To the Editor,

Reading the article about how our school committee will not balance the budget until 2029 has made my blood boil! Is this what we are teaching our students? "Don’t worry about finances; we can’t afford it, but we’ll spend it anyway?” And we wonder why our young generation struggles to balance a checkbook or pay off their loans.

What has gotten into the school committee? They seem to think that if they want something, they are entitled to it, regardless of the cost. I believe that those who rent, have no mortgage, or are living off family support often think that those who are struggling financially can just borrow from Peter to pay Paul until they go bankrupt. Meanwhile, individuals who manage their own home budgets and live within their means do not believe it is their responsibility to fund others’ spending.

I sympathize with Mayor Picozzi; he is trying to work with a school committee that assumes they can continue their past spending practices without accountability. The state is not going to bail out the city; the taxpayers will bear the burden. As a taxpayer who has never had a child in the Warwick or Rhode Island school system, I do not feel obligated to invest more money in a failing school system that refuses to balance its budget. The committee sets a poor example for our youth and should be replaced. We need to bring in a group of business professionals who understand the value of a dollar and the importance of fiscal responsibility.

Leslie Derrig

Warwick