Schools approve 72 layoffs, waits for word on city funds

By Ethan Hartley
Posted 5/17/18

By ETHAN HARTLEY The Warwick School Committee approved the potential layoffs of 72 teachers, 37 of whom are currently at the elementary level, during their meeting on Tuesday night. Karen Bachus was the lone vote against the measure. The notices were

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Schools approve 72 layoffs, waits for word on city funds

Posted

The Warwick School Committee approved the potential layoffs of 72 teachers, 37 of whom are currently at the elementary level, during their meeting on Tuesday night. Karen Bachus was the lone vote against the measure.

The notices were sent out earlier this month in advance of their budget meeting with the Warwick City Council, which has been set for Tuesday, May 29 at 5 p.m. The school department will learn at this meeting how much of their $8 million ask in additional funding from the city they will actually receive and, by extension, how many of those layoff notices will have to be upheld.

The layoffs prompted further rebuke from Teachers’ Union president Darlene Netcoh, who criticized the school department for including eight science itinerants – a position unique to Warwick where a specialty science teacher instructs elementary students once a week – in those layoffs, as well as math interventionists, reading specialists and librarians.

“You are destroying elementary education in this city,” Netcoh said during public comments.

Superintendent Philip Thornton reiterated on Wednesday that the layoff notices needed to be sent prior to June 1, and that the department has to prepare for a wide range of possibilities regarding how much money they receive from the city – including a scenario where they are level funded. In theory, all of those positions could be restored if they are given enough funding.

The high amount of elementary educators included in layoffs stems from over 117,000 square feet of elementary school space being closed in the district’s consolidation plan, he said.

He also said that funding to keep the science itinerants and math interventionists was actually included in the approved budget by the school committee in April, counter to what some had stated during public comments, however the affordability of those positions will, again, hinge on the money they receive from the council.

However, Thornton did say on Wednesday that the science itinerant model was not sufficient for modern educational standards, as the kids do not get enough instructional time, and so the district is phasing towards a model where elementary classroom teachers incorporate science into their curriculum.

“The science model we currently have is something to look at because it's not giving kids science more than one day a week, and that's not where we need to be,” he said, adding that students in grade 6 will be getting science every day as they move up to the middle school model for the first time and that grade 3 students will utilize a URI science kit program to increase their science time as well. The remaining elementary school grades are still being reconfigured to incorporate more science.

Still, Netcoh criticized the administration’s priorities.

“It seems the lack of an approved budget this time of year is only a concern to you people when it comes to teachers, the actual teachers in the classroom who provide education in this district,” she said. “When it comes to hiring more administrators or spending on technology, it doesn't matter that you don't have an approved budget yet.”

“The school committee could make other revisions to their budget, such as a consolidation of their administration to go along with their consolidation of schools before they lay off teachers,” Netcoh continued in a statement on Wednesday. “The superintendent talks about 'right-sizing' the district; he needs to 'right-size' his administration.”

Thornton responded to allegations that the district has added more administrators – one catalyst for that criticism being two vice principal positions being added at the middle school level during Tuesday night’s meeting – by explaining that the net effect on administrators in the district was actually a reduction of one administrator, not an addition of two.

He reasoned that, with the three elementary schools being consolidated , three administrative positions (the principals of those schools) were freed up. Two of those positions went into vice principal positions at Vets and Winman, where added administration will be necessary to handle the influx of 383 incoming sixth graders at Vets and 250 incoming sixth graders at Winman. One position was actually cut, he said.

“People have been saying we're adding administrators, and that's not really accurate,” Thornton said.

In response to a criticism that class sizes will already be stretched to the contractual limits due to these layoffs at the elementary level, director of human resources for the schools Katherine Duncanson said that the district was keeping “a very close eye” on enrollment figures heading into next year and that classrooms could very well be added – however it is too early to responsibly account for that at this time.

“A better decision can be made over the summer,” she said, adding that the administration has reached out to Netcoh requesting to hold a second job fair for teachers who might be able to return to the district in August. The first job fair is held in June.

On city funding of schools

In a prepared statement, at-large school committee member David Testa laid out the troubles faced by the school department and the school committee, and how a lack of funding from the city cannot be ignored when considering these issues. He urged people to show up to the May 29 meeting of the City Council to advocate for more money to be allocated to the schools.

“If you're willing to stand up at this microphone and criticize the School Committee for having to make painful cuts in order to meet our legal obligation to balance our budget, then logic forces you to turn out at City Hall to address the council,” he said. “Because whatever this committee cuts will be a direct result of whatever amount the Council allocates to our schools. It's that simple and that linear.”

Testa outlined how, since Fiscal Year 2011 when the city cut funding to the schools by the maximum 5 percent allowable by the state at that time due to the Great Recession – the only city or town in Rhode Island to do so – the city’s contribution to the schools has grown by an average of just .002 percent per year. In that same time, the city’s allocation to the municipal side has increased by $30 million.

According to data prepared by the school department, an astounding 96.6 percent of new property tax dollars have gone to the municipal side of the city – totaling over $40 million since 2008 – while the schools have received just 3.4 percent of that ($1.4 million).

“What I am saying is that over the last eight years our schools have been slowly starved of funding and too many of those who should have been working together uniting for more funding were more interested fighting under some warped conception of power,” Testa said.

Testa forewarned that, unless people get involved and advocate for the schools and demand more from the city, they could expect possibly “draconian” cuts ahead. He said that adding $8 million to the school’s budget, as requested, would not only be a fraction of the money that the department has lost out on since the huge cut in 2010, it is not an unreasonable ask from taxpayers, including himself.

“Our $8 million request will cost the taxpayer whose home is assessed at $200,000 about $160 a year in additional property taxes,” he said. “That's $13.33 per month; $3.07 per week; or 43.8 cents per day. Is that too much to ask – especially in light of the facts I've laid out? I don't think so. I'll gladly pay it. Most people spend more than that on their daily coffee or almost as much on Netflix.”

“If you don't want to see deeper cuts, then you do have to stand up and be counted – and Facebook, with all of its keyboard bravado, doesn't count,” he continued. “You need to show up.”

Comments

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  • enoughalready

    Thank you Mr. Testa for finally pulling the covers off to expose the fraud that was our Mayor. I am surprised that the Beacon would even print these statistics. How is it that this is the first time this is being "reported". I have been saying this to anyone who would listen for years. Mr. Mayor had the whole city analyzing every penny on the school department budget, while he has been stealing every additional tax dollar for the city side of the budget for years. Nothing to look at over here, just worry about the school spending. Meanwhile he continued his reckless spending, and made no progress on reducing the unfunded liabilities in the pension plans. The numbers stated above are just the beginning of it the additional revenues he has squandered. We have twice as many hotel rooms since he took office, where did all the additional room tax revenue go. How about the PILOT money we started receiving for the airport. Then there is the new 8% sales tax on restaurant meals of which the city gets 1%, there are a lot of restaurants in Warwick. All the new homes in Seventeen Farms, office space in Metro Center and behind Crown Plaza, just to name a few of the new properties added to the tax rolls, These are just a few of the additional sources of revenue the Mayor was squandering on top of his annual property tax increase. Then we are supposed to thank him for the one time in his career he submits a budget without a tax increase. I have one question for Mr. Mayors supporters, name me one thing that is better in this city today than when he took office, schools, infrastructure, parks, public safety............, he must have one accomplishment over the last twenty years. That is quite a record to run on.

    Thursday, May 17, 2018 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    The Warwick School Department (SC) just laid off another 72 teachers while they are adding staff to the administration.

    In my humble opinion the value of 100 "Assistant Principals of Climate & Culture, added to the value of 100 "Assistant Principals of Teaching and Learning" doesn't add up to the value of ONE teacher. Not one.

    How does laying off 72 teachers improve the quality of our children's education? You're right. It doesn't.

    This is the injustice that is killing the reputation of our schools. With the exception of Karen Bachus, every SC member should be voted out.

    Happy Spring everyone.

    Rick Corrente

    The Taxpayers Mayor

    Thursday, May 17, 2018 Report this

  • CrickeeRaven

    "How does laying off 72 teachers improve the quality of our children's education?" the make-believe mayor asks.

    This is a question the WTU should have kept in mind before signing a contract that gives the school committee the legal right to layoff more than the previous limit of 20 teachers when schools are planned for closure -- but the union did not. Instead, they signed the contract -- and now three schools are closing and the school committee has the legal right to layoff more teachers.

    The make-believe mayor has never shown any understanding that there were two parties to the recent teacher contract, and that the union agreed to these terms.

    "... while they are adding staff to the administration."

    This is another lie by the make-believe mayor. As explained in the article above, three principal positions are being eliminated and two vice principal positions are being added to the middle schools, meaning there is a net decrease of 1 administrator position.

    Honest, taxpaying voters eagerly await their chance to reject the make-believe mayor and his lie-filled campaign at the earliest opportunity.

    Friday, May 18, 2018 Report this

  • ThatGuyInRI

    Maybe I'm overly simplifying the problem but it looks to be a funding issue from where I sit. It's not a WTU issue, it's not a school committee issue, and it's not a leadership issue. It's money.

    This isn't a new problem. Cities and towns have been ignoring financial problems in the schools for decades. See here.

    http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180511/ris-problem-with-crumbling-schools-goes-way-beyond-urban-core

    This comes to resource allocation. What do we the citizens of Warwick want? If you want to improve the school system - and thus your property value - then show up at the city council meeting and demand more funding for the system. Or if you're OK with the current status then don't advocate for more.

    Simply put, show up (at the city council meeting) or shut up.

    Friday, May 18, 2018 Report this

  • JohnStark

    Not. One. More. Dime. With the approved budget the city will spend $19,000 per student. This is up to 20% more than surrounding communities. And for what? Measurable levels of high school proficiency in Math, Language Arts, and Science that resemble third-world nations. Taxpayers deserve an explanation for these deplorable and embarrassing outcomes that have been glossed over and ignored for far too long! Until that time, why would anyone agree to spend one more dime?!

    Monday, May 21, 2018 Report this