Central Falls (city) goes into receivership; Joel Klein ally hired in the school district

Central Falls (1 square mile town with largely poor population of renters) goes into recievership:

PROVIDENCE — A Rhode Island city facing a severe financial crisis was placed in receivership yesterday, with day-to-day management turned over to a lawyer whose tasks will include helping to balance the budget and renegotiate contracts.

Central Falls said in a petition for receivership that it faces a $3 million deficit in its $18 million budget, cannot afford its pension fund obligations, and is hobbled by revenue shortfall and cuts in state aid. The city is in “extreme fiscal stress,’’ the petition states.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2010/05/20/ri_court_names_receiver_for_struggling_central_falls/


Guess who's going to pay?



Firefighters don't like it:

"We see turning over the keys to city government to an unelected, all-powerful receiver as a civil rights issue," said Marc Gursky, the lawyer representing the union. "Judges haven't appointed kings since biblical times, and they shouldn't start again now."

City officials went to court May 19 and asked for the appointment of a receiver, the state-law version of seeking bankruptcy protection, in an effort to reorganize its finances and close a $3-million deficit in the city's $17.8-million budget. The receiver, Jonathan N. Savage, was appointed temporarily pending a June 9 hearing in Superior Court.

Receivers have broad powers to approve and disapprove city bills and, if the court agrees, change the terms of contracts.

In a written statement announcing its opposition, the union said it will argue that the city failed to provide proper notice of the May 18 City Council resolution that empowered the Mayor Charles D. Moreau to seek the receivership.


http://newsblog.projo.com/2010/06/cf-firefighters-object-to-city.html

Check the comments; same typical "government workers bleeding everyone dry" crap.


Meanwhile....

Gallo hires new deputy superintendant

FALL RIVER — After assisting in the school department’s turnaround efforts during the past year, Assistant Superintendent Victor Capellan is leaving Fall River to undertake similar efforts in the Rhode Island community that made headlines when the high school fired its entire faculty.

Capellan has been hired by Central Falls Superintendent Francis Gallo to serve as deputy superintendent for transformation, with the responsibility of overseeing the turnaround of that city’s high school.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/westport/news/x157350896/Mayo-Browns-top-deputy-leaving-Fall-River-schools



Prior to arriving in Fall River, he worked for the New York City Department of Education. He started there in November 2002 where he was part of Chancellor Joel Klein’s reform efforts in the capacity of Associate Director of the Office of New Schools. He was part of the team that opened 60 new small schools in New York City in 2003.

He later became Principal of EBC High School for Public Service in Brooklyn, New York. EBC is a school of 600 students and 80 staff members. During his four years as principal, the school was recognized by the Department of Education by being chosen as one of two high schools to represent New York City in a national competition.

New York City won the competition as was named as the top urban school district in the country by the Broad Foundation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Capell%C3%A1n

Great. :sarcasm: