Integrity of Study Questioned

An Educated Patriot has learned that The Aquidneck Island School/Municipal Advisory Committee study, highlighted "above the fold" in Friday's Newport Daily News, is being questioned. The report prepared by the New England School Development Council and paid for by School Committees and Town Councils on the Island is overly simplistic and uses incorrect data. Therefore, its recommendations have to be questioned. It would appear to An Educated Patriot that the data is being worked to derive a set result, none of which will benefit Portsmouth residents and students.

In Friday's NDN the article stated the study recommended a single school district with one administration. The report counted 133 people in central offices serving approximately 7,000 students. The report then goes on the compare a combined district with Bristol, CT, Stratford, CT and Attleboro, MA serving a common population of students. The study stated that we had 30-40 additional staff, which could be saved. The report also bunched bus monitors in the number of Administrators (clearly it would be too difficult to subtract bus monitors from total administrators!)

An Educated Patriot has learned this 133 number comes from a 2006 datapoint, and may have been taken from a previous RIPEC report. Yet, in 2008 the total administrative staff of the three communities was 41, which is under all the comparable communities. And while An Educated Patriot does not have the specific number of administrators today, we would guess it to be below the 2008 number. It is believed that the study authors actually knew their data was wrong, yet they used it anyhow.

We have been leery of this group from its formation, and do not believe the perceived benefits of rationalization are real. One blogs opinion...

On Monday, the Committee will have an open meeting at 8:00 am at 20 Oliphant Lane in Middletown (The Middletown Administration Bld.). The public ought to pay attention before its just too late!

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