Letters To the Editor

Woonsocket School Committee Chair: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Anita McGuire-Forcier: Committee members playing political games Instead of working to fix school department budget.

  A resolution to change our by-laws in order to oust the chairperson by a majority vote instead of a super majority clearly shows that we are witnessing a political game.  This change will mean the school committee can play musical chairs.  So, the chairperson and or vice-chairperson will need to go along to get along or they will be voted out. If a member wants to control the agenda, he/she doesn’t need to be the chairperson; all they need is two votes of support and put their ideas on the agenda in order to get their way. Why is this political power play necessary? It is not. Let me remind everyone of what the Woonsocket Education Department has been faced with in 2012.  Our finance department was completely in disarray.  Nobody, not …

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russell archambault

2:44 pm on Sunday, July 29, 2012

Leaving no child behind, is a cute phrase.The problem is the system forces to push the child ahead without a proper education.Beleive it or not i wouldnt blame the teachers. Try looking at who,s fault it really is. If a child cant read or write properly or do simple math or simple other task, try asking how long the mother or father,if you can find him, how long they spend with the child after …   more ›

School Department To Clear 2012 Bills By Week's End

Budget Commission approves payment schedule using $12 million in advanced state aid.

  The Woonsocket Budget Commission approved a payment schedule bringing the Woonsocket School Department current on its 2012 bills using $12.4 million in advanced state aid from April, May and June of next year. With this move, said RI Director of Revenue Rosemary Booth Gallogly, the Budget Commission has bought some time to sort out the city's long-term finances. Among those long-view problems is the School Department's liquidity during the next fiscal year, when they'll be short the state aid advanced to them from next April, May and June. "Obviously we're going to be thinking about what's going to happen in April," when the school department's state aid will have already been paid to creditors owed from 2012, said Superintendent …

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XBOXONE RULES

10:17 am on Wednesday, July 4, 2012

what is going on around here, Some of this is either made up or dillusional, leave the superintendent out of it she's working with Ms.Forcier and RIDE to fix the problem and you guys are still griping, there's no middle for you it's either our way (the tax payer way)or the highway well that is why our city continues to struggle to move forward and stay years behind the rest of the other cities …   more ›

School Committee Votes To Allow Reorganization On Majority Vote

Chairwoman Anita McGuire-Forcier tells fellow members to "grow up."

  School Committee Vice Chair Vimala D. Phongsavanh said Wednesday she's interested in taking over as chair of the board if Chair Anita McGuire-Forcier is voted out. After the Woonsocket School Committee voted to allow reorganization at any time on a majority vote during Wednesday's meeting, that seems likely. The Woonsocket Budget Commission was seeking legal advice on whether they had the authority to block the re-organization, but did not take action on the matter this week. Two votes during the School Committee's next meeting, one to re-organize, another to elect a new chair, are required to name a new chair, said McGuire-Forcier. She said both could happen during the same meeting. Audio of the meeting can be reviewed at Mywoonsocket.…

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DonQ

6:37 pm on Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Also keep in mind that Vimala was the lone vote against asking the state to take over the Woonsocket School System. As I have stated before, I am firmly convinced the Vimala and John Ward know that the deficit was caused by more than poor financial management. They have just been fighting too hard to prevent an outside investigation. II also feel very confident that Marc Dubois ghad a huge hand …   more ›

Budget Commission Advances State Aid Again For $12 Million

Move allows school department to pay all vendors, pending Commission approval.

  The Woonsocket Budget Commission voted to advance $12 million in state aid to Woonsocket Schools from 2013 this morning at City Hall, allowing the district to pay its current creditors at the cost of next year's education funding. Officials said that while the move solves the immediate problem of unpaid vendors, it also makes balancing the city's future budget harder. Commissioner Peder Schaefer said the move would take the pressure off the commission, but RI Director of Revenue Rosemary Booth Gallogly and Council President John Ward, also a commission member, said they didn't see it that way. Gallogly said she saw it as an opportunity to make sure the school department's vendors got paid, but the funds would still come out of the town's…

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UPDATE: School Committee Vice Chair Says Board Should Handle Deficits

Vimala Phongsavanh cast sole vote against request for state takeover of schools.

School Committee Vice Chair Vimala Phongsavanh, who cast the lone dissenting vote on a resolution asking the state to take over Woonsocket Schools Wednesday night, thinks the board should handle its deficit crisis itself. The resolution, introduced by Committee Chair Anita Forcier-McGuire and Committee member Chris Roberts, passed 4 to 1. Elliot Krieger, communications director for RIDE Commissioner Deborah Gist, spoke to RIFuture.org about the process, noting there are legal steps required before the state would step in. A FAQ document on the state's education funding formula (see attached .pdf) states, "While RI General Law (R.I.G.L.) 16-1-10 allows districts to petition RIDE to assume the supervision, control, and management of the …

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Speakers React To Supplemental Tax Defeat Before Budget Commission

Public speaking portion of meeting draws suggestions for next steps to fix deficit.

  Reactions to the recent defeat of the supplemental tax bill during this afternoon's Budget Commission meeting at City Hall included some suggestions on the panel's next step. The Commission began with a reading of Director of Revenue Rosemary Booth Gallogly's statement in response to the bill's demise. "Representatives Baldelli-Hunt, Brien, and Phillips have done their city and their constituents no favors by failing to agree to what is necessary to begin to take steps to truly address the significant challenges facing Woonsocket," Gallogly said, in part. First up was Woonsocket Firefighter Michael Morin. "I stand here before you frustrated, as many of you," Morin said. He said he was disgusted by the House delegation's willingness to …

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Durham School Services Asks Budget Commission For Back Pay

About $900,000 owed to the company for school bus services.

  Stephen Schmuck, region vice president for Durham School Services, Woonsocket Schools bus service contractor, asked the Budget Commission for a timely resolution to the $906,000 bill owed to them by the district Monday. "This is a major concern of ours," Schmuck said during the start of the Comission's 8 a.m. meeting on the third floor of City Hall, "I don't know how much we can go on." At the moment, there is no action to extend the contract with the company to provide bus service to Woonsocket Schools in the fall, "...and I don't know who will be," Schmuck said. Giovanna Donoyan, Superintendent of Woonsocket Schools, said the district had reached out to a local contractor to see if they would provide services if Durham were to stop. …

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Woonsocket City Councilors Spar Over Taxes, Budget Cuts

Ward, Beauchamp argue with Jalette during Monday work session on budget.

  Woonsocket City Council President John Ward and Councilman Christopher Beauchamp had heated words with Councilman Roger Jalette over the the supplemental tax bill during Monday's work session.  The councilors cooled long enough to continue discussing possible cuts as alternatives to the supplemental tax bill. Audio of the exchange can be reviewed at Mywoonsocket.com's "In their own words" page under the title June 4, 2012 Woonsocket City CouncilWork Session Budget", at links #14, #17 and #18. Jalette addressed the council, telling them the only solution to fixing the school department's $10 million deficit he'd heard from the majority of his fellow councilmen was increasing taxes. "Really? You didn't hear me discuss cutting retirement …

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Tommy Tutone

12:24 pm on Sunday, June 10, 2012

I respectfully disagree,supplemental=a very short term fix for deep structural problems.Throw more money at them and they'll want more in the future.This crisis needs to be looked at as an opportunity,an opportunity to reset for a more sustainable future. RI's got the second highest unemployment rate in the country and is the only state in the country that hasn't shown any improvement since 2008.…   more ›