NEW HIGH SCHOOLs

Where from here? 2 contrasting perspectives

Posted 10/24/24

Deception from the very beginning

Robert Cushman

From the start of the high school construction project many testified that building two new schools for $350 million wasn’t possible. …

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NEW HIGH SCHOOLs

Where from here? 2 contrasting perspectives

Posted

Deception from the very beginning

Robert Cushman

From the start of the high school construction project many testified that building two new schools for $350 million wasn’t possible. Yet that didn’t stop school and city leaders from presenting Warwick citizens with misinformation and a grandiose design that never could be built at that price.

It doesn’t matter if the Bentley car dealer promises you a free vehicle with the purchase of another one if you can’t afford to purchase one in the first place.

To this day, taxpayers still have no idea what effect these schools will have on property taxes when city debt eclipses $1 billion.

Finally, after the construction charade has finally played out, taxpayers are learning millions more are needed to construct stripped-down versions of the buildings originally promised.

All signs point to our esteemed leaders looking for a scapegoat to keep the project going. That will be the Warwick taxpayer as the mantra of “let the voters decide” echoing throughout the city. Dismal voter turnout in a special election will guarantee whatever millions are requested will be approved.

Shame on Warwick taxpayers if they fall for that trick. This project needs to be stopped immediately, before many lose their homes.

Already we are hearing a new contract with municipal and police employees will cost taxpayers millions along with the $10-million teacher contract approved this summer.

The free lifetime healthcare funding plan for city retirees (OPEB) will kick into high gear soon with approximately $68 million in new tax dollars needed. To put that in prospective, in the last 20 years $71 million in new tax dollars was needed to run the entire city budget. This one expenditure will consume that amount in less than half that time.

If that’s not enough, the mayor and council are set to withdraw an additional $5 million from health care reserves for retiree health care. In under a decade taxpayers will spend over $200 million on this one expense. Imagine, Warwick could build a high school with those funds without borrowing a dime. Talk about screwed up priorities!

The mayor’s five-year forecast indicates maximum tax increases each year, yet he states no new borrowing will be needed. However, his capital budget contains over $17 million in borrowing in the next three years. More deception that will cost taxpayers dearly.

Since city and school leaders can't control spending, $13 million in revenue has been budgeted in five years from 250,000 traffic violations being written. Property taxes will increase if that revenue is not achieved.

Warwick will exceed its credit limit by over $200 million or 164% of the state mandated limit. That doesn’t include the additional millions needed for schools. The consequences of all this debt have never been discussed by Warwick’s political leaders. Can you borrow 164% over your credit limit? What happens if a disaster requires Warwick to borrow millions more?

A major fiscal crisis is on the horizon, with devastating consequences for many on a fixed income struggling to stay in their homes.

To his credit, Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur is the only elected Warwick representative to vote “No” on all this lunacy.

Mayor Picozzi has had the power to give taxpayers a voice in the school construction process from the very beginning but has refused to do so. The city charter reads, “the mayor is hereby authorized to nominate and appoint as many as four taxpayers, who shall be added to the school committee for the purpose of acting jointly with the school committee” on new school construction projects only.

Why won’t our elected leaders give taxpayers a voice and why does School Committee Chairman Shaun Galligan limit taxpayers to three minutes of comments at school construction meetings and not allow questions? The answer is that the process is designed this way to keep you in the dark with the promise of two new high schools at any cost.

However, we still have an opportunity to make change. In a week we can elect new candidates who are committed to open and transparent government and provide information on the effect all this spending will have on you and your neighbor’s property taxes.

Vote wisely!

Robert Cushman is a former Warwick city councilor and School Committee chairman


Clearly, voters want new high schools

Lonnie Barham

It seems this comes up with every public building project no matter the town or city. Delays in construction, or sometimes even sticking to the original timeline, results in cost increases above what voters approved in referenda.

It is now happening in Warwick.  Voters approved a $350-million bond to build two new high schools to replace rapidly deteriorating Pilgrim and Toll Gate high schools.  The projected cost for the two new buildings has now increased by 11.5%.

The big question is whether or not to take the bond question back to voters since its projected price has changed so much from what voters approved. I say no!

The original $350-million bond was approved by 78% of those voting.  That's a really big voice for approval.  Clearly, Warwick voters want new high schools for our kids.

Those who voted to approve the bond are normal people who run households and businesses.  They understand inflation and cost increases.  Surely, when they voted for the $350 million, they understood the cost would increase the longer we waited to begin building.

We can't wait any longer by taking the issue back to voters. As an example of how fast costs increase, as of Sept. 19, 2024, the cost increase was projected to be $22 million. Only six weeks later, the projected increase is up to $40 million.  If we take the issue back to voters, at least another year will be added to the construction start date and the cost will likely increase by $100 million.

Warwick students deserve to be educated in modern facilities that meet modern educational needs.  Studies have shown that student outcomes increase up to 22% when learners are surrounded by modern infrastructure.

And let's not nickel and dime our students by cutting corners on construction.  Let's not eliminate air conditioning.  Let's not narrow corridors.  Let's continue to construct buildings that will truly enhance our students’ learning experiences.

Let's give Warwick students the same infrastructure advantages that North Kingstown and East Greenwich students enjoy.  Let's not push the bond question back to voters and risk an even greater increase in costs while continuing to deprive our students the chance to enhance their educational experience and intellectual growth outcomes.  

These students are future Warwick taxpayers and community leaders. Let's treat them as such.

Lonnie Barham

Warwick

letters, schools

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  • mlowney

    This is Patrick Maloney Candidate for Warwick Mayor.

    During the Debate as it states in the Warwick Beacon article, Leah said, "she fully trusted the School Building Committee and LeftField Project Management to get the schools built within budget". She went on to say, "We said we’d come in at $350 million. If we’re not going to come in at 350, I wouldn’t expect us to go forward... That would not be fair representation of what we offered the public.” And yet, after the meeting last night at Pilgrim High School she contradicts herself and is pushing forward.

    During the Debate as it states in the Warwick Beacon article, Frank said, "Picozzi said that the city could go to the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank for loans, though he noted that whatever happened would be an act of the City Council and emphasized that that was not something he would want to do." So Frank, once again says it's out of his hands and can nothing about it.

    I am the only candidate that from the beginning said the 2 schools could not be built for $350 Million. Warwick needs someone in the Mayor's office willing AND ABLE to decipher data. I am a Computer System Network Engineer and Security Expert not a Contractor.

    Warwick needs someone willing to stand up and be transparent enough to tell the truth and deliver a message many people might not want to hear. The voters were given misinformation, they voted on mis-information and will lose their homes because of mis-information. We have one chance to do this. Let's do it right.

    Please support Patrick Maloney for Mayor of Warwick.

    https://warwickonline.com/stories/candidates-field-questions-on-new-school-costs-airport-traffic-speed-cameras-chickens,268316?

    Thursday, October 24 Report this