By JOHN HOWELL
After being in the same job as director of school transportation for 45 years, Steve O’Haire cleaned out his desk Friday and headed toward retirement to take on a …
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After being in the same job as director of school transportation for 45 years, Steve O’Haire cleaned out his desk Friday and headed toward retirement to take on a “number of projects” he’s been meaning to get to.
He’s not alone, although he is surely the employee with the longest tenure in Warwick schools to be leaving the department. His was one of 16 retirements, resignations or unrestricted leaves of absence approved Thursday night by the Warwick School Committee.
In an interview Friday, Superintendent Philip Thornton viewed the exodus as part of the cycle of transition and an opportunity to restructure some aspects of the department. In fact, that has already started with Camely Machado assuming the overall management of transportation in addition to the multiple non-academic tasks she already oversees.
Thornton said the transportation system is in the process of implementing a new software system that will improve routing. Machado will be working with two others in transportation thus increasing staffing by one, Thornton said.
While a course of action has been laid out for transportation, which gained committee endorsement on Thursday, Thornton is still considering how to handle the departure of Robert Littlefield, director of secondary education, on Jan. 3.
Littlefield, who has a 45-year career in education, was picked by Thornton to head Warwick’s secondary schools in 2016. He is leaving Warwick schools to assume the job of executive director of the Rhode Island School Principals Association.
Options Thornton is considering, in addition to the naming of a director of secondary schools, include an assistant superintendent or a CAO (chief academic officer). He named the accreditation of Toll Gate and Pilgrim high schools as priorities, noting that the New England Association of Schools and Colleges team that visited Toll Gate last spring has noted some deficiencies, although the association has not issued a final report. Pilgrim is slightly later in the accreditation review, but Thornton anticipates many of the same issues relating to facilities to be raised.
“There are infrastructure issues with both buildings…deficiencies,” he said.
He also said he has concerns over curriculum assessments at the two high schools. Thornton expects he’ll have a vision of how he wants to proceed soon after the new year.
While the number of departures from the system seemed high for a single committee meeting, Thornton thought it was actually lower than what it could have been for the time of year. Retirements take a bump at the end of the year because that is the time when pension benefits become available. However, with pension reform, many employees are working longer in order to enjoy their full benefits upon retirement.
O’Haire said he chose to retire now because it made sense from the standpoint of his pension.
While O’Haire has experienced some trying times, including the rescue of students from snowbound buses during the Blizzard of 1978, he said the most stressful aspect of the job comes at the beginning of the school year. Despite efforts to route and schedule buses on the basis of registered students, there are the unexpected developments of late registrants, shifts in routes because of construction and simply the time it takes to develop a routine. O’Haire likens it to shutting down a factory for the summer and then reopening it in the fall. It takes time for everything to get back up and running smoothly.
Over his tenure, O’Haire said he’s seen a lot of change, noting in particular the consolidation of schools as overall enrollment has declined from nearly 20,000 to less than 9,000 and the closure of parochial schools. The number of students bused has dropped from a high of 9,000 in 1974 to 6,500 today.
One of the departures, Winman Middle School science teacher Carolyn Higgins, results from an entirely new position at the Rhode Island Department of Education. The committee granted Higgins an unrestricted leave of absence to take on the role of STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – specialist at RIDE. Higgins appeared before the committee, saying she will miss teaching but is excited about the job she will take on. She thanked the committee for the absence as it allows her to return in the event the state job doesn’t work out.
According to RIDE, the STEM specialist will work with stakeholders to set a vision for STEM education in Rhode Island and is responsible for supporting PK-12 schools in implementing STEM instruction and establishing strong alignment between school and district STEM programming, career education, and higher education and industry efforts.
The changes also allow for an unusual shift of roles between mother and daughters.
Maureen Mottola retired as a teacher assistant at Greenwood School. On Thursday, the committee appointed her twin daughters, Sara and Megan, as teacher assistants at Greenwood. As Cathy Bonang, secretary to the superintendent, joked, “It takes two to do the work of one mom.”
Also retiring are the following: Katherine Fielder, teacher assistant at Park with 15 years; Leslie Brugnoli, teacher assistant at Scott with 19 years, Deidre Bissonette, teacher at Greenwood with 27 years; James Hovey, social studies teacher at Pilgrim with 29 years; Monique Keohane, diagnostician at the Warwick Early Learning Center with 23 years; Fred Aldrich, courier with 22 years; Becky Grienhiewcz, guidance secretary at Pilgrim with 26 years; Leslie Laplante, Winman custodian with 16 years; Paul Rabbiatti custodian with 36 years; Deb McGovern, secretary to special education with 26 years; and Denise Martin, executive secretary in finance with 25 years.
In addition to Littlefield, the committee accepted the resignations of Margaret Way, a physical education teacher at Winman with 10 years, and Frederick Aldrich Jr., a network analyst with administration with 17 years of service.
12 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Justanidiot
he is planning on realigning by hiring a hole new slew of administrators with six figure salaries.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Report this
Warwick_Resident1998
So what is the cost to the city for a teacher to stay on the books and work at another job?
Is she still getting paid for vacations, longevity, and is the city still providing healthcare?
It must be nice to have so many extra teachers.......
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Report this
JohnStark
I wish these people well. But the notion that someone leaves a job, with the option to return in the event the new gig "doesn’t work out" is patently absurd. Did no one ask some rather pointed questions? It either goes to the Smoke and Mirrors approach of the school department, or some bizarre provision in the union contract. Either way, it's inexcusable.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Report this
Jsimmy230
Last name Highins. In Sewer of Warwick politics and City employees going back many years, there is no doubt this Higgins is in that family chain.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019 Report this
bill123
Realign this:
“The District should expend considerable time and effort educating Warwick officials regarding the need to increase funding to a District with already among the highest per pupil expenditures in the State” (12/5/2019 report about School Dept, from law firm of Barton Gilman)
Wednesday, January 1, 2020 Report this
RISchadenfreude
The largest increased expenditure of the last 30-40 years has been administration...there are as many, if not more, secretaries and other administrative types as there are teachers per school, if not more in some cases.
It makes the idea of one retiring and being replaced by two (plus the nepotism factor) all the more galling.
I feel pity for the Warwick residents whose tax dollars go to pay administrators who use a position in Warwick as a stepping stone to another post after a short period of time, caring little for the students and job they leave behind...so much for dedication.
Thursday, January 2, 2020 Report this
Momoftwo
For those of you questioning Mrs Higgins’s leave: RI gen laws allow teachers to take a leave. The leave only holds a spot for the teacher to return, no compensation or benefits are paid during the leave. In fact, the teacher who takes her spit will be paid less, saving the schools money. I wish her well in the new job.
Friday, January 3, 2020 Report this
Jsimmy230
Ms Claire. If State Law allows this, then State Law needs to change. Period.
All government workers should have no more rights than those afforded to the very residents that pay their salaries. The average Joe taxpayer doesn't get the right to a leave of absence, to try another job to see how it goes, and have their POSITION held for their return in case they don't like it, or it ends for whatever reason. This is the problem with public union rights that the taxpayers don't enjoy. It's a sham!
Friday, January 3, 2020 Report this
Justanidiot
leave of absence is meant for a teacher to go and further their education, not take another job and if it doesn't work out come crawling back to your lair. misuse of this law. i call fraud.
Friday, January 3, 2020 Report this
Momoftwo
The law is specifically for teachers who opt to go into admin or to work for RIDE. If RI did not have this law, who would enter into either of these? Teaching and being an administrator are completely different jobs. If a good teacher could not be afforded the opportunity to go back, we would only have people going into these positions for the wrong reasons. It costs the school department nothing.
Friday, January 3, 2020 Report this
Jsimmy230
Didn't you say their replacement costs less? Therefore it cost the taxpayers. Let the State hire RIDE employees, and if teachers want to work for RIDE, or become administrators, then retire your position, no leaves to do it, and take that job no matter how it turns out. Ms Claire, stop making excuses for the inexcusable. It's all BS, and you know it.
Friday, January 3, 2020 Report this
PatrickRamsey
How clueless is Phil Thornton? Every year, the taxpayer cost to operate schools has gone up by millions (with an s). Warwick residents are angered that we keep paying more and more for under-performing schools.
I thought they already had Assistant Superintendents?
Director of Secondary
Director of Elementary
Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment, and MTSS
Director of Special Services
Director of Technology
Director of Athletics
Geesh, any more administrators and they'll be no more work for Phil Thornton to do.
Oh, I get it now.
Saturday, January 4, 2020 Report this