to help them t bet the best part of society they can.
Saturday, July 20, 2019 Report this
Former User
Scal1024, they rescheduled the council meeting to Tuesday night at 7 -- I found it noted here:
https://warwickpost.com/city-council-considers-adding-3-9m-to-warwick-schools-budget/
Also, their original resolution addressed the open meetings question by terming the new school spending an emergency -- which, when you consider that they're closing a deficit for the last fiscal year that ended three weeks ago, was apparently allowed.
But that's no longer an issue now.
Saturday, July 20, 2019 Report this
Justanidiot
sews, da skul kommittee gets der moneys dat dey promise to pay back next year. uh huh. kick da can financing again. hows about we puts dem on sun budder and jelly sammitches until dey pay der debt. ore maybe chobani can come in and save dem
Saturday, July 20, 2019 Report this
JohnStark
Concerned parent: Actually, "people" have NOT posted about Math scores. Only me. And therein lies the problem. In our rush to fund a variety of things, no one on the school committee seems to care about outcomes. And no one on the city council bothers to ask the awkward questions prior to releasing more money. This is utter insanity! In the last seven years, Warwick taxpayers have spent (sorry, "invested") over One Billion Dollars in order for less than 1 Pilgrim student in 4 to demonstrate competency in Math. The issue is clearly not some fictitious lack of resources. On one hand, we can agree; the various Education Blobs (to borrow a term from a former US Secretary of Education) are not doing their jobs. But I see nothing on the horizon that will fix this. No plan. No discussion. Nothing. Just a never ending request for more money. I guess these requests would have some validity if once, just once, we heard from the Education Blob: "We have enough money. We need to do a better job with the substantial resources we have." But it's never, ever, ever enough. And the measurable results speak for themselves.
Sunday, July 21, 2019 Report this
Interestedparent
Sounds like someone here is an accountant. Last time I checked there were other important subjects at school like reading and writing. Regardless it seems like the town council and mayor are starting to question why they have to keep upping the amount of money given to the school committee per year and starting to realize that they are misappropriating funds. End of the day the students/ athletes shouldn’t have to give up activities/ sports because of the ineptness of those whose jobs are to ensure that these students have the tools, which aren’t just found in books, to achieve their goals.
Sunday, July 21, 2019 Report this
Cat2222
The blame game is alive and well in Warwick.
The parents blame the teachers, the teachers blame the superintendent and committee, the school committee blame the city council, the city council blames the school committee and former mayor, the students blame everyone because they can't live without their sports and the taxpayer is blaming themselves because they chose to live in the city.
Monday, July 22, 2019 Report this
perky4175
big waste of tax payers money jos gotta go
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Report this
JohnStark
parent: Again, we can agree. There are, indeed, other important subjects such as reading. In this regard, the state measures something called "English Language Arts/Literacy". So how did Warwick's kids do? You decide. And keep in mind that the city has been funding something akin to the 82nd Airborne of Literacy instruction, help, support, tutoring, training, professional development, coaching, extra help, and mentoring to the tune of $19,000 per student. Warwick has 18 elementary and junior highs. Care to guess how many of those achieved Literacy results reflective of half the kids in the school meeting expectations? 3. In 15 of those 18 schools, less than half the kids are meeting expectations in Literacy. The best, not surprisingly is Warwick Neck where almost 60% are meeting expectations, i.e. future Lasalle and Hendricken students. Up at Winman 22.7%, or less than 1 in 4, are meeting expectations. So unlike most schools in the state, and every school in Warwick, the Literacy results at Winman are actually WORSE than the Math results! You don't need to be an accountant (and I am not) to recognize that this is all one big, inefficient, wasteful, and very expensive mess. And one that funding a cross country team is unlikely to impact.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Report this
Justanidiot
gud ting day kept sports sew as dees kids grow up and take ober the guvmint they can kick da can down the road jest like there elders
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Report this
wwkvoter
yes stark, under-performing for sure but how much of that burden lies on the shoulders of parents who should care more about their part of educating their own kids and taxpayers who should show up once in a while for more than sports issues!
too many (not all) lazy residents ship the kids off and do nothing at home which is where much of my own education happened, and they dont show up at school or school committee meetings either. they run the grill and the beer cooler and wait for other people to deal with all of this. the teachers get the student for a few hours a day and are expected to make miracles while higher authorities prevent discipline, allow cell phones, and never stop the behaviors in school that impede learning! teachers stuck in the middle, always.
as to sports, at least restoring that will prevent the 22% who are at or above grade level at winman from losing out on scholarship and other related opportunities for their future.
my 2 cents
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Report this
Thecaptain
Scal and Hal,
The "emergency" declaration of the council meeting does not usurp the statute of the OMA giving 48 hours notice. An emergency meeting has to be deemed an emergency by the AG, not by the inept members of the city council
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Report this