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WA,

As far as getting into colleges, there is no surprise that the vast amount of kids are going to college. However, the vast amount of kids and families are also sucked into to these colleges not based upon grades and scholarships, but based on taking out loans that they have little chance of re-paying. However, having said that, I am referring (as I have many times) to the Rhode Island Board of Education Rhode Island Report Card which was printed in October of 2013 which indicated that the 3 Warwick high schools, out of 40 in the state, are ranked 28th, 30th, and 32nd in the state. With an average graduating math proficiency of 17% and a graduating science proficiency of 11%. Not my numbers, these statistics were produced by the state.

I would like to see the city of Warwick breakdown the numbers on scholarship awards for the 3 high schools individually. As a comparison, last year Hendricken students received just over $25 million in scholarships for the senior class. It is no secret that the Warwick school system has been in decay for a very long time and continues the downward spiral. Thats why i had to pay $120K to put 2 kids thru private high school. Unfortunately, people like Mr. Corrente want to politicize the school issues and every other issue without offering any solutions. Same goes with the administration.

The other fact of the matter is that if we look across the border to MA, we see that virtually every city is building new schools. Having been involved with more than a dozen of these major construction projects in the last 18 months, I am able to identify the differences in how problems are solved and schools are built across the border vs here in Warwick.

I would be pleased if you could offer information, or if Mr. Corrente can, as to what business anywhere would survive with far too many employees, far too many managers, decaying buildings and equipment, massive increases in overhead such as unfunded liabilities, wage increases, increased benefit packages, less revenue and less customers. Could you name any business that would survive those parameters? Probably not. That is the Warwick School system current state of affairs.

The problem is that the unions have been allowed to hijack this community in the name of political pandering. Mr. Corrente is a perfect example of that. Nice guy, fair fisherman, but no fiscal savvy. He bashes everyone on the administration side, (maybe rightly so on some issues) but has been unable to offer any cognitive response when asked for solutions. Case in point his performance at the mayoral debate. Unprepared, unread, unstudied, and the same goes with the school system issue. Now, there is no doubt that if we erected tents with outhouses and an abacus for the math classes, Warwick would still turn out a handful of exceptional students. But clearly, in this time frame, the teachers end product is not very impressive, however, their compensation is more than adequate. In a perfect world everyone would get pay increases every year or with every contract. Too bad our veterans and elderly on Social Security dont get the same treatment.

I will ask you this and hope you can answer it truthfully. Have you every looked a the city's balance sheet and the actuarial forecast of the future liabilities that the city will have based upon its promises to the unions as of this date? The numbers dont work and they are unsustainable. Hence to my bigger point, THERE WILL NEVER BE REVENUE TO BUILD A NEW SCHOOL AND FIX THE EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE. NEVER !! The math just does not lie, and I for one am not in favor of floating more bonds to repair failing buildings.

Regards