Newport School Committee Rejects Pell Parents' Latest Offer

The showdown between Newport school leaders and Pell Elementary School parents shows no sign of resolution yet.

During an executive session on Thursday evening, the Newport School Committee voted to rejec t a proposal issued by Melissa Pattavina and fellow petitioners that would have prevented the parents' group from forcing an official Rhode Island Department of Education hearing on the Pell renovation product.

The citizens' group had offered to withdraw their complaints with the education department – if the school department agreed to the eight-point proposal shown below. The school committee rejected it Thursday night.

Earlier this week, Elliot Krieger of the Office of the Commissioner at the department of education said the state was hoping for a resolution that does not involve an official state hearing.

“We would love to see the matter resolved at the local level, which would obviate the need for a hearing and a commissioner’s decision,” Krieger said. It doesn't appear that will happen.

Pattavina et. al. proposed the following provisions in order to forgo a RIDE hearing:

1. That NSC will appoint, authorize by NSC vote and convene an advisory committee for enhancement of community engagement procedures comprised of no less than the number of members of the original Ad Hoc School Building Committee (appointed in 2009) by no later than Sept. 15, 2011.
2. That the composition of the advisory committee meet the standards set for the membership of the Ad Hoc School Building Committee as stated in NSC documents: “to represent a broad cross section of the Newport community.”
3. That the advisory committee include a minimum of five of the signers of the Pattavina et al complaint and no more than 25 percent representation of Newport School District officials or employees.
4. That the advisory committee be charged by NSC to review and recommend the adoption of specific policies and procedures to ensure the accomplishment of any and all existing NSC policies, RIDE regulations or RI statutes regarding NSC engagement with the Newport community in general and in particular as regards the community’s ability to have structured input in areas and scope of NSC actions to be defined by the advisory committee.
5. That this advisory committee may upon its initiation review its charge and recommend modification subject to the review and approval of the NSC.
6. That the advisory committee be permitted to complete its charge to the satisfaction of its members while making reasonable progress reports to NSC.
7. That the advisory committee has no authority to establish policy other than to make recommendations to the NSC.
8. That the NSC commits upon completion of the charge of the advisory committee to meet with its members to discuss its recommendations in public open meetings having first publicized the report and recommendations of the committee, and then vote on the committee’s recommendations.

According to School Committee Chairman Patrick Kelley, the group will be informed of their decision to reject the proposal via the group’s attorney, Samuel D. Zurier, and that they “support their use of the already available avenue of making recommendations to the school committee via the public comment process.”

Kelley said that in this case, any recommendations for policy changes would be referred to the policy subcommittee.

The school committee’s attorney, Neil Galvin, will inform hearing officer Kathleen S. Murray that the committee will be prepared for a hearing in Newport on June 20.

“Parental involvement is the key to great schools and we encourage Ms. Pattavina's group and all parents of children and community members to be involved in all aspects of public education,” Kelley said the day before the school committee’s executive session. “I look forward to putting this behind us and continuing on the path to making Newport public schools the best in the state.