District 12's School & Budget Woes

Troubling times in R.I. regarding the budget. Things will probably be as friendly as last year, though, regarding the relationship of the Lege and the Guv. Firstly, it's not an election year, and secondly, the Guv has no control votewise over the leadership. They "wuv" each other now & so there will be little finger wagging over who has gotten us into this mess in the first place.

I am trying a new shorthand way to refer to the Legislature or General Assembly. Somehow "Generals" didn't seem quite right & "Asses" was a bit over the top. So "Lege" works for me (thank you again, Molly Ivins).

No, you won't see any increase in taxes but you'll be seeing huge increases in fees on both the state & local levels. It's already happening in Tiverton.

Middletown is laying off all its non-tenured teachers yet again - 25 this year (Daily News says 22. Who even notices anymore except those involved? But with budget shortages looming everywhere, those rehirings in May/June will no longer be so automatic. What you're seeing in P'mouth is the future for all of us.

The "Newport Daily News" editorial opinion (no link) is upset with the Guv for once again not reimbursing Portsmouth for its group home. Last year during the election it repeatedly creamed Rep. Rice & Sen. Levesque for not collecting this $ (not to mention their opponents). Supposedly this was behind their non-endorsement of them (although it may well have had to do with the position of the stars in the sky at the time or the fact that Democrats have a "D" in its spelling). The Guv then promised to fix it & now he has reneged. Ironic, huh?

I wonder if Rep. bruce J. Long will show next Wed. at the Newport County meeting to examine the feasibility of one large district (held in Prov. after the Lege meets but it is being moved to Newport's Colony House)? I also wonder where their meetings/agendas/minutes are posted? Enquiring minds like to know. The good Rep. has been mighty quiet of late. April 15 ain't all that far away. Hope that he hasn't lost his filing form this year. I heard on WADK the other day that he was going to be participating in a health care forum in Prov. I hope the Guv isn't cutting his former wife's RITE care. Oops, I mean the Rep's former wife, of course. The Governor's wife has her health insurance paid for by all of us. Don't you?

The anticipated cost increase of Blue Cross for next year is 15%. But, you're expecting a like raise, right?