NEW: Central Falls – No Explanation for MIA Administrators
Friday, May 20, 2011
The chair of the Board of Trustees for the Central Falls School District responded yesterday to a GoLocalProv report that revealed that three administrators who have been out of work for months are still on the payroll for the district.
Anna Cano Morales, the chair of the trustees, said the district is committed to transparency. But she also said the district is barred from releasing confidential information about employees. She said that because personnel issues and litigation are involved, the district is limited in what it can say about the three administrators.
Central Falls school chair: we’ve eliminated wasteful spending
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Morales also defended Superintendent Frances Gallo against allegations of mismanagement that had been raised in a GoLocalProv report and by Senator John Tassoni, who called for her resignation.
“I am confident in Dr. Gallo's leadership and know that the claims of mismanagement are simply inaccurate,” Morales said. “Our budget decisions are made in public by the Board of Trustees in cooperation with Dr. Gallo, and under direct guidance and monitoring by the Rhode Island Department of Education. As a matter of fact, our budget is a line item in RIDE's budget and therefore receives much more scrutiny than other school districts in Rhode Island.”
She added: “We have worked diligently to steward the funds that are appropriated to us by the State. Our focus is to make fiscally responsible decisions that will benefit our students, teachers, and staff. Over the last four years we have worked to eliminate waste, we've made severe cuts in central office staff, we've eliminated administrative raises, we've reduced out of district placements, and we continue to seek out savings. In fact, we've been able to build up a $2.2M surplus in the school district's budget which we hope to use to support essential programming directly affecting the children of Central Falls during these difficult economic times.”
Gist: Takes reports seriously
Education Commissioner Deborah Gist weighed in as well:
“We take seriously any reports about the management of Rhode Island school districts, including Central Falls. In our ongoing work with the district, we provide oversight and offer support regarding district finances, personnel matters, and school management,” Gist said. “If we have any concerns about the management of Central Falls, we take action to rectify the situation. Please bear in mind that when allegations involve personnel matters or legal issues, neither the district nor RIDE can readily share information with the media or the public. I would be glad to further discuss the management of the Central Falls schools with Senator Tassoni and the leadership of the General Assembly.”
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