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My name is Mike Pierce, and I am a teacher at Gorton Junior High School, and I have two high school students that go to Warwick Vets, and I am a taxpayer. I would like to politely request that Dr. Thornton present real and current proof that the consolidation plans are on schedule and workable. I have seen little evidence that this is true. I have observed a great many signs that the process is NOT going well.

Since this process began, we have seen the superintendent, the director of secondary education, and the head of human resources leave the district for reasons related to the Ragosta report. We hired a new superintendent and director of secondary education who began pushing new additions to the consolidation plans. They decided that along with closing two junior high schools and merging them into one, and closing a high school and merging those students into the other two high schools, that it would be wise to make a number of other changes at the same time.

-They decided to approve a slew of new courses with no curriculums, and cut a number of well established and rigorous courses.

-They decided that it was also the right time to radically change the way special education delivers its services.

-They decided it was the right time to eliminate Reading Recovery, a program that has been nationally recognized for decades for its effectiveness in changing the reading ability of the most vulnerable and needy first graders.

-They decided that it was the right time to refuse to bargain in good faith with the teacher's union, and instead to pay large amounts of money to a law firm.

-They decided it was the right time to hire a public relations firm in order to spread misinformation about their own teachers.

-They decided that it was a good time to hire more administrators, even while they were cutting teachers.

-They decided to continue to run the consolidation with zero input from teachers. The entire consolidation from beginning to end has been planned by people who are not classroom educators, including many that have never stepped once into a classroom. (For example, the scheduling committee is headed by the Anthony Ferrucci- the Chief Budget Officer- who has absolutely no experience doing scheduling in a school).

These are massive changes, and neither Superintendent Thornton, nor the Director of Secondary Education Steven Ruscito had ever undertaken anything like it. Deadlines have been continually moved, (student schedules, for example), and when asked direct and specific questions about schedules and programs they seem to not have specific answers, or have changed their answers over time.

Now Steven Ruscito is out. Two of the assistant principals that were hired from out of district have apparently declined the jobs. Teacher and student schedules have not appeared yet. Rumors keep circulating that the student schedules at both Tollgate and Pilgrim are not working, and that neither building really has enough space. These could easily be dispelled by the administration- show everyone the working schedules- but this has not been done.

The claim is that everything is being done properly and on schedule. It is hard to feel positive about this when the school committee decides to schedule school committee meetings at 7 am. Open meetings are supposed to be scheduled at a time and place that is convenient to the groups that might be reasonably assumed to be interested in attending. Holding a meeting at 7am when parents and teachers are the obvious interested parties is obviously not holding a true open meeting. It certainly does not encourage the public to believe that the school committee and administration are being open and honest with them.

At this meeting this morning, the school committee approved awarding a contract to do work at Vets and Pilgrim. This provided a small window into the planning and priorities of the administration and school committee.

Here are the budgeted amounts and the bid awards:

-Veterans front entrance renovations: Budgeted: 75,000 Bid Award: 380,500

-Vets Rehab Auditorium: Budgeted: 400,000 Bid Award: 678,000

-Pilgrim Rehab Auditorium Budgeted: 450,000 Bid Award: 678,50

Total: Budgeted: 925,000 Bid Award: 1.74 Million

Unbudgeted items added

-Pilgrim Front entrance Renovations

and cafeteria window wall: Bid Award: 600,500

-New ceiling cafeteria: Bid Award: 71,000

Total: Budgeted: 925,000 Bid Award: 2.4 Million

Two problems, both of which do not engender confidence in the administrations' planning:

1. Why are the budgeted amounts so far off of the actual bid awards? Did the people who created the budget have that little understanding of what needed to be done and the associated costs?

2. Why are the cosmetic projects being done before the much more critical physical plant issues are contracted out? Shouldn't we pay for and install the heating system before we pick out the colors for the auditorium seat cushions?

This is a perfect final example of why people are doubting the planning of this administration.

This past winter, Superintendent Thorntons stated that the heating system was so bad at Vets that it could fail any day, and that the district had actually drawn up double sessions plans if all the students needed to be moved out of Vets. The superintendent assured everyone that there would be no problem replacing the system over the summer. The superintendent actually had stated publicly that the heating system at Vets would be simple because the basement system would be replaced with modular roof units. This was a critical part of the renovations being pulled off in a 3 month time span. Unfortunately, he made this statement without apparently consulting any kind of building engineer or expert, as the truth is that the building cannot support that kind of weight without major reinforcement.

Now, it is almost June, and apparently nothing has been done about the broken heating system. This should have been the first priority, not new seats and curtains in the auditorium.

That is the kind of evidence we are seeing of the planning being done.

The consolidation involves major changes, and people are understandably concerned and afraid. The parents, students, teachers, and citizens of this city deserve to know that their school system is being properly planned for.

Superintendent Thornton, you have the power to end all of the rumors and fears- simply lay evidence of all of the completed plans on the table for all to see. If you have truly made great progress, you should be proud to show it.

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