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Richard you state, “Taxpayers give over $160,000,000 a year to the School Committee EVERY YEAR and we have teachers with no contracts; students with no Chromebooks; buildings that are literally falling down, and a School Committee that wants more money!”

Yet over the last two years I have heard nothing from you but admiration for the manner in which former Councilwoman Wilkinson and former Council President Travis have handled the annual city budget.

In that 4 year time period the city budget grew by $14,583,733 in additional local tax dollars while schools received just $837,832.

Since you did run for Mayor and I will give you the benefit of the doubt that you may have performed some research on the city budget, please explain why the city budget needed $14.5 million or 95 cents out of every new tax dollar collected. Also if you can, please provide the “Accountability” on the part of city leaders regarding where they spent this new money.

Also help me to understand how the school committee has managed to balance its budget year after year when its local budget appropriation is less than what it was ten year years ago when you factor in the principle and interest now being paid out of the school operating budget for bonded capital improvements to school buildings.

Wouldn’t you agree that “students with no Chromebrooks; building that are literally falling down” are all products of this intentional scapegoating and defunding of Warwick schools by Mayor Avedisian and the Warwick City Council over the past decade?