The day after the governor unveils his budget proposal, he says school districts have enough funds to do the job, yet have little to show for it.

08:14 AM EST on Friday, February 27, 2004

BY JENNIFER D. JORDAN
Journal Staff Writer

Journal photo / John Freidah SMITHFIELD SCHOOLS stand to lose $57,000 in state aid under the governor's proposal, and Supt. Robert M. O'Brien worries where the money will come from. Above, Mark Chakuroff, 9, and Angela Evers, 10, apply reading strategies developed by fourth-grade teacher Tracie LaChapelle at the town's William Windsor School.

A tough-talking Governor Carcieri said yesterday that his proposed 2005 budget sends two messages to the education community: Rhode Islanders aren't geting their money's worth out of public schools, and it's time to try new approaches.

That is why he opted to cut $7.9 million in operational school aid and divert the money to charter schools and an alternative high school. The unexpected cuts distressed school officials who said yesterday their resources are already stretched.

Carcieri says his decision stems from a firmly held belief that Rhode Island pays top dollar for teachers and per-pupil expenses -- yet has little to show for its investment, scoring near the bottom regionally in test scores.

"I'm not convinced the problem with our schools is money," Carcieri said, during a wide-ranging interview in his office yesterday afternoon. "Our spending per pupil is over $10,000 a year, and we now are around sixth- or seventh-highest in the country in teacher pay. And we are not getting a commensurate result out of that."

Now he expects school districts to step up and make the numbers work. They have plenty of money to do the job, he says.

"My philosophy is . . . it's up to them to figure out how they can rework their budgets, because I think they can. And I think school committees have got to take a look at their union contracts, which is what we're doing at the state level," he said.

Carcieri wants all state workers to start paying some of their health-care premiums -- 15 percent after three years.

He said he hopes school committees will negotiate the same deal with teachers. "I'd like to see that begin to happen, but I can't control that," Carcieri said.

The governor, the son of a teacher, the husband of a former teacher and a former teacher himself, says it's time for innovation. His budget supports a principal-mentoring program, and other initiatives he hopes will lead to long-term gains.

Journal photo / Sandor Bodo THE GOVERNOR defends his education budget: "I think school committees have got to take a look at their union contracts which is what we're doing at the state level."

He says he's impressed with the progress the publicly financed charter schools have made in terms of attendance, parent involvement, discipline and creating a nurturing atmosphere. He, along with Education Commissioner Peter McWalters, think improved test scores will follow these other changes -- over time.

"I think the charter schools are on the right track," Carcieri said.

Several superintendents were interviewed yesterday before the governor explained his thinking about the need to reexamine education priorities. They said they hope that state legislators will restore the proposed cuts. Their immediate worry was how to pay the escalating costs of their teacher contracts and special education while supporting reforms needed to meet the goals of the federal education law known as No Child Left Behind.

Robert M. O'Brien, the Smithfield superintendent, worries where the money will come from. He stands to lose $57,000, a relatively small amount. But to him, it means he might have to lay off a teacher.

"We keep being asked to do more for less," O'Brien says, "and now to face a cut for the upcoming year when cities and towns are in trouble too, we're really getting a double hit."

Other districts would be harder hit under Carcieri's proposal. Warwick would lose $292,000 -- the equivalent of five to six teachers, Supt. Robert Shapiro said.

"And this is in an era when we need additional reading teachers and literacy specialists because No Child tells us we need to ramp up reading for children who are reading below grade level," Shapiro said. "It's also just pushing the burden onto the taxpayers, because No Child requires us to meet these literacy requirements."

School officials say providing for common teacher-planning time each week, creating individual literacy and math plans, and training teachers to do their jobs better costs money.

But Carcieri said he doesn't think the federal requirements and tougher state standards should cost districts that much more.

"Why aren't the current teachers already teaching that?" Carcieri said.

Issues like common teaching time are contract matters that need to be resolved, not money issues, Carcieri said.

"I understand the pressure, but it's like anything else," he said. "I think they can find the money to do these things."

West Warwick would lose $235,000 under the plan, a gap that would be hard for the town's taxpayers to bear, said Supt. David P. Raiche.

The fact that the same amount of money taken from local schools showed up in the line item for the state's 10 charter schools and the much-lauded, state-run Met School in Providence bothers Raiche.

"It looks like you are taking almost dollar-for-dollar money from public schools and giving them to the charters," Raiche said. "I'm not saying they don't deserve it, but what about the rest of us who are responsible for delivering to all children? We can't be selective."

About 1,718 children attend charter schools; 460 more are expected to enroll in the next school year. Most charters are located in urban settings where they serve disadvantaged children, according to Robert Pilkington, head of the Rhode Island Association of Charter Schools.

James DiPrete, chairman of the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education, said yesterday that the state Education Department only recommended $4.3 million for charter schools, but the governor added more to pay for the opening of an 11th charter school.

"I'm happy for our charter schools, but I'm disappointed that the funding isn't available to distribute more money in the direction of all public-school children," DiPrete said.

McWalters said he knows the state's fiscal situation is grim, but he said the cuts to almost every school district in the state -- including all urban and urban-ring communities except Central Falls -- will hurt.

"We made a public-policy decision in the mid-1990s to protect the most needy and to recognize that money taken from urban districts has a disproportionate impact on those communities," McWalters said, noting that those districts have the highest tax rates, smaller tax capacities and greater levels of student need. "And this budget is silent on that."

Staff writer Linda Borg contributed to this report.

DIGITAL EXTRA: Recap Journal coverage of Governor Carcieri's proposed budget for fiscal year 2005, browse the full text of the proposal, add your reaction and more at:

http://projo.com/extra/2004/govbudget/