His proposal to reform social-service programs and his idea to combine Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls into one school district are greeted with criticism.

12:51 PM EST on Thursday, January 26, 2006

BY SCOTT MAYEROWITZ AND ELIZABETH GUDRAIS
Journal State House Bureau

PROVIDENCE -- The state's Democratic leaders did not take kindly to Governor Carcieri's call last night to "reform" the state's bevy of human-service programs, which he said is "massive" and growing at a pace that is not sustainable.

"This causes me great concern. I believe we, as a society, are judged by how we care for the most frail," Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed said in response to Carcieri's State of the State address.

"We know that it is important to maintain those support programs that help our residents gain the skills they need to become self-sufficient," added Paiva Weed, D-Newport.

Kate Brewster, director of the Poverty Institute at Rhode Island College, said the idea of hard-and-fast caps on increases to state spending and local taxation is "a very, very scary notion for Rhode Island." In states with such caps, Brewster said, "they tie the hands of policymakers. You can't respond to emergencies, crises or changes in the state's needs."

The Republican governor's proposal to combine Providence, Central Falls and Pawtucket into one school district drew mixed reviews.

The Rhode Island Constitution requires voters in all three communities to approve of such a merger. In 1988, voters in Central Falls and Pawtucket went to the polls to decide if they should join the two school districts. The plan was approved by Central Falls, but defeated by a 3,500-vote margin in Pawtucket.

Based on what happened then, Marcia Reback, president of the Rhode Island Federation of Teachers and Health Professionals -- which represents teachers in the three cities -- said: "I would venture a guess that local school committees and parents of kids would probably reject the collapsing of Rhode Island districts together."

Providence Schools Supt. Donnie Evans, Central Falls Mayor Charles Moreau, state Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Peter McWalters, and Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education Chairman James A. DiPrete all said the idea was worth looking at.

Others bristled at the very mention. "Why wasn't Providence considered with Cranston or East Providence?" Rep. Steven M. Costantino, D-Providence, said. "I'm not convinced grouping similar problems means you don't still have those problems."

Rep. Peter F. Kilmartin, D-Pawtucket, also wasn't amenable. "Before he [Carcieri] starts wanting to lump Pawtucket, Providence and Central Falls together," Kilmartin said, "he should look at the record of Central Falls," which the state has run since the early 1990s. "They basically have thrown a lot of personnel at it and not addressed the matter at hand, which is school scores."

One labor leader, J. Michael Downey, president of Council 94 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said Carcieri's suggestions could actually be good for his ranks, or at least better than the alternatives.

As recent State of the State addresses go, Downey said, "Actually, I think it's one of the best ones. . . . He didn't seem to be kicking state employees the way he has sometimes in the past."

Carcieri proposed cuts to middle-management jobs; Downey said that doesn't include the people he represents. While the number of union jobs has declined, he said, "management keeps multiplying."

Nancy C. Reed, president of the Rhode Island Alliance of Social Service Employees, represents some of those managers. She said it's "outrageous to focus on the state workers when the state is replete with bloated consultant contracts."

In the official response for the Assembly's Democratic leadership, Paiva Weed and House Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, D-Providence, both talked about tax cuts for the rich.

However, Fox spoke out in support, while Paiva Weed spoke against the idea.

Fox said the "key decision makers" who drive job creation pay higher income taxes here than in Massachusetts.

"To encourage economic growth and to be competitive with Massachusetts for job locations, we must begin addressing Rhode Island's high marginal tax rate," Fox said.

Paiva Weed, however said the Senate is "not convinced that another tax cut for the rich is the best way" to attract businesses, noting that "almost everyone" making less than $250,000 a year pays less income tax in Rhode Island than in Massachusetts.

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