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Mr. Kubica:

Don't be misled by the fake "mayor," who has not yet corrected the many false statements he has made about the school department, and which he repeats above.

- "Part of that money is supposed to be held aside for teachers salaries, past, present, and future."

Here, again, is the verifiable and publicly available information about the FY18 school budget that the fake "mayor" does not read before making such statements: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C2grOY8Maga1eENE63c76T285ZMxFiIS/view

Page 5 of this document shows that, of $165,753,523.86, $3,347,627.61 is listed as "capital equipment and property," representing 2.01% of the budget. This, apparently, is the "much of" the school budget that he insists should pay for the school renovations currently under discussion.

The rest of the budget [97.99%] is for salaries and benefits and for meeting state mandates and other legal requirements like paying bonds, funding transportation, covering tuition costs for out-of-district placements, providing fire and building insurance, and other items.

- "Instead, the SC spent a fortune on a public relations firm, tucked millions away in unnecessary "cash reserve" funds, and hired new SC staff like the 'Assistant Principal of Teaching and Learning' and the 'Assistant Principal of Climate and Culture'."

The facts are: Those two school administrator positions [not "SC staff"] are not new, as explained by Supt. Thornton; the PR budget is $150,000; and a cash reserve us required under current accounting standards to preserve the fiscal health of the school department, meaning they are not "unnecessary."

- "The only solution I see is an independent audit from a third party outside source..."

The third-party independent auditor for the city is Parmelee, Poirier & Associates LLP, as shown here in the audited city financial report for FY2016: https://www.warwickri.gov/sites/warwickri/files/uploads/cafr_06.30.16.pdf

According to Anthony Ferrucci, Parmelee, Poirier & Associates LLP is the same firm that audits the school department's budget. In fact, in June, 2017, according to a local news website: "School Committee member David Testa asked Ferrucci who the schools’ auditor was, and if the auditor was reasonably considered a third party. Ferrucci said the firm is Parmelee, Poirier & Associates and that the firm is a third party auditor."

https://warwickpost.com/schools-report-191000-surplus-for-2016-announce-31-teacher-layoffs/

Happy 271 days until the fake "mayor" suffers another election defeat.