You have no idea what you are talking about Joe.

Teachers keep our schools high quality, not elected officals - no offense to anyone serving.

Reading below my first comment show you why we need a conservative School committee. $ Give away $ Give away $ Give away $ Give away $ Give away $Give away
Cut Sports, Cut Music, Cut Art, Cut AP Classes, Close a School, like a broken record year after year. Our Teachers are paid plenty and they have a very generous benefit package. No raises needed this year or next.

Good Luck running for Town Council- you are going to need it.

Thanks for the vote of confidence Gloria . I will be campaigning till the fall. Hope to see you on the trail.

I will say it again........you have no idea what you are talking about Joe. And you are running for Town Council.

TOM!! Justin did right a letter and complain about the municipal contracts. Again you are lying about a topic. If you were Pinocchio your nose would stretch to the west coast.

Well said Dan. The TCC is known for generating 'facts" that support only what they want. Why tell the truth when it is so much easier and manipulative to come up with statistics that only drive their agenda-one that serves to divide and not UNITE.

Please encourage more people from your side of the fence to run for council or whatever Gloria. I typically lean Libertarian/conservative, but these tea party style slash and burn and hate everything tactics from the TCC has soured the taste in my mouth for the "right" in this town. My son is getting the absolute best education he could possibly get in Barton. I really do not under stand why people pay to send their kids to private school when our public schools outperform them regularly. This isn't Providence or Central Falls! And by and large, the quality of the people, students and parents and teachers and aides and volunteers is as good as you will find at any private school.

First, I could care less about the union BS. The lack of competition in one of the most competitive fields in this country has turned our county, never mind our towns, school systems into a platform for political rhetoric and has not been about our kids for years. Second, I have said on here many, many times that I am thrilled with all the teachers my children have had through out the years. Although, this past year I had my first issue and I must say it was 100% the union. If I have a child enter the Middle School (new school, environment, kids, friends and teachers) why is it necessary to pull a teacher and move them to their new position in the middle of a semester when the bid was awarded long before school started? I watched my child go from a 91 to a 77 in one semester due to that change. This is no fault of the either teacher because they are both phenomenal teachers. For me fault is on the union who could not make the move before the school year started. If the town has any fault in this I would also like to know, I just haven’t seen that. After speaking with many parents of older children I am told, “50/50 on teachers for 6th grade” most are not even on I-parent or update minimally, that is unacceptable to me! If teachers and parents can’t communicate with the tools handed to us and paid for by us, I have no need to “sign” the paycheck. Third, you will never see me 100% for or against one side or the other; I am 100% for MY children.

It's not the $14,444 or being in the bottom 3rd in the state that bugs me. It’s where the money is going or not going. I have 2 budgets in front on me right now; finances are what I deal with everyday. I have a budget posted from 12/30/2011 and another from 4/9/2012. For the kids- really for the kids-line 51403 2011 to 2012 decrease of 2.6%, line 51404 decrease of 7.4%, I know they are both stipends but really? Further more the “for the kids” 55630 increase of 10.2% (takes away from my children), 55803 – what is employee Travelers NON-Teachers? I have said many times on here I am a SPED child with 4 current, documented learning disabilities and a product of a single mother. I will say my mother and I were able to overcome this ONLY because she was offered classes that taught her many different techniques to teaching me. All she wanted was for me to be able to mainstream in a classroom. I must add she worked splits, overnights, days and as much overtime as she could get to financially support me as well. I think we are falling apart in this area everyday; we spend so much on SPED costs but none on teaching the parents how to help or take part. Anyway from 12/11 to 4/12, the first section –teacher salaries I guess but it has no category title or total.

2nd - Personnel Services/compensation +1.5% (2011) / -0.10% (2012), 3rd Personnel Services/Employee Benefits + 3.6% (2011) / + 6.4 % (2012), 4th Purchased Professional and Technical Services – equal at 119.1% ($752,929), 5th Purchased Property – equal %25.7 ($55,779) 6th – My favorite – “Other” purchased services – was –20.4% (2011)/ -10.3% (2012), Last Supplies and Property are the same. If I really broke this down per line- as I have I wonder if we could start over…

Ryan: then that is an issue for auditing, not for slashing teacher contracts or "holding the line" as Joe and Justin want to do. Yes, let's hold the line and keep them low paid so they take job offers in other districts which pay more. I am all for instituting some kind of merit/performance rating if one can be found, but to blanket say the teachers do not deserve good faith negotiations and "force" the union to hold the line is ridiculous. What will happen is a strike. Period. and this time, I wouldn't blame them at all. The TCC and it's cronies like Justin and Joe want to see this happen, they do not want to see our schools at the top of the charts in the state because that undermines their argument that we are not getting enough "bang for our buck" and should close all the schools and ship them to Portsmouth or Zimbabwe. Bottom 3rd in total cost per student, regardless of how it breaks down, and combined our school system is in the top third in the state, including the single best elementary school in the state in Barton. We do not need to hold the line, we need to buck up and give the teachers a fair and honest negotiation and give them a raise. Our teachers should not be some of the lowest paid in the state!

the state of RI posts an Infoworks site with all detailed information on per student spending and the like. It is public information. This is information people who hate teh schools will never reveal.
look it up, for every town, here:
http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov/state/ri

Dan, I was referring to the contract details?

at one point, the contract was posted on the town government site, cannot find it lately, may have been archived. Maybe Dave Nelson can scare it up, since, supposedly, they are for transparent government.

Details of labor contracts (whether school or municipal) are generally not made public during negotiations. The School Cmte chose to make details of its proposals and negotiations public during a contentious impasse a few years back, but that is not generally done during good-faith negotiations (as the lack of public comment from either side would indicate is under way). Once there is a tentative agreement between the parties, our Town Charter requires that the proposed contract be made public at least three days prior to any School Cmte vote on it. This is typically done by posting it on the School Dept website.

the last contract, the Tiverton teachers gave concessions to make their healthcare more in line with private sector healthcare. They pay 20% of their healthcare costs, or about 18% more than any other school system.

Mr Arruda- do you support shutting down sports to maintain the growth in the School's annual budget?

Beautiful! Mr Nelson ignored all the fact above and went right for the "emotion" quotient - SPORTS - oh no! 50 high schoolers won't get to play football. We need to make sure the other 1000+ students all get shafted so that 50 high schoolers can play football. Right?

Mr. Nelson,

Do you support eliminating Visiting Nurses, Newport Chamber of Commerce, the town planner and the food bank donation to maintain growth in the Municipal annual budget?

nope

Mr. Nelson - Since I am running for Town Council, I am sure you are aware as well as I that Town Council members have nothing to do with the School budgets, nor can we try to control such. So I can really only comment on matters that will be on the municipal side and not the school side. I will let the school committee and budget committee decide those matters, since that is what they were elected to do.

Mr Arruda
your remarks above go into detail about the school contract, school ranking, school salaries. You remark in detail on the schools.
In light of that fact, i ask you once more, do you support shutting down sports to maintain the growth in the School's annual budget?

Geesh. Fight on your own time. Making a statement about why one believes a one year contract is a bad idea and then backing that up with examples and facts has nothing to do with recommending specific cuts.

Mr. Nelson - I believe I clearly answered that question already.

Mr Nelson: It is YOU and TCC who have repeatedly attempted to make wreckless cuts to school funding. It is YOU who raised & spent thousands of dollars on robocalls to push a budget that cut $600K from the schools, while irresponsibly failing to identify where cuts could be made. And had your budget passed, sports & all extracurricular activities would likely have been eliminated, unless a school was closed to close the shortfall you created. You also wasted nearly $100K in legal fees in a failed effort to take back money from the schools appropriated by voters. You have no credibility talking about Tiverton's schools & community services. As our current School Cmte has demonstrated, we don't need to decimate our community to operate in a fiscally responsible way. After your self-serving, destructive efforts of the past few years, for you, Justin & TCC to call anyone "irresponsible" scales new heights of hypocrisy. Sorry, but the days of your revisionist history & selective facts are over. Despite your efforts, our schools are doing great things (Ft Barton ranked # 1 in RI!), & our community grows stronger.

No the committee members told us what would happen if TCC's drastic cuts were put through. BTW, lots of parents supporting the elimination of the FTM so how about supporting the schools in return.

Mr. Lipe - is there a motion to stop sing out for hunger? Who put it through? Once I get the details on why a vote to stop sing out for hunger was brought up, I will be able to then give you an answer.

Jim, have you paid attention to any real data and facts about the schools in town? Our high school is one of the top ones in the state too. But even if you are correct, then that makes Mr. Nelson's comments even MORE ludicrous. If our high school is so bad, then eliminating sports distractions would be a POSITIVE step.

Sooo, I guess he was for the cuts before he was against them?

then, Joe, maybe the town should look into some kind of income rate adjustment for those who have a house that is paid off and cannot afford what is roughly 3000 a year in taxes on most homes. This would be no different than the "free lunch" program in schools or the free trash bag program. They could qualify for a reduced rate if they meet the income guidelines.

I was compassionate enough to oppose a budget supported by you and the TCC that would have eliminated visiting nurses services and other services to those in need. I was compassionate enough to oppose an FTR proposal also supported by you that would not have provided funding for special needs teachers. I consider it a moral obligation for those who are doing comparatively well to support those in need, and I am happy to do this by paying a few more dollars in taxes. What about you, Joe? Are you compassionate enough to pledge that if elected you will make it a priority to expand eligibility for tax abatements for those in need?

To be fair to Joe, the TCC supported that awful budget, but Joe voted for the Budget committee budget and probably voted for that budget when he hit the ballot box

And where was that sentiment Joe when the TCC was raising the municipal budget by 4.6% and striping our savings. Where was that sentiment when Coulter et all backed a bond. Yes, I know you voted in committee for Option #1 but I didn't see you on the blogs or at at the TC meetings chastising TCC. You don't get to trot out that argument whenever is convenient for you.

is it really going to be that many people that it will significantly impact the budget? Really? Are we talking about 1000 homes here? Or people in $600,000 properties? Lets get real. We are talking about, if we are lucky, 100 houses with an average value of around $200k. Maximum loss would be, TOPS, $30,000. Maybe they could just not pave Lawton again for a few years, that should do it. Or raise the mooring fees for all those people with enough disposable income to own a boat that needs to be moored. Or the TCC could give the $$$ they spend each year on mailings and robocalls to the town instead. That should more than cover it. Or maybe not cause a lawsuit that causes the town to lose $100,000. That should be good for about 3 years worth. How much are they selling those schools for? they could put that money into a kitty to help these destitute people.

and I believe that the EBCAP already has a tax help program for the elderly in place too. You may want to check with them as well.

it was about 250, wasn't it? I would hazard a guess that most of them rent and are not elderly. I thought we were talking about elderly homeowners, not renters or those on welfare (which you cannot get if you own a paid off home)

yes, keeping costs down for all is nice. But if we cannot? then I guess we can give these people a tax abatement and raise taxes on the rest of the town by $5 a month. that's life. People need and want services. They need and want libraries, schools, parks. But that is nice, that your friends can afford to send their kids to college and barely make ends meet. Most people cannot afford to send their kids to college. their kids get loans, grants, scholarships. the problem is not that people cannot afford the basic necessities. 90% of us can. It is that we WANT more than that. People want new cars that get bad gas mileage. So when I hear people talk about those that are "destitute" or "barely making ends meet" and you see that same person they are talking about driving around in a brand new Volvo or Cadillac and they stop in at the Black Goose for lunch every day, the argument falls short.

Just Another Taxpayer, You can write a check any time and give it to the treasurer . Pay away all you want . The Town will take all you send. That goes for all the rest of the Tax and Spend Liberals on this site as well . Send Checks Payable to Town of Tiverton 343 Highland rd. You will be a real hero !

Informed by TCC. How? No one would answer any questions about the budget. You mean they are getting more and more talking points from groups like the TCC. I truly hope they are getting more informed.

Like me? What do you know of my situation Joe? Unlike you, I do not own a slew of rental property which allows me to live comfortably. No, i go to work every day. I rent, not own, because I cannot afford a house. I drive a 13 year old car which gets 40 mile per gallon and do not eat out, or go out. I am a single parent barely making ends meet and I am NOT asking for a handout. Let your double income two kids in college friends they can afford get mad. I pay my taxes by paying my rent. Taxes go up, so does my rent. Do you hear me complaining about it? No, the guy with a half dozen units that can make it up by raising rent is complaining about it (you). Not me. I am offering solution, you offer complaints and use your $100+K a year friends as an example. I do not even come CLOSE to that. I know how to budget my money so that I can make ends meet. Once college comes around, my kids will get loans and maybe choose state college over Brown and Harvard or tech school instead. You buy what you can afford. What you do not do is buy much more than you can afford and then look for a handout. Our taxes here, when compared to teh rest of the state is LOW. Our per student cost is LOW. Our teachers pay is LOW. And all you can do is complain about 45 elderly people who may or may not be able to pay taxes on a house they have owned for 50 years (read:paid off). Maybe you can slide them a little of your rental income and help em out, what do you say?

if they have 2 incomes in one house, unless they both work a a fast food joint, they are nothing like me

I work in the private sector now and I worked in the public sector. My benefits in the private sector are better.

Great article and so well said about what our schools/community do to keep our kids and their education first.

"Destroy" is absolutely correct. Justin's agenda is to decimate the Tiverton Public School system so that it will eventually have to be replaced by a system that better suits his radical conservative "values." So what if a generation of students is wasted. Gotta break a few eggs to make your omelet, Right Justin?

As always Joe, you have selective vision-and selective truth-as do many on the TCC front.....the punch of that statement is:
SAID NO ONE IN THIS TOWN. NO ONE Joe- and after reading some of your responses-maybe even more now. You and the other TCC fail to understand OUR TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATION have not gotten a RAISE IN at least THREE YEARS....no adjustments- in this economy. Seriously Joe- you really need to stop believing everything Dave Nelson tells you. Oh. And. Are you running on the TCC ticket? Or just spewing your own "truth" on an independent ticket?

This is another TCC/Joe Sousa tactic to beware: When the facts don't fit your argument, simply change the terms of the argument. The last time I checked, Tiverton was in Rhode Island.

Gloria Crist,They didn't get a raise but we are paying more for their benefits each and every year. The facts are the facts.

which still costs us less per student than about 30 of the other 39 towns in RI, and $7,000 less per year than our neighbor little compton. (we pay $14k each, they pay $21 while shipping their high schoolers to Portsmouth)

Just Another lyer, Your dribble doesn't deserve a response since you said nothing of any value.

That fact right here should be proof in itself to say that sending kids to another district will NOT save money.

national? really Joe? National has nothing to do with this. you really want to compare our town to Mississippi or Oregon? Everything is local./regional. I can buy what would be a $750k house here in texas for $250k. Does that mean we should revalue every house here down to that level too? You are trying to compare apples and eggs. Not even in the same category!

Make sure while you are looking you compare the cost of Tiverton's municipal government to others nationwide. Also, make sure to include that analysis of what kind of services we get for those dollars compared to other states. Also, you may want to include some kind of analysis of how our municipal salaries compare within the state of RI just for a staring point. Because you know what, the last time I checked the TCC wasn't exactly doing anything to keep that side of the costs down. Your bias is showing.

Oh and to clarify - I have no problem with the municipal services I receive and who supplies them - just pointing how the argument in town is always so slanted and anti-schools.

Quite frankly, that is dumb. You have to compare everything. Including median income and cost of living. RI does pay one of the highest per capita teacher salaries. We also pump out some of the best of the best from our schools. you really think a kid from Indiana can match up with a kid from here? they do not. By and large, we have here in RI the best schools in the nation. the "national" average cost per student is around 11,000. But you cannot simply look at that and say "oh we spend too much" - RI cost of living is 30% higher than the national average. So, when you compare THAT. What you have is tiverton being EQUAL to the national average with a per student cost just about 25% higher than the national average. Looking a bit better, aren't we now Joe? the US per capita income is $41k, the Tiverton per capita is $58k. Or nearly 50% higher than the national average. Wow, looking better and better now isn't it? National per student of 11k vs national income of 41k is 27% - tiverton at 14k vs 58k is 24% - lookie there, we beat the national average by 3%! Holy cow! enough with the national and global thing. this is local. Tiverton pays less to its teachers than most of THIS STATE and that is all that matters. And if you really want to compare apples to apples: the RI per capita is $44k per year, we beat the state average by 25%.

and Little Compton, and Newport and East Greenwich and Coventry and Westerly, and Block Island and South Kingstown... all but 9 or 10 of the 39 towns in RI

"small town statistics"? did you completely ignore the facts as presented above? Wow. You continue to want to compare things without context. Lets compare our price of tea to the price of tea in china. Utterly ridiculous.

I have to agree with Dan. That is more of the country's problem than it is Tiverton's, and a testimate of how education has been taking the back seat in agendas. As well as not being properly funded. To have good schools you need good people, NASA put men on the moon with the BEST engineers. If we want the best schools then we need to get and keep the BEST teachers.

Joe can be completely level headed and sometimes even have really good ideas. Until it comes to teachers, then he reacts with utter hatred. His anti-teacher bias is far more prevalent in this town than I ever would have thought possible.

maybe in Providence or Fall River (Providence charter schools are under-performing the regular schools though) but not here. Not unless you want to drive costs far above where they are now for a lesser return. Im a private school kid myself. I transferred from a Catholic elementary school to the public school and I was so far behind I had to double up on some classes just to catch up.

(BTW: My parents were paying $18,000 a year for that private elementary school in the 70s and 80s, cannot even imagine what private schools cost now!)

nice research, thanks a bunch for that info!

Where did we rank in international statistics in Math & Science ?

Carry your own water, Joe.

I think more people would support them if their claims of fiscal sanity were actually true. Sadly, suing the schools, knowing full well they would lose and costing the town tens of thousands of dollars is not my idea of fiscal sanity. You would think we were Cranston the way they act,.

Yes we can!! My wife works over the bridge and that would not help us at all.

JOESOUSA60
Unionsmom
unionteacher100
crazyrichard
bikerhd1998
Jethro
Notorious
crime boss

Quite the contrary - I just don't think it advisable to have the armed wing of "Up with People" informed of my whereabouts. Seeing as you're badass, and all.

Now - to my question? Any little ones in the school public schools?