Superintendent's Proposed Budget Adjustments
Following the appropriation from the town council, Superintendent Phil Auger has compiled a list of adjustments and cuts to fiscal 2013's budget.
School News
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
GoLocalProv Ranks NKHS 15th in Top High Schools List
North Kingstown's school superintendent believes NKHS was "penalized" in GoLocalProv's rankings for practicing fiscal responsibility.
Rankings of Rhode Island’s high schools by online news site GoLocalProv has East Greenwich High School topping the list for the third year in a row, with neighbor to the south North Kingstown High School ranked at 15th. But, North Kingstown Superintendent Phil Auger says that the rankings are a bit misleading. According to Auger, GoLocalProv’s methodology for determining the rankings “penalizes North Kingstown for exercising fiscal responsibility.” Fifteen percent of the ranking scores are determined by each schools student-to-teacher ration with another 15 percent going to per pupil spending. NKHS spends $13,700 per student on average with a student-to-teacher ration of 12. Only four schools (Portsmouth, Scituate, Barrington and North …
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Monday, May 14, 2012
[POLL] Should Schools Accept Out-Of-District Students For A Fee?
The Barrington School Committee is considering accepting 10 such students next year, for tuition of $12,800 per pupil.
The Barrington School Committee made a splash last week when they said the school department would accept out-of-district students willing to pay $12,800 a year to attend Barrington schools. They have since stepped back a bit, but with ever-tightening school budgets, we wondered what people in North Kingstown would think of such a proposal here. “We’re looking at new sources of revenue,” said Barrington Supt. Robert McIntyre in a story on the topic in Thursday's Providence Journal. “This is new. It’s different. It’s an opportunity for us.” Two things drove the decision, the ProJo reported – the need to raise more revenue and a decline in enrollment. As reported by RI Future, however, there could be legal hurdles to such a plan. “They’d be…
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Thursday, May 10, 2012
Two NKHS Athletes Nominated for Cox RI Sports Awards
Two student athletes from North Kingstown High School have been nominated in this year's Cox RI Sports Awards.
The Cox RI Sports awards have announced the 2011-12 winter scholar-athlete nominees for its six annual awards ceremony – and two North Kingstown High School students have made the cut. Two-time top gymnast in the state Alysse Pazienza goes up against three others in the gymnastics category while Emily David was one of five students nominated for the girls swimming category. La Salle Academy led the pack with 10 student-athletes nominated this year, followed by Bishop Hendricken High School with six and South Kingstown High School with five. Nominees were selected by coaches and athletic directors from the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and the Cox RI Sports Awards Committee. The ceremony, presented by the Rhode Island National Guard, …
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
School Committee Delays Action on Summer Sports Camp
Committee members request more information on the schools' enterprise fund.
Faced with a $2-million-plus budget deficit for 2013, the North Kingstown School Committee asked for more information on two sports-related initiatives remaining in this fiscal year. John Boscardin questioned why the May 8 agenda had a consent agenda item approving an assistant boys' lacrosse coach when the season is already under way. Superintendent Phil Auger acknowledged that the question of approving coaches after the season begins has come up before regarding other sports. He said he would research the issue and present information on how coaches are selected and appointed at the next meeting. The committee then approved hiring Philip White for $2,433.75 as an assistant lacrosse coach, and approved Robert Vallee as an unpaid volunteer…
NK Parent
9:57 am on Friday, May 11, 2012
Sorry, I was being a little tongue-in-cheek. I do agree with you that the SC needs some help moving forward -- if anything to help deal with the combative relationship that's developed with the TC. We're going to have to disagree that someone like "Joe" would be anything but disasterous on the SC. more ›
School Budget Cuts Remain Unsettled
School committee reviewed superintendent's recommendations, but did not agree on actions that would cut teachers, supplies and five high school sports.
Not orange. Not green. Not red. After two hours of discussion and comments from 10 citizens, the North Kingstown School Committee declined 3-3 to approve budget cuts or additions in any category at its May 8 meeting. Larry Ceresi was absent, recovering from back surgery, said Chair Kimberly Page. With the North Kingstown Town Council increasing the school’s fiscal year 2013 budget by two percent rather than the requested 4 percent, the schools face a shortfall of $848,349 from this year’s budget, due in part to inflation and less of a contribution from state aid. In response, Superintendant Phil Auger grouped his recommended changes into three color-coded categories designed to shrink the budget to the approved $57,243,694. The orange …
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NKGOP Watch
1:44 pm on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wow well said. I was starting to believe JS and now it is really discouraging to think it is NKTO/McGwin or whomever not playing straight with basic facts. TRUTH PLEASE. I am of course known for hyperbole but I never try to confuse the two. If you are stating a FACT please make sure it is TRUE and an OPINION (like mine that the Town Council and NKGOP are the problem) is just that, an OPINION. But… more ›
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Council Adopts 2013 Budget
The school department's budget dominated the council's meeting to adopt the 2013 budget.
The North Kingstown Town Council unanimously passed fiscal 2013’s budget, set to start July 1 of this year, at its meeting Tuesday night. The new budget will increase the tax levy by 2.08 percent, raising property tax rates from $17.26 for every $1,000 to $17.53 – an average annual increase of $90 for the average household’s tax bill in North Kingstown. The budget also grants the school department a two-percent increase after two years of level-funding. Despite the increase, the school department’s bottom line budget will be $848,349* less than the current year’s budget. The council came to the smaller figure after factoring in its number to offset the possible school department deficit from this year (a matter the town is seeking …
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NKGOP Watch
11:11 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
A lot of the student teacher ratio and performance results from the demographic of what type of kids attend that particular school. You cant take a school with lots of less affluent students, and say that schools lower average scores is a result of too many teachers! As far as "looking at high performing school to see how they do it" is meaningless within a district, because most often what they… more ›
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
School Department Tops Budget Concerns
Speakers voiced worries over next year's budget at Monday night's meeting.
Residents took to the microphone at Monday night’s Town Council meeting to air concerns over the upcoming budget in the last public comment before the council looks to adopt the fiscal 2013 budget this week. The major bone of contention was the funding of the School Department, which is seeking a 4 percent increase in its appropriation after two years of level-funding from the Town Council. The four-percent increase (almost $2.3 million) would ensure the protection of school extracurricular programs such as athletics and the music programs, according to Superintendent Phil Auger. “We’ve looked at this budget very closely and looked at what we need, and what we need is a 4 percent increase,” said Auger during public comment. Council …
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Non-Traditional Scholarship Honors ‘Fiery Spirit’ of Deceased NKHS Alum
Honoring the late Marissa Hayward, a new scholarship looks to support students seeking non-traditional learning experiences.
Typical scholarships offer money toward college tuition for those seeking higher education within the walls or a university or college But, if there was one thing Marissa Hayward believed in, it was that the greatest life lessons were learned outside the classroom. “She loved a great adventure and understood learning was so much more than classrooms and textbooks,” said her mother, Susan Hayward. Known for her fiery spirit and energetic personality, Marissa Hayward’s life was cut short at the age of 21 years old after a car accident in October 2010. Since then, family and friends have worked to keep the 2007 North Kingstown High School alum’s memory and energy alive. The newest incarnation of the effort is a scholarship fund created in …
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Cyber-Bullying Policy for Schools Passes Unanimously
Can a text message mean a suspension?
Students in the North Kingstown school system may be thinking twice about their tweets, texts and Facebook posts. Tuesday night, the North Kingstown School Committee passed a social networking and text messaging policy unanimously. Under the policy students as well as employees, teachers and staff of the North Kingstown School Department are prohibited from engaging in cyber-bullying on or off school grounds that causes a “substantial disruption to the educational activities at school." Social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace as well as text messages will fall under the new policy. The policy will follow the district’s “Bullying, Teen Dating, Violence and Sexual Harassment” regulations in terms of enforcement. …
NKGOP Watch
12:55 am on Friday, April 27, 2012
Nothing says "bully" like a 2:55pm TEXT MSG "Hey Tommy, at 3 o'clock, your a$$ is grass!" LOL more ›
NKGOP Watch
8:27 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Constipated Resident has lots of negative hyperbole and scant few facts. For example, he/she/it cannot seem to name all these "inefficiencies" he keep harping about. more ›