Councilman eyes doing away with elective school committee

John Howell
Posted 9/17/15

City Council frustration with the Warwick School Committee has reached a new height with the docketing of a resolution Monday night that would replace an elective committee with an appointed …

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Councilman eyes doing away with elective school committee

Posted

City Council frustration with the Warwick School Committee has reached a new height with the docketing of a resolution Monday night that would replace an elective committee with an appointed committee through legislative action.

Governance of schools has been an on-again, off-again issue for years that has gone as far as charter review committees and proposals ranging from a committee comprised of elected and appointed members to granting schools the power of taxation, as is done in some parts of the country. Such changes would require voter approval.

Now, Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur is proposing a different way to bring change: enabling legislation. What he proposes is for the council to seek enabling legislation from the General Assembly to convert the committee from a five-member elective body to an appointed committee. Voter approval wouldn’t be needed.

Council dissatisfaction with the school committee, usually over budget matters, is hardly new. Differences most commonly surface during budget hearings and in particular when, in an effort to sway votes, the committee packs the audience with parents and students.

“This has to be the worst year ever,” Council President Donna Travis said Tuesday.

She pointed to a number of school issues that have generated constituent calls, from the consolation of schools in response to declining enrollment to the naming of a superintendent. She was especially irritated by the Oakland Beach School open house, where teachers, whose contract expired on Aug. 31, didn’t show up.

“They keep yelling they want more money and they keep coming up with surpluses. People are fed up,” she said of the committee.

Travis said there have been efforts to work with the committee, the most recent being meetings called by Mayor Scott Avedisian with committee chair Jennifer Ahearn. Travis was a part of those meetings, but Travis says nothing was accomplished.

“At least work with us,” she says of Ahearn and the committee.

But then Travis was one of the leaders of a no-confidence vote in three school administrators following disclosure the administration downplayed action against a Gorton Junior High School science teacher for drawing a penis on the arms of two female students on two different occasions. The teacher was suspended without pay after being arrested for first- and second-degree sexual assault in a non-related school incident.

Ward 3 Councilwoman Camille Vella-Wilkinson introduced the no-confidence vote that gained council passage by a 6-3 vote last month. That issue hasn’t fully played out.

Council members want to see the independent report done by attorney Vincent Ragosta on the matter, even though two of the three administrators named have retired. The report cost schools about $30,000 to complete.

At Monday’s meeting the council is expected to approve a subpoena to obtain the report and call on the committee to meet with the council.

Vella-Wilkinson is the sponsor of legislation calling for a committee to review the governance of schools and come up with charter changes appearing on the ballot next fall.

But that presumably wouldn’t be necessary if Ladouceur’s proposal is legally possible and gains council approval and the support of state legislators. He said he ran the idea by council solicitor John Harrington, who thought it possible. Legislation hasn’t been drafted yet.

Ladouceur said it is premature to talk about who would appoint the committee or its size. But already the prospect of having a committee answerable to the council and the mayor has appeal.

Travis believes it would make for smoother operations and some answers.

Reached yesterday, Ahearn said “perfect” when informed of Ladouceur’s resolution. Her observation is that if the committee is to be appointed, it should be fully appointed, not with elected and appointed members. But she doesn’t view an appointive body as being a perfect solution either.

“Whoever is appropriating the budget should be the ultimate authority,” she said.

Based on that premise, she thought a committee could be eliminated altogether and that the superintendent, like other department directors, could answer to the mayor.

As it is now, Mayor Scott Avedisian said, “We’re setting up someone who has to tax [the council] and has no say on what to do.” In the past he has suggested an appointed committee, with some members named by the mayor and others by the council.

Ward 9 Councilman Steve Merolla, whose father chaired the school committee, has problems with eliminating an elected committee.

“You can’t get any closer than elected officials,” he said.

Comments

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  • richardcorrente

    Ed Ladouceur is spot on! He has been the guard dog for the City Council in regard to this matter and the School Committee should never have angered the "guard dog". Watch what happens next!

    Richard Corrente

    Thursday, September 17, 2015 Report this

  • Norm88

    Mr. Corrente - So your okay with the city council taking away the tax payers right to elect a school committee? The same tax payers your going to look for votes from come 11/2016....

    Thursday, September 17, 2015 Report this

  • davet1107

    mr. Corrente,

    Respectfully, your comment is silly, bordering on foolish. Councilman Ladocuer et al know as much about school budgets and governance as they do about applied physics. This cast of characters have raised taxes for the past 15 consecutive years. Over the last 7 years, virtually evey cent of property tax increases has gone to the city side of the ledger. In fact, Mr Corrente, the city side of the budget has increased by 50% during these last 7 years while schools have been level funded. Ladocuer and that merry band use the schools as their whipping boy to mask the fiscal sewer that is the city side of the budget for which they're directly responsible. Ladocuer and his band criticize schools for not consolidating, and then criticize them when they do. Political hacks. Lastly, Ladocuer's plan would circumvent the voters. Comfortable with that, Mr. Corrente? Why is Mr. Ladocuer afraid of the voters on this issue? "Guard dog" my eye. Good luck with your campaign. Heck, maybe Mr. Ladocuer will seek enabling legislation that allows you to simply be appointed. Who needs those pesky voters anyway?

    Thursday, September 17, 2015 Report this

  • longtimewarwickite

    if the council/mayor is going to appoint the school committee who, in return, report to them, then why bother having a school committee at all? why not just have the council act as school committee? keep the committee members as elected officials....just elect new members...the current members need to go!!!!!

    Thursday, September 17, 2015 Report this

  • patientman

    Anyone who supports taking away the voters right to choose our school committee isn't fit for office. The city council sets the budget and the school committee has to figure out where to allocate the money. I'm not happy with the school committee's decision to delay consolidation. And in 2016 I will be looking to show my disapproval at the voting booth.

    Friday, September 18, 2015 Report this

  • spope66

    Thats right. Put control of the schools in the hands of the city council who has been stealing money from the school budget for about 5 years. This way Mayor Avedesian will be able to force the schools to do what he wants and refuse to fund them. Mayor Avedesian would be able to put even more pliable puppets in place. This would be even worse than the level of destructiveness that this incompetent school committee has put the people or Warwick through. Granted the tax payers havent been to smart in re-electing the same incompetent puppets time after time, but at least Avedesian has to struggle a little when trying to kill the schools.

    Friday, September 18, 2015 Report this

  • Reality

    Hi Corrente......have you cleaned off your brown nose yet......you think you should be Mayor but your can't see what is going on.....Fast Eddie Ladoceur , Vella Wilkinson, Traves and Usler haven't had a creative idea since they have been on the council. Just reviewed my tax bill and noticed it went up again this year with NO money going to the schools.

    Fast Eddie Ladoceur , Vella-Wilkinson and Travis fought the closing of Vets but now they castigate the school dept. for not addressing school issues.....What hypocrites.....Usler is now in the mix but they must tell her when to show up but rest assured she has no idea what is being discussed ....it 's over her head but it doesn't matter because she said at budget hearings Warwick schools are horrible and she is leaving Warwick. Her articulation was disgraceful and laughable.

    So Richard......stop your sucking up and give us your plan. You attend all the council hearings but we never hear you speak.

    Friday, September 18, 2015 Report this

  • Pmaloneyjr

    Ed Ladouceur doesn't know what it takes to run the schools. The Mayor chooses not to know what it takes to run the schools. The City council doesn't know what it takes to run the schools as the have never had to do the job. State law requires the SC to have a balanced budget at the end of the year. The city doesn't have to do that and they are lucky. The city gets to over spend their budget EVERY year and raid the rainy day fund and raise taxes and take all the money to cover their over spending. The Schools do not get the same luxury.

    In 2009 the city budget was $69 Milliion, it is now in 2015 about $119 Million. Do you really want an appointed SC? How much does the Appointed Sewer Authority owe the City?

    http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20140519/NEWS/305199985

    "The overall budget includes a school budget of about $158 million and level-funds the city’s share of school spending at about $119 million."

    Get your facts straight. Mr Corrente, you asked me to support you in your run for Mayor. If you support an appointed SC, I can not support you. Sorry. The voters should have the right to decide who represents them.

    Friday, September 18, 2015 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    Best thing to do would be to get rid of the Mayor, Council, and School Committee. We need less government in our lives so lets start locally.

    Monday, September 21, 2015 Report this

  • richardcorrente

    Folks,

    Aren't the City Council members elected BY THE TAXPAYERS? Don't they represent the needs of THE TAXPAYERS? Don't they speak FOR THE TAXPAYERS? And if you ask Mr. Ladouceur if we always agree it will make him laugh. 'cause we don't! But in this case, he suggests a better idea than the one we have now and as vocal as I am when I disagree with him (and others) I have to be just as vocal when I agree with an idea. I don't believe, as Norm88 writes that this will be "taking away the tax payers right". I believe it will strengthen those rights.

    As to Davet1107, you are right about the tax increases but I'm not sure I blame the "cast of characters" as much as you do. The Mayor negotiates too much behind closed doors, claims that "no Mayor has anything to do with" the $160,000,000 school budget and is in my opinion the biggest reason for our fiscal woes.

    I support total transparancy. I will involve the "taxpayers" representatives AKA the "City Council" whenever we spend the tasxpayer's money. I believe the Mayor is the biggest problem and I'm running to change that. How about you Pmaloneyjr? Want to be part of the solution? I think Justanidiot is on the right track. I think we need "less government", maybe not "no government" but "less".

    Thank you all for your comments. We all need to participate to improve this city.

    Stay well.

    Rick

    Thursday, September 24, 2015 Report this

  • Norm88

    Mr. Corrente,

    You could not be more off base as to what the taxpayers (voters) of Warwick are looking for and I am sorry to say in the long run that will be your downfall. We the people of Warwick are tired of the Ole boys network which at the present time based on your comments here in the Beacon you’re going out of the way to Pander to the city council.... Less government does not mean removing the checks and balances in place nor does it mean those in power putting who they want in place... If you sir truly want to help this city and its tax payers make the budget go through a referendum process so we all can "participate to improve this city". Push for term limits for all elected officials. To name a few things that would help, but I fear that the fact is your sheep in wolfs clothing and in talking to my friends and neighbors in the city they have the same worries.

    Monday, September 28, 2015 Report this