Monday, November 26, 2012
New director must earn state curriculum certification within six months.
Editor's note: This article uses quotes taken from audio clips of the School Committee's Nov. 20 meeting at Mywoonsocket.com's "In Their Own Words" section. You can listen to the entire meeting at thier site. Woonsocket Middle School Principal Patrick McGee will be the school department's new director of curriculum following a School Committee vote approving the promotion Nov. 14. On July 26, Carolyn Dias, RIDE's chief of fiscal integrity and efficiencies, told the Budget Commission the school department needed the position, budgeted at about $100,000, to handle curriculum, bringing the district in line with the Common Core Curriculum standards RIDE has set a 2014 deadline to meet. School principals in Woonsocket start at $89,000 …
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Woonsocket Middle School at Hamlet/Villa Nova
60 Florence Dr, Woonsocket, RI
/articles/patrick-mcgee-named-curriculum-director-for-woonsocket-schools
1718836
/locations/8218308
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The School Committee kept the school open despite several costly fire code violations and the superintendent's recommendation to shut it down.
- SCHOOLS
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Thursday, August 9, 2012
Fifth Avenue students get to keep their school. The Woonsocket School Committee voted against closing the Fifth Avenue elementary school Wednesday night, even though it could cost the district millions of dollars to bring the building up to code, wpri.com reports. There are reportedly several fire violations at the school, including the lack of a sprinkler system. Some reports estimate it could cost the city more than $2 million to bring the school up to code. Closing the oldest school in the city could have saved the city about $198,000 every year. Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan had recommended the school close permanently in order to save money. But committee members voted to keep the century-old school open. "I think there's an …
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-71.52898
Fifth Avenue Elementary
65 5th Ave, Woonsocket, RI
/articles/committee-keeps-fifth-ave-school-open
1718831
/locations/7593054
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
All four members present approve document, second passage to be scheduled.
The Woonsocket School Committee voted for first passage of their draft budget totalling $69,850,000 tonight. School Committee Chair Anita Forcier-McGuire was not present because she and Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan are attending a conference. The remaining members unanimously voted for first passage. The next step in the process, said Committee member Chris Roberts, is second passage, which could happen as early as Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. That vote will be strictly pass/fail, he said. Any needed changes discovered now will be included as an amendment. "What we had last year was unrealistic," Committee Vice Chair Vimala Phongsavanh said. Earlier Wednesday, City Finance Director Thomas Bruce echoed her assessment. He said the…
42.004722
-71.500708
Woonsocket Middle School at Hamlet/Villa Nova
60 Florence Dr, Woonsocket, RI
/articles/woonsocket-school-committee-continues-draft-budget-review
1718836
/locations/7084854
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Ward told members of joint Council, School Committee working session that bill could get second shot.
City Council President John Ward told members of the Council and School Committee Wednesday that the act authorizing the city to issue new tax bills could get another chance May 22. Ward spoke during a Council working session at Town Hall last night, with School Committee Chair Anita Forcier-Mcguire, School Committee Vice Chair Vimala Phongsavanh and Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan present. He said he'd spoken with Rep. Jon Brien (Dist. 50, Woonsocket) earlier Wednesday and had learned the Finance Committee might be considering the act again as early as next Tuesday. The Finance Committee tabled the authorizing legislation Tuesday, May 15. "It usually means that the bill is killed," when a committee tables a bill for further study, said …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Mayor, Council President answer questions about need for supplemental tax bill.
The House Finance Committee has tabled the act authorizing a supplemental tax bill after hearing city and state officials speak for it and two citizens opposing the measure. The act, S2872, would authorize officials to raise as much as $6.6 million for the financially strapped city. Without it, Woonsocket will be out of money by the end of the month. A hearing on the matter aired today during a Capitol TV broadcast. After the Committee heard from and questioned Woonsocket Mayor Leo Fontaine and Woonsocket City Council President John Ward, the cause for the supplemental tax got support from the state, but testimony from two Woonsocket citizens ended the hearing on a note of opposition. Susan Greschner, chief of municipal finance for the …
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Saturday working session examines line items in determining final figure.
As Woonsocket's School Committee reviewed a draft $64 million budget in advance of an anticipated vote on the document Monday, the final figure was increasing. Nearly two hours in, the Committee had already added two $89,000 elementary school principal positions at Savoy and Harris Schools to the mix, in anticipation of thawing out a hiring freeze. The Committee also added $550,000 for a capital budget, which would cover the biggest ticket item on a laundry list of needed fixes: a new boiler for Bernon Heights Elementary School with a likely cost of $500,000. The original request on the capital budget was $860,000. At $550,000, Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan said, if they are forced to fix the boiler, "If one other thing happens, we'll …
42.004722
-71.500708
Woonsocket Middle School at Hamlet/Villa Nova
60 Florence Dr, Woonsocket, RI
/articles/woonsocket-school-committee-reviews-draft-budget
1718836
/locations/6997518
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Draft budget will be ready May 11, Committee declines to ask for Donoyan's ouster.
Tom Sweeney of B&E Consulting reported he'll have a draft FY 2012-13 budget ready for the Woonsocket School Committee early on May 11, too late to meet a new deadline for delivering the document to the city. Instead, the School Committee is planning to have the budget ready for the city by May 14. The May 11 deadline was agreed to on Monday by City Council President John Ward and School Committee Chair Anita Forcier-McGuire. Ward asked the School Committee on Monday to fire Donoyan if she didn't deliver a budget by that time. The School Committee didn't do that, and didn't acknowledge that part of Ward's resolution during the meeting. After, neither Forcier-McGuire nor Committee Vice Chair Vimala Phongsavanh said they were considering …
Monday, April 16, 2012
Councilors to consider ballot question asking if School Committee should be appointed.
Tonight's City Council meeting looks like it will be a long one. Councilors have an agenda that includes four claims against the city for damages, word of new grants to aid the homeless and improve Cass Park, and a proposal to alter the city charter making the School Committee an appointed body. Woonsocket will recieve $105,521 from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for homeless prevention, rapid rehousing and emergency shelter. The city will also recieve $125,000 from the RI Department of Envrionmental Management for improvements to Cass Pond. The grant will fund upgrading the pond, replacing timber edging, rubberizing a walking path, solar powered lights and fountain filtration. The Council will also consider a ballot …
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-71.51371
Woonsocket City Hall
169 Main St, Woonsocket, RI
/articles/city-council-to-talk-damage-claims-homeless-grant-charter-amendments
505492
/locations/6816991
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Phongsavanh: Chronically absent at risk of becoming "The Element."
Students at Woonsocket High School could soon be facing tougher standards, as the School Committee is mulling plans to crack down on absenteeism and raise passing grade requirements. Committee member Vimala Phongsavanh raised both those issues during a Wednesday night meeting at the Woonsocket Middle School on Hamlet Street. She plans to have subcommitees develop proposed policies that could be adopted by the School Commitee later this spring. "The chronic absenteeism rate for students at the high school is now 48 percent, or 822 students," Phongsavanh said. The chronic absenteeism rate for the entire Woonsocket school system is 31 percent. According to Phongsavanh, the chronically absent are at risk of becoming part of "The Element," a …
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Agenda features talk on changing passing score back to 70.
School Committee member Vimala Phongsavanh is introducing a proposal during tonight's meeting of the board to raise the threshold for a passing grade at Woonsocket High School from 60 to 70. The Woonsocket Call reports the agenda item will include a discussion of how the passing grade change to 60 has worked out. The change went into effect last year, which in essence would have aided about 30 Woonsocket High School Seniors in making graduation that year. The committee will also discuss the district's attendance policy. Check the attached agenda for a full list of items for tonight's meeting, 7 p.m. at the Woonsocket Middle School's Hamlet Building, 60 Florence Drive. Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the effect of …
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-71.500708
Woonsocket Middle School at Hamlet/Villa Nova
60 Florence Dr, Woonsocket, RI
/articles/school-committee-to-discuss-moving-passing-grade-threshhold
1718836
/locations/6809530
42.00346
-71.51508
City of Woonsocket Department of Education
108 High St, Woonsocket, RI
/articles/school-committee-to-discuss-moving-passing-grade-threshhold
505279
/locations/6809531
XBOXONE RULES
8:34 pm on Thursday, November 29, 2012
ok click on the common core curriclum thats listed in the article more ›