To the editor:

Several recent letters to the editor apparently missed my point that the Bristol Warren School District lacks academic achievement. One called my suggestion that our tax dollars might be better spent providing vouchers for private/parochial schools for some of the >$18,000 we spend per student “absurd.” States providing vouchers have seen substantial increases in achievement.

Another writer called it “union bashing.” I didn’t bash unions, just suggested that professional teachers should be evaluated on proficiency and results rather than lockstep increases, driven by seniority and academic credentials.

That same writer said factors other than ineffective teaching/curriculum created the poor results — 36 percent of Mt. Hope High School students meeting minimum proficiency in math. If that is so, why are disadvantaged students in Massachusetts succeeding?

Another writer asked where to find statistics. Click here to find detailed information. Then click on RI Assessment Data Portal, public access. You can search by district, by school and by test.

Important to know is that the general info on elementary schools is under the tab for RICAS. The tabs for PSAT and SATs are for high school students. You can also find Report Cards for each school in the district here. Once there, you will find that the high school has 937 students and 82 teachers (as of 2019) and a graduation rate of 92.5 percent, but it’s 94.3 percent for economically disadvantaged students.

You used to also be able to find absence data there … not now. But in 2018-2019, the high school had a student absenteeism rate of 26.7 percent and a teacher absentee rate of 21.1 percent — see here.
Do you think Bristol voters would tolerate >20 percent of our police routinely not showing up for work — chronically absent like the teachers? You can use Google to find the teachers’ contract, as the link is too long. You will find that it recites in great detail pay, generous benefits, hours, reimbursements, etc. but nothing about education, progress or welfare of the students.

Teachers must work 185 days of 6 ¾ hours a day including lunch period and a 15-minute break. Assuming ½ hour for lunch + 15-minute break, they are required to work 6 hours a day, 185 days a year. Comparing that to other professionals, assuming two weeks of vacation and 10 holidays, the average non-teacher works more than a month longer and a > 25% longer day.

Perhaps we should emulate Finland, where teaching is competitive and well-compensated with high standards. Bristol-Warren’s poor performance is not unique — Rhode Island schools significantly underperform Massachusetts schools. See the Boston Globe article of Nov. 9 titled “Rhode Island has a math crisis.” Only one school in the state, Sowams in Barrington, has at least 70 percent of students proficient in math.

If you look at Rhode Island College, where many R.I. teachers are educated, 60 percent of the required courses for elementary educators are in the theory and practice of teaching, not in English, science or math.

The definition of stupid is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a better result — what needs to change?

Georgina Macdonald
180 Ferry Road