Makes sense to me. This solution helps create even stupider kids than the unions are already churning out and yet safely maintains the social programs those same stupid kids will need as stupid adults.

I can't get out of this F'ing state fast enough...

Good one Greg. Sounds like Rhode Island's own version of the circle of life.

Hi!
It will be interesting when the state budget is adopted.Then we will get a defintive answer to state aid to education really.It will be particuliarly interesting in the interaction between the Governor and the Rhode Island General Assembly on this.
For your information I am being considered for appointment to the Chariho School Committee by the Hopkinton Town Council to fill a vacancy.The appointment should be made this Monday,May 22ND,.The five candidates include myself.I am the only one to have held elective office in town.One of my competitors spouse of a former council member is a teacher in Westerly and NEA member.
Unlike most Rhode Island communities in our regional school district in Chariho (Charlestown,Richmond,and Hopkinton),the local town council does not have the power to approve or reject the school budget institutionally.
I am sure most of you know the requirement of "maintenance of effort" principle that a school district is required to get the same amount of money as last year in their budget with the exception of decrease in student enrollment and nonrecurring expeneses.
Regards,
Scott

Wow-Pass the buck down to the property taxes. Maybe RI will move from number 4 state/local tax burden into the "medal round". All this will just postpone the inevetible until next year. Maybe we have to hit "number 1" on the tax parade before the people have had enough. Of course the Republican failure to adopt and run on a specific platform of payroll cuts coupled with tax cuts has been and continues to be shamefull.

I only hope the Governor, Kass, Neal et all have the guts to take advantage of the golden opportunity the General Assembly leadership appears to be handing them. The Gov proposed increases in education spending, real educational reforms designed to give parents (and indeed, all citizens) better results for RI's very high per pupil spending, and holding the line on tax increases. The Dem leadership appears to be poised to raise taxes and cut education spending to protect its two core constituencies -- public sector unions and the poverty industry (clients and providers). Rather than compromising, the Gov et al should go to war on this. Attack the Dems budget, veto it, dare them to override it, and go on the air again to ridicule them when they inevitably override his veto. And Kass should be pushing this story to City Journal, the WSJ, Weekly Standard and every other publication out there as an example (along with NJ) of the consequences of 74 years of Democratic policies. In advance of the 2008 presidential election, there may even be RNC money available to publicize this story -- really, on a national scale, you can't find a starker example of all that is wrong -- and all that mainstream voters fear -- with the Democratic party's domestic policies.

So I say, line up Val Forti, Gary Sasse, RISC, and all the other responsible adults, make it clear to suburban (and, in the case of Woonsocket, urban ethnic voters too) how they've been screwed, and, more importantly, why they've been screwed. So RI can keep offerin the nation's best deal to people on welfare/RiteCare/subsidized daycare, the huge industry that "supports" them, and public sector union members who, on average, are doing much, much better than the average private sector Rhode Island worker and retiree.

Whether the Gov has the guts to go this route -- or whether he's lost his taste for a fistfight -- remains to be seen.