Tuesday, February 26, 2013
With delays, snow days and more throughout the year, when do students get out of school this year in North Kingstown.
The 2012-2013 school year has been laden with delays and cancellations for North Kingstown schools. First, the start of the school year was delayed after a strike by the North Kingstown Educational Support Professionals, protesting the outsourcing of the district's custodial staff. Then, Hurricane Sandy closed schools for two days in late October as crews worked to restore power across the state and NK. Several NK schools were without power for several days. Suzanne M. Henseler Quidnessett Elementary School was closed for three days due to the power loss. Who could forget the blizzard we just saw a few weeks ago, which closed schools for two days? With all the confusion, one parent is wondering when does "summer" start for her child this…
Monday, December 31, 2012
A look back at the biggest news stories from 2012 in North Kingstown.
From union battles to elections to a 413-foot turbine to hurricanes, 2012 kept us busy. With 2013 on the horizon, we've decided to take a look back at the biggest stories from the past year. In a controversial 3-2 vote, the North Kingstown Town Council passed a new ordinance that mandated 24-hour shifts for the town's firefighters and made other significant changes to their schedules and pay. The ordinance moved firefighters from 10- and 14-hour shifts to 24 shifts and upped their weekly work schedule from 42 to 56 hours per week. According to Town Manager Michael Embury, the change could save the district $1.2 million in the first year. Since its passage, Local 1651 (the NK firefighters' union) has battled the change in letters, public …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
After two years of negotiations, the school district's support professionals have a contract.
Two years of negotiations came to a close Tuesday night as the North Kingstown School Committee unanimously approved a contract for the school district’s support staff. The new three-year contract covers July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015 and is estimated to save the school department $1.7 million during that time. "It was the most difficult this we've had to do in my time on the school committee," said Committee Chair Kimberly Page on the contract. Check below for the fiscal impact statement regarding the contract. The school committee’s negotiations sub-committee finished the contract after a seven-hour session on Thursday. According to Superintendent Phil Auger, the new contract does not include any custodian-related items. Currently, …
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The North Kingstown School Committee looks to approve a contract with the North Kingstown Education Support Professionals union.
After almost two years of negotiations, school officials have reached a tentative contract agreement with the North Kingstown Education Support Professionals union. The NK School Committee's negotiations sub-committee (made up of Kimberly Page, Larry Ceresi and John Boscardin) and Superintendent Phil Auger announced a tentative agreement had been made on Thursday after a seven-hour-long negotiation session. The ESP union (representing the school department's cafeteria workers, custodians and other support professionals) is scheduled to bring the contract to its full membership Tuesday. Once that vote is taken, the school committee will vote on the agreement at its Tuesday night meeting at 7 p.m. In a press release from the negotiations …
Thursday, November 29, 2012
The school department is looking to solve the $150,000-a-year deficit from its cafeteria services.
The North Kingstown School Committee is looking to solve its perennial black hole – the food services budget. For several years running, the school district’s cafeteria service has run $150,000 in the red, causing the school committee to make up the shortfalls in other sectors of the budget. “It’s time we fix it,” said School Committee Member John Boscardin. “We need to stop putting Band-Aids on it. Stop putting duct tape on it. Stop putting bubble gum on it. We need to make it work.” North Kingstown is the only school department in Rhode Island that does its food services in-house. All others have outsourced their services or have used the state-run program. Last year, the school department raised prices of school lunches and …
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
NEARI President Larry Purtill responds to a letter to the editor from NK Superintendent Phil Auger.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012
To the editor, I am writing in response to North Kingstown Superintendent Phil Auger’s letter last week in the Standard Times criticizing the local education support professional union. My first reaction to it was, is he kidding? He is upset about someone allegedly shining a light in a School Committee member’s face and a few road signs that said “Honk if you have been fired by Phil?” Truth is, more than a few people in town could be honking their horns. This is nothing but a smokescreen. Let’s look at the facts. Phil and the North Kingstown School Committee fired the custodians, and then outsourced their jobs to GCA, a company in Tennessee with questionable labor and hiring practices. The custodians were then told they must take jobs with…
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The Education Support Professionals (ESP) are protesting Tuesday night.
The North Kingstown Education Support Professionals (ESP) union is staging a protest at Tuesday night's School Committee meeting, according to a release from National Education Association Rhode Island. The union will be outside North Kingstown High School at 6:30 p.m. before the North Kingstown School Committee's 7 p.m. meeting. The union will be protesting the firing and outsourcing of the NK school department's entire custodial staff. According to NEARI's press release, the next bargaining session between ESP and the school department is scheduled for Oct. 29.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
President of the NK support professionals union is asking residents to contact the school department and get its custodians back on the department's payroll.
- OPINION
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Thursday, September 13, 2012
To the editor, I am Nancy Ferencko – president of the North Kingstown Educational Support Professionals, a resident of North Kingstown, a voter, a taxpayer, former PTSO member, former LINKS volunteer and a paraprofessional for 26 years. I want to tell the community that all the clerks, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, maintenance workers, mini bus drivers and former custodians have the students and their parents at heart. Yes, we did have an informational rally on Monday, Sept. 10 at the high school from 6:15 to 6:30 a.m. I personally spoke to Superintendent Phil Auger, Assistant Superintendent Michele Humbyrd and Ms. Debbie Gardiner from HR on Friday morning. I assured them that we would be having an informational rally, not a …
Saturday, September 8, 2012
It is unsure if this picket will result in a work stoppage.
- GOVERNMENT
- On RI Future
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Saturday, September 8, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday night's school committee ending abruptly, excluding half the agenda and public comment.
More than 300 supporters of the Education Support Professionals union looking to speak out against the North Kingstown School Committee's move to outsource the department's custodial services as well as contract negotiations on Tuesday will have to wait another night. Just more than an hour after the start of the meeting, the committee abruptly moved to adjourn the meeting shortly after 8 p.m. – leaving almost half the agenda unaddressed. Amongst the lingering agenda items was public comment, which the committee moved from the beginning of the agenda to the end in a 3-2 vote. (Members Melvoid Benson and Bill Mudge opposed the vote, as well as the votes to adjourn for the night.) "To adjourn and not let the public speak is irresponsible," …
elizabeth
10:53 am on Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Just FYI, it's not the union that pushes for/promotes the professional development days, it's the administration. more ›