Little Compton Schools Ask For 3% Increase in 2014

Little Compton schools are asking the town for an increase in the 2014 budget for the first time in three years.

Little Compton Schools are asking for a 3 percent increase in funding from the town next year. If approved, this would be the first increase of the past three years. This is an increase that school officials claim is necessary to ensure continuation of the district's education plane.  School officials disallowed public commentary at Wednesday's meeting, but encouraged community members to attend the committee's Feb. 6 meeting that would be concentrated on the budge and public response. "Certainly we could raise or lower our budget," said Supt. Kathryn Crowley. "I try to be fair, but we need to continue this sound program." Crowley told residents that the school department budget was still in flux as it awaits final tallies on 2014-15 …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter: Little Compton Needs 149 Voters For Financial Town Meeting Quorum

Larry Anderson, Little Compton Town Moderator, writes a letter to the editor.

To the Editor: Little Compton’s annual Financial Town Meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 22, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Wilbur-McMahon School Auditorium/Gymnasium. (Doors open at 6 p.m.; elections for two seats on the Budget Committee will also be taking place that evening.) Among Rhode Island communities that approve their budgets and levy taxes at a Financial Town Meeting, Little Compton can boast one of the highest percentages of voter participation. But the town’s Home Rule Charter establishes a minimum quorum for a town meeting: five percent of registered voters, or, this year, 149 voters. Some years we have achieved a quorum by only a modest margin. The Financial Town Meeting offers voters a right and an opportunity that is not …

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Last Chance: Public Hearing on Little Compton Budget Proposal

Tuesday night is the final public hearing on the fiscal 2012-13 budget.

The Little Compton Budget Committee is proposing a tax rate increase of 0.9 percent and a tax levy increase of 1.5 percent this year's fiscal 2012-13 budget. This comes after some careful reductions and reportedly the third year in a row with a level-funded school budget request, according to Chairman Scott Morrison. The final public hearing is Tuesday, May 15, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. The financial town meeting is next Tuesday night, May 22 at 7 p.m. in the school gymnasium.

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Wilbur-McMahon Principal Jim Gibney Resigns

The Little Compton School Committee accepted the resignation Wednesday night.

Wilbur-McMahon School Principal Jim Gibney's final day will be June 30, after the School Commmittee voted 5-0 Wednesday night to accept his resignation. Curriculum Director Janet Griffith has been serving since January when it was announced he was out sick in the hospital indefinitely. Chairman Don Gomez said Gibney submitted his resignation and the School Committee accepted it because "it has become obvious to both parties that the leadership in school needs to move in different direction." Gomez said Gibney's contract ended in 2013, so in return they offered a severence package. It includes having his Blue Cross and Blue Shield contract through June 2012, payment for his 15 accrued personal days and payment of an additional $33,000, or a…

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DEM Denies Little Compton Grant to Fix Muddy Fields

Application stated to be inconsistent to town's comprehensive plan.

After months of waiting, the state denied Little Compton its $250,000 grant application to fix its outdated recreation fields. Patrick McHugh, chairman of the Recreation, Conservation and Open Space Commission, reported Wednesday that he was notified by the chief the Division of Planning and Development from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management that their application was denied due to inconsistancies between the application and Little Compton's comprehensive plan. He communicated this information in an email sent to committee members and parents. "I would like to thank every person on this committee for the many hours spent putting this grant application together," he wrote. "This application was outstanding. It is a …

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Voters Briefed on Wilbur-McMahon Renovation

There are two more public hearings this month before the May 1 vote. Signs telling voters to get out on May 1 have started to appear on Little Compton lawns.

More than 50 people attended the public hearing to renovate Wilbur-McMahon School on Tuesday night, where its proponents covered all facets of the project's history and potential impact to Little Compton. There are two more public hearings at the end of the month prior to the May 1 all-day referendum to vote on an $11.3 million bond to help finance the project. "I think they've done their homework," said resident Martha Souther as she was leaving the meeting with her husband. "Now it's up to the people." Little Compton residents Kate Madden and Betsy McKinnon agreed, adding that more parents should have attended the hearing. Madden added that, although the students will be in a different setting for their education for one whole year, kids…

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New Dates, Fact Sheet Mailed On Little Compton School Bond Vote

Residents should be receiving the latest information this week.

The outreach team for the Little Compton School Building Committee mailed out a new fact sheet with the important dates before the May 1 special referendum. Voters will be asked to approve borrowing up to $11.3 million to make repairs to Wilbur-McMahon School. The flyer is attached to this post. The first public hearing is next Tuesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. at the school, followed by two other public hearings later in the month. School faculty and staff will have a presentation on April 10, according to coordinator Heather Fitzgerald, who said she hopes there's good turnouts to the public hearings. Also, the School Committee is figuring where the students will study for one year while Wilbur-McMahon undergoes renovations, if approved at the …

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ACLU Attorney Says They Still Have Not Received Little Compton's Reply

ACLU Attorney Karen Davidson said Thursday the complaint is still filed but the subpoenas have not been issued.

The attorney representing the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Rhode Island's open records lawsuit against the Little Compton School District said Thursday morning she still has not received the requested documents, and since the complaint's been filed in Rhode Island Superior Court, the lawsuit moves forward. "Everyone else responded no problem at all," said attorney Karen Davidson in a phone interview. "Little Compton and Pawtucket were the only ones. I think their reasons are curious." Davidson said they sent four letters to the district dating back to Nov. 21, and added there's a 10-day statutory requirement to respond, and the ACLU waited "months and months" for Pawtucket and Little Compton's response, so they filed the …

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Little Compton Schools Hire New Business Manager

The School Committee voted Thursday morning to hire Douglas McClurg as the district's new business manager.

In a special Thursday morning meeting, the Little Compton School Committee voted 4-0 to hire Douglas McClurg as the new business manager for the district. Vice Chairman Dave Beauchemin was absent from the vote. Superintendent Kathy Crowley said McClurg began his job immediately Thursday. She said McClurg is a certified public accountant with "multiple" experiences in the private and public industry. Crowley added she expects a full transition into the job immediately since former Business Manager Gina Augustus left in December for a new job in Middletown. "I'm looking forward to the challenge," McClurg said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. Committee Chairman Don Gomez said the search committee charged with narrowing down the …

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