An unusual school election phenomenon in Cranston

Last week's presidential election has been deemed a historic election with unprecedented results, and it is has consumed voters' attention in the past many months. Meanwhile, here in Cranston, one local election had an unusual aspect that many may not have even noticed. As all eyes were on the various candidates and their opponents for elections everywhere, six of the seven candidates for Cranston School Committee ran unopposed. Further, the Ward 4 race was between two new candidates, Amy Ricci and Vincent Turchetta, after Trent Colford, who held the seat, vacated it to run for City Council. Turchetta ultimately won the seat. In all other wards, the incumbents ran unopposed and will be returning to their posts: Jeff Gale in Ward 1, Stephanie Culhane in Ward 2, Domenic Fusco in Ward 3, Janice Ruggieri in Ward 5, Dan Wall in Ward 6 and Michael Traficante for the Citywide position.

In the wake of such an election phenomenon, the incumbents of the Cranston School Committee were asked to take a moment to consider the positions they have taken while overseeing a district which consists of over 1000 employees, almost 11,000 students and approximately 52 percent of the city budget. Why, other than that the current committee is doing the job successfully, did they think they avoided facing stiff competition from opponents, as seen in past years?

“I'd like to believe that my constituents are satisfied with the work I've done and the votes I've cast during my first term,” said Daniel Wall, Ward 6 incumbent. “I've worked hard to represent their interests and to be available and responsive to their concerns.”

Ward 3 incumbent Domenic Fusco considered some comments made to him on Election Day and in days past. “I'm not 100 percent sure why people do not want to run," said Fusco. "Some things I heard on Election Day were, ‘You are crazy, I would not want that thankless job,’ and one that totally surprised me, a person who a few months ago told me that she was thinking of it but once she met me she decided it was not worth running against me.”

The time commitment involved in the volunteer position is a factor two of the candidates thought might be a deciding factor for many who are considering a run for School committee.

“While I would love to believe it’s because I have done such a fantastic job, I honestly think that it is hard to get people involved these days,” said Ward 5 incumbent, Janice Ruggieri. “When I talk to different organizations that are looking for volunteers, it seems that everyone is having a hard time getting people to commit. In truth, this is a volunteer position that you are elected to do.” Although many go into the job thinking that it only involves two meetings a month in time commitment, it soon becomes clear that it is much more than that.

“My daughters, both of whom are students in the Cranston Public Schools, and my wife would say that the time commitment is significant,” said Wall. “Formally there are two monthly meetings and the various sub-committee meetings. In addition, there are numerous calls and emails from constituents that rightfully require my time and attention. Also, although I realize it's not formally part of my job, I try to attend as many community events and PTO meetings as I can. I think being an active part of the community makes me a more effective school committee representative.”

Ruggieri agrees that the time involved in the volunteer position is often misunderstood and that the taking on of such a position needs to be considered seriously and thoughtfully.

“There is a huge time commitment to this position. It can really be a full-time job in itself,” she said. “Aside from the twice a month regular meetings, there are subcommittees that meet (depending on the issue this could be another monthly or biweekly meeting), negotiations with unions which can take a long time to finally come to an agreement. The longest one I worked on was for 18 months. Budget season adds additional meetings and additional time spent in review, amendments and questions, and there are invitations to school events and city and state meetings that you get invited to participate in as well.”

Ruggieri notes that the School Committee members each have family and other jobs that factor into their time commitments and schedules, and affect their position as well.

Additionally, consideration is not often given to the time that goes into simply preparing for the meetings.

“I don't think people really understand how much goes into this job. In addition to the time spent at the meetings there is a lot of preparation that goes into these meetings,” Ruggieri said. “Reading documents and being prepared with questions or amendments and having a clear understanding of the issues before voting is crucial. I make sure to learn as much about any issue that we are dealing with as I can, prior to the meeting. I ask a lot of questions, but I want to make sure I have all of the information on hand.”

Fusco quickly realized during his first term that there is often a learning curve that goes along with the position.

“Once I took office, I was shocked at what I did not know,” said Fusco. “This first term was an intense learning experience and the administration has been great allowing me to ask questions and has taken time with assisting me in understanding how the department works and what is needed to run it.”

With nearly 25 years as an educator under his belt, Wall has a solid background in education, but still agrees that a great deal of time goes into preparing for meetings.

“I believe that it is important to become as knowledgeable as possible regarding the various trends, research, laws and issues that pertain to children and public education,” he said. “We are elected to make decisions that are in the best interests of the families and students of Cranston, and this can't be done effectively without, pardon the pun, doing our homework. Fortunately, I have a pretty solid foundation in that area from serving as an educator for nearly 25 years, but I am reading and learning new things all the time."

Despite the intense time commitment and knowledge base needed to do the job, the fact remains that it is still a volunteer position, something which cannot be ignored when questioning why some may hesitate to throw their hat into the ring when election time rolls around.

“I do think it would be nice to receive a stipend similar to the City Council for all of the work we do, but it was not something that we would have taken during the financial crisis that the School Department was in,” said Ruggieri. “As a matter of fact, there was a small budget for meals for the School Committee during our budget sessions or other late night meetings that we cut from the budget several years ago to put money back into the general budget.”

While the School Committee members were quick to agree that much goes into the job, all agree that it's a job they love and one they do out of a desire and commitment to help others.

“I think you need to have a desire to help people. I have tried to help everyone who has contacted me, even those who are not in my ward,” said Fusco who has two high school students of his own in Cranston. “I always wanted to be involved and help kids, and this is just one way to do it.”

Seeing a problem through to resolution is another rewarding part of the position, according to Wall.

“It's rewarding to meet with families that I have been able to help with individual issues,” he said.

Each also agrees that being present at various school ceremonies and functions is by far the best part of the job. Having the opportunity to be a part of an event involving their own children and the children they have watched grow through the years from elementary school to high school is another part of the job that the School Committee members enjoy.

“The best part of this job is getting to attend all of the honors nights, graduation ceremonies, pep rallies, homecomings, open houses and any time we get to see the kids and staff shine. The school events are the best things we get to do, and although I cannot attend all of the events because of my daytime job and family commitments, those are the best times,” said Ruggieri, who is about to have a front row seat to watch her second child graduate in June, an experience she enjoyed with her oldest child two years ago. “I have to say that so far, the most special thing that I was able to do during my tenure on the committee was to give my daughter her diploma and to make a speech at her graduation. I am thrilled that I get to also share that experience with my son when he graduates this year. I love what I do for the School Committee, and I am honored that I get to keep doing it for this next term.”