Tiverton Students Could Face Breathalyzer At School Events

A new policy being considered by the Tiverton School Committee would require students displaying signs of intoxication to submit to a breathalyzer test at school events.

The Tiverton School Committee is considering a policy that would require students to submit to a breathalyzer test if suspected of consuming alcohol at school events. The proposed policy, which will be voted on at the committee's Sept. 25 meeting according to Chairwoman Sally A. Black, would only be administered to students suspected of drinking alcohol. Under the policy, the test would be done in private - in either the principal's or vice principal's office. "This is about common sense and not just to be punitive," said Black in an interview about the policy's goal. "It is all about prevention and support because with the students and children we are supposed to help them through these things." Just like adults, students would have a …

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Letter to the Editor

LETTER: NEA Contract Is Overreaching

Tiverton resident Justin Katz, a candidate for school committee, writes a letter to the editor.

  Anybody who's able to catch video from the Aug. 14 Tiverton School Committee meeting should do so. It provides an excellent lesson on why all levels of government are facing financial crises. Whether it's the need for new tolls, catastrophic debt, or underfunded pension plans, wishful and unclear thinking about money is at the root. On Tuesday, the committee approved an agreement with the teachers' union, extending their contract until 2015. It didn't have to be approved before the upcoming election, and it didn't have to cover three years. The lesson came when member Danielle Coulter suggested that the committee should clarify how much money the agreement would obligate the town to pay. What followed was an extended word game, led by …

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Naome Lixes

9:05 pm on Friday, August 31, 2012

Fair enough, that's a reasonable request. Get him to at least check his submissions prior to posting, won't you? It's not as if coherence (or even remaining topical) are strong suits, there. That, and there's so much of it...   more ›

Tiverton School Committe Approves Teacher Contract

The Tiverton School Committee approved a three-year contract with its teacher's union on Tuesday night.

After an hour and a half of testimony, the Tiverton School Committee approved a three-year contract with its teacher's union with a 4-1 vote at its Tuesday night meeting. The contract gives teachers a zero percent cost-of-living adjustment for all teachers in the 2012-13 school year. In the last two years of the collective bargaining agreement, the district's most senior faculty members - step 10 teachers - will earn a 1.75 percent COLA increase. According to the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, after agreeing to zero percent COLA increases throughout for the duration of the previous three-year contract, Tiverton's teachers are the lowest paid in the state. Despite the increase for top-step teachers, committee Chairwoman …

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Joe Sousa.

10:34 am on Wednesday, August 22, 2012

That's your anonymous opinion. I said I posted under that name and I was truthful .You still attempt to deceive the public. The other names were you trying to make pretend to be me. I know that to be true.   more ›

LETTER: Teacher Contract Will Be Costlier Than Anticipated

Tiverton School Committee candidate Ruth Hollenbach says the teacher's union contract that could be ratified by the School Committee tonight is misleading.

Before Tiverton’s history-making FTR, the school department announced there would only be two options if voters chose the smaller budget: close an elementary school or cancel all extracurricular activities, including athletics and some music. How big was the possible gap? At its last meeting before the FTR, Supt. William Rearick told the School Committee, “when all is said and done, about $340,000 to $350,000,” after using up reserves. Don’t miss this, people of Tiverton: The committee is now preparing to approve an agreement with the teachers’ union that would add much more than that to the next two budgets! Approval is scheduled for [tonight], Tuesday, Aug. 14, 7:00 p.m. at the High School library.  Details of the plan only became …

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Letter to the Editor

LETTER: Flat One-Year Contract Is the Only Responsible Move for Tiverton Schools

Tiverton resident Justin Katz speaks out on how to handle contract negotiations with the local teachers' union.

The Tiverton School Committee scheduled a “special meeting” — not on its regular calendar — in order to discuss negotiations with the teachers’ union on Tuesday, July 7.  The fact that the district’s single biggest expense item would be up for negotiation this summer wasn’t publicized much when the school department was threatening to close schools and cancel all sports and extracurricular activities prior to the financial town referendum (FTR).  Tiverton residents should pay very close attention. When the budget debate was in full swing, district administrators told me that their requested budget included no increase for the union beyond step increases.  If they now find additional resources for the first year of the contract before …

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Tiverton Welcomes New Middle School Principal

Laurie Dias-Mitchell begins her new job on July 1.

New Tiverton Middle School Prinicipal Laurie Dias-Mitchell introduced herself to the School Committee Tuesday night in anticipation of beginning work in the district July 1. She was hired in February following former Principal Patti Aull leaving the position in December to start a position in South Kingstown. Mary Bolton has served as interim principal. "Tiverton schools are on the move right now," Dias-Mitchell said in an interview Wednesday. "It’s just the perfect time to be a part of that momentum and get back to such an amazing enterprise." She enters her 30th year in public education. After spending 10 years working in higher education in the area, she did a graduate school practicum at Tiverton Middle School to get certified in her …

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Tiverton Schools Drafting Breathalyzer Policy

The School Committee held discussions at last week's meeting.

As school districts enter prom season, Tiverton took the steps recently to improve its policy to deter students from peer pressure. The School Committee voted 5-0 last week to send a draft breathalyzer policy to subcommittee for discussion. "As we all know the number one death for teens is traffic accidents," said Rebecca Elwell of the Tiverton Prevention Coalition, who told the Committee she's been in talks with Principal Steven Fezette and Vice Principal Jack McKinnon for consideration to enact as an official policy. "We want to prevent an event from happening." Elwell said she doesn't think the policy will be finished in time for this year's prom. Senior prom is May 24 and junior prom is May 25. "They know this school cares about them…

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