Letter: No single resident should speak for all of Barrington

Posted 12/19/17

To the editor:

On Dec. 4, the commission formed at the Statehouse to explore a mandate to push back start times at all Rhode Island schools was supposed to meet. The agenda released at 4:30 p.m. …

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Letter: No single resident should speak for all of Barrington

Posted

To the editor:

On Dec. 4, the commission formed at the Statehouse to explore a mandate to push back start times at all Rhode Island schools was supposed to meet. The agenda released at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 stated the East Greenwich School Committee and the Barrington School Department were to speak.

After some research, it was confirmed that only two people were scheduled to speak — Carolyn Mark for East Greenwich and Scott Douglas for Barrington schools.

To my knowledge, no one from Barrington knew they were on the agenda. Subsequently the meeting was cancelled.

Mr. Douglas referred to this bill (introduced by North Kingstown Rep. Julie Casimiro) as “his” bill when testifying before the House Finance Committee. He was confirmed as the speaker for Barrington at the Dec. 4 meeting, and one can assume he saw the agenda since it is “his” bill.

When was he or his wife, Barrington School Committee member Dr. Megan Douglas, going to speak up?

The Barrington School Committee ethics code states that “individual School Committee members have no authority to act on behalf of the School Department or the School Committee except when delegated by the whole School Committee.”

Mr. and Dr. Douglas are obsessed with later start times. They have proven they will do whatever it takes to push their agenda. I guess if you cannot get this passed at the local level, then try to get it passed at the state level. Do they think it is ok to represent the town because Mrs. Douglas is on the school committee and Mr. Douglas is on the Committee on Appropriations?

I am sure the Douglases will say it was clerical a mistake or they didn’t see the agenda prior to East Greenwich and Barrington finding out. 

They both knew Mr. Douglas was going to go speak on behalf of the school and town. They want the commission to only hear their side of the research. Just like they did here in Barrington through the health and wellness committee.

I would ask the town to launch an investigation into this. Having these two on their respective committees isn’t good for Barrington.

Tom Rimoshytus

Barrington

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.