01:00 AM EDT on Monday, April 19, 2004

East Greenwich School Committee Chair Sue Duff ("Board chairman: Jolin's contract not excessive," news, March 31) describes a fantasy world, in which politicians, bureaucrats and unions operate a scam by doing whatever they want without regard for the citizens who pay their salaries.

There is no other way to explain Duff's claim that Schools Superintendent Michael Jolin's contract terms are "standard." There is nothing standard about receiving: an automatic rolling three-year contract; 25 vacation days and 30 sick days on the first day of employment; 25 vacation days and 15 sick days every year thereafter; and unlimited accrued vacation days and up to 120 accrued sick days. Duff calls these terms "not a big deal."

I suppose East Greenwich's granting teachers 9- to 12-percent annual salary increases, with zero health-insurance co-payments, for the last five years was also "standard" and "not a big deal" -- at least until it became public information and caused an uproar.

Duff conveniently sidesteps how all the above contract terms were secretly granted, without approval by the School Committee. Tyco executives are on trial for, among other things, granting themselves compensation without the board's approval; what happened in East Greenwich is also wrong.

The state's financial crisis is due to the outrageous terms of many public-employee contracts. But their fantasy world is collapsing as these sweetheart deals become public.

Unfortunately, though, overpaying for under-performance is "standard" in Rhode Island. Taxpayers and children in public schools pay quite a price for such mediocrity.

Shame on Duff, Jolin, and all politicians, bureaucrats, and union members who express no remorse for their abuse of Rhode Island families.

DONALD HAWTHORNE

East Greenwich

The writer is a former member of the East Greenwich School Committee.