Providence
A bevy of education-related stories today. The repercussions following the Providence teacher “firings” continue, with Mayor Tavares getting attention from the New York Times. The ProJo reported that teachers fear it’s the end for seniority-based retention, which is kind of a strange way to put it because, as the story also explains, that end was…
It’s been explained again and again that the pink slips are a technical response to fiscal realities. Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped the hyperbolic rhetoric from continuing to flow from Providence teacher union leadership once the pink slips were issued. (I guess once we heard the Pearl Harbor reference, we shouldn’t have been surprised). To act…
The ProJo has more on the Providence School district sending pink slips to all teachers. Basically, it was Mayor Angel Taveras’ call based on economic reality and trying to have as much flexibility as possible. The mayor said the unprecedented move was necessary because of the depth of the financial crisis facing the city and…
Julia Steiny reminded us that it was the time of year when pink slips would rain down. Boy, did they ever in Providence where every teacher is slated to be “laid off”. Well, not really–not all of the teachers will be fired. It’s just a way for the Providence school district to enable the greatest…
Following up: So what are some of the firefighter disability rates across the country? Well, the Boston FD rate of 74% between 2005-07 is known around here. Similarly, New York City had a disability rate of 72% between 2004-2009 (62% rate in 2000, pre-9/11~and the NYPD was at 19%) while Chicago FD was at 25%.…
WPRI reports: Accidental disability pensions awarded to Providence firefighters will account for more than half the $29 million the department spends on pension payments this year, according to an analysis of payroll records by WPRI.com. City records show 438 firefighters or their families got a taxpayer-funded pension payment in January, the most recent month for…
Kudos to NBC 10 for exposing this. Rossignol said the officer at the scene told her that no one was available to give the other driver a breath test. “I couldn’t believe it. And I said, ‘Well, can you get someone who is certified for a Breathalyzer?’ And he said nobody is certified right now…
I contacted Karen Watts, the communications director for the City of Providence, to ask which city accounts should be counted as the reserve funds that the Cicilline administration claims contain $30 million, given that the City Auditor claims there are only $4.6 million in the reserves and provided specific account numbers and balances in support…
The following letter, dated yesterday, was in my in-box this morning. I have some questions. The City Auditor had to file a Freedom of Information request with Mayor Cicilline in order to obtain basic information about the city’s finances?? Why wouldn’t the mayor just give it to the auditor, seeing that he’s … well, the…
Philip Marcelo‘s story on Providence City Auditor James Lombardi’s memo expressing “grave concern regarding the financial stability” of Providence is running in today’s Projo. The memo addresses several issues, one of which concerns the reserve fund that the City is supposed to maintain. According to the memo, the balance in the “reserve contingency funds cash…