Dear school committee and Mr. Ward, we just floated an 80 million dollar bond to build two new middle schools for our children. It is filled with new computer labs, science labs and a great library. But the superintendent wants to move half of the children out of there to make room for her office workers from the admin building? This doesn't even make sense in my wildest thoughts! Please do something!!

Why is it that the City of Woonsocket's School Committee(s) seem to be incapable of hiring a School Superintendent capable of doing the job he/she was hired for. Since Woonsocket seems to be incapable of running our schools, let's turn the school system over to the state. If the school budget was due on March 1, why was Maguire-Forcier given an extension until May 11? If Donoyon doesn't submit her budget by the end of the week (May 4th), get rid of her.

It's time to call in the state. The government is dysfunctional and will only hurt its citizens.
Enough already.

Perhaps some of you wil remember that the Mayor has reported to the Council that he allowed the Supt. to be late with her budget. This was at least two Council mtgs. ago. More and more it seems the Mayor wants receivership. He is up to something, lying to the Council, not contacting retires, not allowing dept. heads to answer questions, always interjecting in their comments, etc. What is his agenda?

As a tax payer and parent I am appalled at the superintendent's ideas. We built these schools to give our children the best education possible and the fact that she wants one for her offices shows her focus is on her and not the children. This plan MUST not go through!

If my boss had given me a deadline of doing something in March, and by May I have not done it.....I would not expect to still be in the good graces of my boss!! Between that and this plan of hers changing the schools around, I think that rethinking her employment is probably a good idea.

The lack of urgency by the Supt is alarming...the city is teetering on the brink of insolvency. Fire her.

This is what the city of Woonsocket needs.

Director of Consolidated Finance East Providence Municipal Government and School Department The City of East Providence is seeking a qualified candidate for the consolidated position of Finance Director. Under the direction of the City Manager and the Superintendent of Schools, this position assumes responsibility for the direction, planning, coordination and administration of all financial affairs of the city, including its school department.

The School Committee time and again failed to hire Mike Jolin, who would have been an excellent superintendant for the city. He is smart, well-educated, and knows the community very well. Instead, the School Committee opted for a more business-minded individual without the educational credentials and experience required for facing the challenges of working in a poor community like our own. The City officials (the Mayor, the City Council, and the School Committee) from the 1960s to the present have let Woonsocket fall so far into a black hole with their antiquated ideas of government, their suffocating nostalgia for an imagined past, and their blinkered "vision" for the future born of their limited and flawed sense as to what a city needs to thrive and grow.

...that it will take a miracle to find our way out.

This woman is a wack job and doesn't need to be the superintendent. She needs to be fired. Anyone in that position that does not comply with what they are being asked for are insubordinate and needs to loose their job. This would not stand up in any job, why should it in hers.

Just a question have they hired anyone to replace Busbey yet? If the answer is no then how can they expect the superintendent to do everything on her own. Get some help for her so she can do the budget instead of always trying to fire people. Hey maybe Mr. Ward can volunteer to help her out a bit because he is Mr. Wonderful and a financial genius.

From looking at the slide deck attached to this story, it appears the 2013 budget has already been defined and is in the 70 - 74 million dollar range. If I'm not mistaken, that's 10 - 14 million dollars more than what was budgeted for in 2012. If the numbers work out, that's another tax increase of approximately 800 - 1200 dollars to every property tax payer in Woonsocket? Do we call that the final nail?

First of all it the Superintendent is working without a "deputy superintendent", and a "finance director". It is the finance director's job to make a balanced budget. I understand the need to get a budget but without the help she needs, it isn't fair to say she should fired. One of the three plans needs to be accepted in order to figure out the staffing, busing, and utilities. She didn't create this problem, the department has been underfunded for years.

I agree that we will never see the day but if that crazy funding formula was truly fair we wouldn't be in this situation. Stop making the rich richer and the poor poorer. The state and federal government should have no choice but to help us out, too bad it probably won't happen. It's the ones in the state house that live in Barrington, Newport, and East Greenwich that have way too much power. My grandchildren deserve what the other kids are getting in those communities yet they don't even come close. Good thing they have teachers that at least care about their well-being. I cannot ever say anything bad about any of their teachers, they are hard-working and truly dedicated. Not sure what goes on at that McFee building but I know first-hand that my grandchildren are cared for and educated especially with what they are missing in the technology and other area.

The school administration building is a waste of taxpayer’s monies. City Hall has vacant rooms which could be utilized by the education department. What’s the problem, they do not want to be near the Mayor and City Council? Time to cut expenses and save money.

I still want to know what the Mayor is up to when he tells the Council one thing over and over, but never follows through on what he says, ie meetings, cuts, etc. Does he want to be the receiver? The State would probably do that, put the person who put us here from his 20 years as Council Pres. and Mayor, let him have sole authority.

Mr. Ward,
I also am against using WMS Hamlet as an office building for Woonsocket Education. Both of those buildings were built as middle school and should remain middle schools.
I can understand, however, that the McFee administration building on High St. is old and it may be a good idea to close it. Would it be possible to move those offices to City Hall if space is available?

I wonder whether there are any conditions in the Federal funding grant for these structures which would prohibit this use and potentially cause us big problems.

if there is room in City hall the School Dept. should move in. There will be a lot more communication.

Of course it was on cue......hasn't everyone noticed the ties between S. Comm. and City Council??????? When I voted I thought I was voting for 2 different Committees, obviously NOT.

We as teachers have given up a lot and also have taken on more work in school without extra pay or common planning time to do all of the new requirements. I really am sick and tired of the teachers taking the rap for the City's woes. As if it not enough the Adm. wants to move into the Hamlet building and use two other school to put fith and sixth graders who are they kidding this isn't about the students it's about them. If it were about the students there wouldn't be plan A, plan B, or plan C. they would do what is right for the students. I say get off your self appointed duffs and do the right thing. Let alone allowing the teacher's and students to hang by their fingertips wondering what the heck is going to happen and where will they be going. It is difficult enough to teach in the final days but with the added burden of lay offs, what school will I be going to, will I get paid. Ther is only so much a person can take and I for one have had enough. Get with it and do something for the kids, do the right thing.

It is time to STOP blaming Dr. Donoyan for all that has gone wrong within the school department! She has inherited this problem. Think about it, what person in their right mind would want to come to this city if they just fire her. Dr. Donoyan is trying her best, but she is continuously put off by the school committee as they keep table-ling all the major issue such as calling the teachers back. We still have no teachers for the 2012-2013 school year. Instead of complaining about what Dr. Donoyan is projecting, come forward and present reasonable options that could work. What the city has done in the past has not worked its time to look at NEW options. At least she is trying. What have you done to help solve the problem, besides pay higher taxes?

Dr. Donoyan AND the School Committee are not completely at fault for this mess. Reduced and unfair state funding are the major cause. However, Dr. Donoyan AND the School Committee are responsible for the following:
1. Not screaming loud and long for all to hear that the budget was obviously inadequate.
2. Allowing a situation to persist in which only ONE person could tell us the status of the budget- against every sound principle of management and accounting
3. Delaying decisive action to put someone in place who could tell us the status of the budget.

Yes, she may be trying and may be butting her head against a brick wall...perhaps she should submit the budget that is on hand without the changes. Maybe the CC and SC with Fontaine should all sit down together and work on it, TOGETHER. It isn't just ONE persons problem. As far as redistricting, Leave McFee alone, and get the schools straightened out with classes and staff. Closing one or two small buildings is NOT going to reduce the deficit that much. It's just plain WRONG to uproot students i.e.Bernon and put administration in classrooms that were built for the students needs. I am just so feed up with the self serving administrations in thiscity...we can save millions by REGIONALIZING...front line teachers, staff, and infastructure stays the same...Top heavy weight hits the road. If jobs should be cut, start there!

Mae, you are correct that regionalization would address many issues. One challenge, though-which of our neighbors would want to forma partnership with us. North Smithfield? Cumberland? See what I mean?

This is again causing such a headache. I do agree with someone in here that Donoyan should stop trying to be so clever with this confusing set of options. I love the idea of full day K, I would even be okay with some reconfiguring of the schools, closing a school and the Mcfee building, to save money. But not this year. We just need a simple plan today. I do think however she was screwed before she got here. I also don't think her budget should be like Gerardi's last year which was way off. Did anyone one of our elected officials last year stop to ask Gerardi how $59,000,000 was magically going to replace a budget which was, what $70,000,000 for the previous years? One of them might have, I forget now. The point is Donoyan has 3 options on the table costing between $70,000,00 and $78,000,000. The $78,000,000 being the one with no changes. The school committee needs to pick one or reject all of them. At least they all seems to be realistic numbers based on what the actual spending has been for the last few years. If they reject them all and fire her, she can tell the people at her next job interview that she did her best and presented realistic budget options to Woonsocket and still be able to say none of Woonsocket's deficit was her fault and she will probably land on her feet. And we will be without a superintendent again.
Well there's always the War Monument rally to look forward to people. Let's enjoy our coming together on something positive.

Dr. Donoyan walked into a huge mess and has presented plans. Are all painless? Of course not, but they are viable options. All superintendents perpetually juggle the 5 Bs (budget, bussing, buildings, bureaucrats, and bullxxxx). Instead of complaining, why don't those spewing vitriolic venom help her?

If she is let go, what's your funding plan then (in addition to the legal ramifications?)