Education
NOTE: Any members of the media who couldn’t make it to the meeting and rely on this video for future reports are encouraged to do so, but a brief note of the video’s source would be appreciated. Herewith, the video of the speech given by Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo at the Winter meeting of…
A new funding formula for schools–to be phased in over a few years–is being floated. The Barrington School District would see a boost of $3.8 million, or nearly 190 percent, over the next five years. Other winners include Providence (up $28.7 million, or more than 15 percent), Cranston (up $9.6 million, or almost 29 percent)…
Here’s another instance of the disconnect of the labor unions: “We think it’s an outrage,” Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers Union, said, as hundreds of union supporters from across the state began flowing into Jenks Park. “Our members are feeling awful, devastated. How would you feel, being terminated?” One gets the impression…
Dan Yorke spoke with both Central Falls Superintendent Francis Gallo (podcast link) and Central Falls High School Guidance Counselor George McLaughlin (podcast link) on his show yesterday. Supt. Gallo explained that she was stymied by the union in trying to work out a solution based on the “transformation model.” But first she wanted assurances on…
We’re in sad circumstances when this hardly seems like much of a story at all: The [Cranston] School Committee Tuesday approved a nearly $123.6-million budget that eliminates high school teams, the enrichment program [aka, honors programs], the elementary school strings, band and choral program, and lays off about 16 employees. The teams cut are: freshman…
By way of follow up, I asked Director of Administration and Finance Doug Fiore a couple of questions after tonight’s school committee meeting, here are various interesting data points derived from our conversation: Approximately $130,000 of the $450,000 increase in health insurance costs would have been erased from the next budget if the union hadn’t…
I was a few minutes late to tonight’s Tiverton School Committee meeting, and it was already underway. The high school library is pretty well filled, which means probably about 30-40 people, an apparent mix of students, teachers, and residents. The topic: closing the high school. Of course, when the union is looking for a juicy…
Monique and Matt talked Central Falls and Chafee on last night’s Matt Allen Show. Stream by clicking here, or download it.
The raging blame debate, when it comes to public-school students’ performance, made an appearance in RI Education Commissioner Deborah Gist’s online chat for the Providence Journal: Parent: As a parent of 2 children, I know how crucial parent involvement is. Has anyone looked at educating the parents of the kids of these failing schools? You…
A look at the papers today gives quite a little snapshot of the sorry state of education in Rhode Island. Central Falls is firing it’s high school teachers as a way to deal with a chronically under-performing school (with the blessing of the State Education Commissioner Gist and U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan) because…