To the Editor,

Council President McAllister’s invitation to Superintendent Dambruch and team to address the City Council on 4 December was a welcomed development for those who see education as a total city concern.  Perhaps it was presumptive to think that an initial presentation would have been followed by a robust dialogue, at least between the Council Members and the School Administration.  As it was, the presentations seemed rushed, no doubt to fall within an agreed-upon time limit.  It became clear towards the end of the meeting why the WPS presentation had a tight limit: time was needed for the Council to debate a critical issue of binders and photocopies. At 33 minutes, this discussion was more than twice as long as the District’s presentation (16 minutes). This is the stuff of satire.

Had there been time follow-up dialogue, below are some of the issues that might have been discussed (these statistics are from RIDE and RIPEC’s recent education report):

What is the timeline for returning to pre-pandemic (2019) levels on district-wide RICAS scores in ELA (meeting/exceeding: 37.9% and 31%, for 2019 and 2023 scores respectively)? Returning to 2019 levels requires a 22% increase ... and would require a >60% increase to achieve even just 50%.

In Math, what is the timeline for achieving 50% meeting/exceeding? The 2023 score of 27% is now even (relative to 2019’s 26.5%) but still at a crisis level in absolute terms (and grade 8, about to enter high school, scored a disastrous 11.5%!).

What are the measurable expectations of the new curriculum implementations, including those related to the very welcomed “Right to Read” mandate?

WPS cannot control, of course, a drop in the school-age population from 2010 to 2020 of 11.3%, but what will the response be to projected school-age populations?

How is Warwick responding to the WPS census drop from 2019 to 2023 of -8.1%?

Much of this is controllable. The home-schooled children population in Warwick (already the highest in the state) increased a very concerning 82% from 2019 to 2021 to 301 students.  What are the root causes of this and have more recent statistics shown a meaningful reversal of this trend?

How is Warwick addressing its issues with “chronic absenteeism” (defined as a student missing >10% of the school year? For 2022-23 Warwick’s rate has been 30.3%, a level that puts Warwick closer to “core urban” districts than to suburban districts.

What are the root causes of the increase in the number of resident students enrolled in other public school districts? This figure has increased to 86 students, a 20-student increase from 2019, or 30%.  If we are losing students due to the arguments that other districts offer unique programs, do we advocate for such programs ourselves or appeal RIDE decisions? Tuition dollars follow the student (rough estimate: ~$2M).

How is Warwick responding to the significant increase in the number of students on IEPs? How is Warwick responding to the national trend of an increased need for mental health services in schools since the pandemic?

Before budget season is once more upon us, effective dialogue on these and related issues would improve the quality of priority setting and resource allocation for the benefit of all citizens, most importantly, the children of Warwick. Of course, we should celebrate achievements and the many “green shoots” that bring energy and promise, but we need to address the critical needs of the students of Warwick with the frankness and objectivity that good dialogue could bring.

Bob Grant

Warwick