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Mr. Corrente,

I can't believe that I'm breaking my own promise to myself to no longer engage you with respect to schools. With respect to "accountability" and those which SC members have or want more of it, I'd respectfully state that Ms. Bachus proposed, in addition to the needed Math Interventionists, a full complement of Department Heads at the Middle School (an approximate $1mm endeavor), three additional reading specialists (approx $100K per), and additional elementary guidance counselors (approx $100K per). So if those were approved and our request increased an additional $1.5mm, would that constitute "accountability' in your eyes? As for bond monies, you allege but offer no proof whatsoever - not a scintilla - that bond funds were not spent on capital improvements or otherwise misspent. Again, the SC simply cannot spend bond funds as it sees fit. All projects have to be submitted and approved by RIDE and the Council controls any release of funds. Also, if you bothered to do any research at all, additional Vice-Principals at the Middle Schools are not because of some whim on anyone's part. With the 6th grade moving up, the populations at those schools will be very close to those of our High Schools where you will find building administrator ratios to be the same as what they'll be at the middle schools next year with these additional two VP's. So if these are somehow superfluous to you, then why wouldn't you be calling for an elimination of one VP at each of the high schools? And for the umpteenth time, the school'd budget is audited every year, by a third party auditor that is selected by the City, not the School Committee. With all due respect, sir, you simply have very little understanding of schools, their governance, operation, and challenges, and simple demographics.

David Testa