Foster Glocester School Committee Files

Foster Glocester School Committee Files Join us as we go behind the scenes with the Foster & Glocester School Committees. This page is a community-led forum for transparency & accountability.

Views are opinion/commentary for advocacy purposes.

*Not an official Page for the School Committee.*

🚨Tip to The Files Page from Brian KellyOn June 24th, I filed another Open Meetings Act complaint against the Glocester S...
07/17/2026

🚨Tip to The Files Page from Brian Kelly

On June 24th, I filed another Open Meetings Act complaint against the Glocester School Committee. This one addresses their failure to post minutes for the May 7th meeting to the Secretary of State’s website within the required 35 days.

Earlier this year, the Attorney General issued a decision on a consolidated complaint that found the Glocester School Committee violated the Open Meetings Act. That complaint had alleged the Clerk missed deadlines 19 separate times across two different public bodies. The AG’s finding resulted in two violations — one for the Glocester School Committee (GSC) and one for the Foster-Glocester Regional School District (FGRSD).

In the response to that earlier complaint, SC Attorney Greg Piccirilli acknowledged the violation on behalf of the School Committee. Important note: while the School Committee members don’t physically post the minutes, they have the legal responsibility to ensure compliance. That duty is delegated to the SC Clerk, Kyle Fraatz.

In his response to my latest complaint, Attorney Piccirilli tried to muddy the waters by focusing on the difference between “approved” and “unapproved” minutes. The law is straightforward: “All minutes and unofficial minutes required by this section shall be electronically transmitted to the Secretary of State…” It’s clear for any layperson to read and understand.

Piccirilli also mentioned doing a “cursory review” of the Attorney General’s website and seeing that other public bodies have made similar errors. That doesn’t excuse the Glocester SC’s repeated compliance failures. He claimed Clerk Fraatz was “trained” and now understands she must file official minutes even if they’re not yet approved within the 35-day window.

The question remains: When exactly did this training happen? After the earlier violations, or only after this recent complaint? If it was after the original issues, either the training was ineffective or it wasn’t followed. If it only happened because of the new complaint, then accountability was clearly missing from the start.

Clerk Kyle Fraatz’s affidavit states that after the December 2025 complaint she “implemented a calendar system” to remind herself to file minutes on time. That system apparently failed. She points to messy June meeting dates (a scheduling issue she contributed to when the June 2nd meeting had to be cancelled due to her failure to timely post the Regional SC agenda).

Even after supposedly being trained that unapproved minutes can and should be posted within 35 days (with approved minutes posted later), she waited until the last minute. The unapproved May 7th minutes were only posted on June 22nd — right before the June 22nd meeting — after this issue gained attention again on social media.

In her affidavit, she notes having to cut her vacation short to return to the office and handle the posting. While that’s inconvenient, this was a situation of her own making. Is Ms. Fraatz the only person with access to post these minutes? Where was Superintendent Palazzo during all this? What’s the coverage plan for vacations and absences? And now that Ms. Fraatz has resigned as Clerk, who is properly trained and responsible for meeting these legal requirements going forward?

I’ll provide another update once the Attorney General’s office issues its final finding on this latest complaint.

07/12/2026

🚨🚨 U.S. Department of Education Launches National K-12 Initiative to Protect Students from Adult Sexual Predators in Schools🚨🚨

On Friday July, 10 2026, the U. S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights announced they had launched an initiative to crack down on sexual predators in schools. In their press release, the department of education states that the Trump administration has noticed a trend across the country where reports and cases of sexual misconduct, abuse, and/or harassment often go undocumented, and not properly investigated, often allowing the offender to quietly resign and go on to work in another district- otherwise known as “passing the trash”.

Does this “trend” sound familiar?? It should…

We have recently seen examples of this in our very own regional school district. This is a problem nationwide and this trend needs to end. Per the Department of Education’s press release:

“To combat this trend, the Trump Administration issued guidance reminding federally funded educational institutions of their legal obligations to safeguard children and appropriately respond to incidents of sexual misconduct under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX).”

The guidance, in addition to requiring states and schools to create laws, regulations and policies that would prohibit “passing the trash”, the guidance also instructs school districts “conduct meaningful investigations”.

“Schools must thoroughly investigate allegations of sexual misconduct and cannot rely solely on referrals to law enforcement to satisfy their obligations under Title IX. Nor may they suspend or terminate their investigation once law enforcement gets involved, unless so required by other pertinent federal law. Institutions must ensure their grievance procedures are timely, thorough, and genuinely responsive.”

Why this is significant for the FGRSD:
This guidance states and echoes what we the taxpayers have been saying all along- the school district still needed to complete their own thorough investigation regarding the incident of sexual misconduct between former Ponaganset High School teacher Alisha Crins and a student. While tax payers cried out for an independent investigation, or just any investigation into the school district and administration, the FGRSD SC refused- using an ongoing law enforcement investigation as their excuse. It took almost 8 months of tax payers standing up and fighting for what was right before the school committee finally voted to do an independent investigation.

What are your thoughts on the new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education? Will our state and our school district follow the guidance issued or will they continue to put our children at risk?

🏫⚖️⚠️ RIDE dismissed Voters because Regional School Committee asked, Foster Town Council steps up!Voters in Foster and G...
07/10/2026

🏫⚖️⚠️ RIDE dismissed Voters because Regional School Committee asked, Foster Town Council steps up!

Voters in Foster and Glocester showed up, rejected the Foster Glocester Regional School Committee's big spending plan, and approved a $882k cut to level-fund the school budget instead. So why is the Regional School Committee pushing back — and why did RIDE dismiss residents’ request for a hearing on "standing" grounds?

"Standing" is a legal rule that basically asks: "Is this really your problem to bring to court or this agency?"

To have standing, you need to show that you (or the group) are directly hurt or affected by the issue in a real, specific way — not just that you're a concerned citizen or taxpayer who doesn't like what's happening. It's a gatekeeping rule so agencies and courts don't get flooded with complaints from people who aren't personally impacted.

In this case:
The group of Foster and Glocester residents asked RIDE for a hearing on the April 14 budget vote — arguing that voters' decision to cut spending was being ignored or undermined by the Regional School Committee based on an Advisory Opinion that didn't have the force of law.

The Regional School Committee pushed back and told RIDE the residents lacked standing. Their argument boiled down to: "Even if the vote is being challenged or not fully followed, that's not enough of a direct problem for these specific taxpayers to demand a formal hearing." RIDE agreed and dismissed the request without holding the hearing.

In plain terms, the School Committee was saying the nullified or disputed vote wasn't a big enough personal injury to these residents to let them force RIDE to investigate — so the taxpayers should be ignored again.

The residents are now planning to appeal that dismissal, arguing they do have standing because they are the voters and taxpayers directly affected by how their school budget and local taxes are handled.

It's a classic procedural hurdle that often feels like "you're not important enough to complain."

Imagine being a Regional School Committee member, working to nullify the voters, and then when they request a hearing on it... saying that ignoring those votes isn't a big enough deal to let them have a hearing about it.

At the same time, the Foster Town Council passed a Resolution last night, expressing support for taxpayers and authorizing requests to RIDE for a full review, hearing, or declaratory order on the April 14 vote — plus an Auditor General review of financial practices.

The message from voters is clear: the fight isn’t over.

Thank you to the Foster Town Council for standing with taxpayers on this.

What do you think should happen when voters approve a specific budget reduction at the official financial meeting?

Hypocrisy on full display: The Foster - Glocester Regional School Committee is trying to override the voters’ budget dec...
07/06/2026

Hypocrisy on full display: The Foster - Glocester Regional School Committee is trying to override the voters’ budget decision while one of their own — Amy Ferreira, who is running for Governor of Rhode Island — preaches that “votes matter.”

Amy posts about how “votes matter” and “every decision shapes the world our children inherit” — while sitting on the same Regional School Committee that’s trying to override what the voters already decided.

Same committee. Same town. Same day as that float rolled down Victory Hwy telling everyone the school committee thinks “your vote means nothing.”

This is raw hypocrisy. They preach votes matter but their actions scream the exact opposite.

Talk is cheap. Respecting the vote is what actually matters.

Our kids deserve better. Our taxpayers deserve better.

How long are we supposed to tolerate elected officials who only like democracy when it goes their way?

🧨🚜When officials ignore voters on school spending and tax dollars, it doesn’t just stay in the meeting room. It ends up ...
07/05/2026

🧨🚜When officials ignore voters on school spending and tax dollars, it doesn’t just stay in the meeting room. It ends up on Victory Hwy on the 4th of July with hay and signs that say "We, The People are FURIOUS"

That’s exactly what happened at the 100th Glocester Ancient and Horribles Parade yesterday.

This parade has a long history of satirical, no-holds-barred floats that roast local controversies, bad decisions, and power plays. It’s a political theater with cardboard, hay, and attitude — a Rhode Island tradition where regular people get to call out the nonsense in public.

When the Regional School Committee and RIDE’s moves on the budget vote have people this fired up, it earns a prime spot on the route. Nothing says “Ancient and Horrible” like ignoring taxpayers and telling voters their voice doesn’t count.

Here’s the full message from the float for everyone to read:

Main Sign:
ATTENTION FOSTER + GLOCESTER VOTERS

WE THE PEOPLE attended 2 financial town referendum meetings of the Foster-Glocester Regional School District

WE THE PEOPLE voted down a proposed budget of the Regional School Committee

WE THE PEOPLE approved a level funded budget equal to the previous years budget

Yellow Section:
RHODE ISLAND DEPT OF EDUCATION (R.I.D.E.) HAS ISSUED AN ADVISORY OPINION... YOUR VOTE WAS NOT LEGAL!

Bottom:
YOUR VOTE MEANS NOTHING TO R.I.D.E. OR THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE

WE PETITIONED FOR A HEARING - R.I.D.E. REFUSED!

YEARS OF FREEDOM & DEMOCRACY NOW MEANS NOTHING

WE THE PEOPLE ARE FURIOUS! PAY ATTENTION! MAKE IT KNOWN - OUR VOTE COUNTS!

Small side signs: “CAUTION: Contains Advisory Opinions from R.I.D.E.” and “RIDE’s Advisory Opinion STINKS!”

Our vote counts.

The parade float proves the frustration is real and growing.

Pay attention. 🇺🇸

🎆🎇🧨Taxpayer Bob and Sophie the Sleuth are hitting the Ancient and Horrible Parade in Chepachet the right way — freedom, ...
07/04/2026

🎆🎇🧨Taxpayer Bob and Sophie the Sleuth are hitting the Ancient and Horrible Parade in Chepachet the right way — freedom, family, and a magnifying glass on every line item.

Because some things in RI stay 'horrible' for a reason: hidden school spending, secret deals, and budgets that keep growing while results don't.

This 4th of July, declare independence from the nonsense. Demand open records and real accountability in FGRSD.

The Founders didn't settle.

Neither do we.

Who's marching with us? 🇺🇸🔍

The Glocester K-5 School Committee attorney sent a letter last month telling the Town Council why they couldn’t get seri...
07/03/2026

The Glocester K-5 School Committee attorney sent a letter last month telling the Town Council why they couldn’t get serious about the structural deficit right away.

He said having some members of the GSC attending a Glocester Town Council meeting on a corrective action plan isn’t practical. He wants a full joint meeting instead. And he made it clear it probably can’t happen until after June 23 — when the Town Finance Director is back from leave.

We’re not here to turn anyone’s time out of the office into drama. People take leave. That’s normal.

But the attorney is using it as a gatekeeping tool.

He’s controlling the timeline. He’s giving the School Committee a polite-sounding excuse so they didn't have to show up and own the problem now. He’s making it sound like they just need the right person in the room before they can even talk about fixing the deficit — when the people we elected and the Superintendent we have should already have a plan ready. This didn’t just pop up last week. This has been going on for months.

That’s not leadership. That’s stalling dressed up as process.

The School Committee and Superintendent are supposed to run the schools and fix problems like this. Not wait for the Town Finance Director to return before they can discuss a corrective action plan the Auditor General already told everyone needs to happen. Not hide behind objections about who gets copied on emails and when one staff member gets back in the office.

The Town Council read the letter and didn’t buy it. They’re moving the meeting forward anyway and they’re reviewing the forfeiture clause in the Town Charter to actually hold the School Committee accountable.

Parents and taxpayers deserve better than this.

We put people in those School Committe seats to lead, not to let their attorney run interference and slow everything down. The structural deficit keeps growing while they manage the process instead of the problem.

Read the letter. Ask your School Committee members what their actual plan is and why it took a lawyer’s letter to explain why they couldn’t bring it sooner.

We’re done watching them treat this like someone else’s job to fix.

Messy Budget. Missing Transfers. Growing Mistrust in School Leadership.The School Committee wants to force their propose...
07/02/2026

Messy Budget. Missing Transfers. Growing Mistrust in School Leadership.

The School Committee wants to force their proposed FY2027 budget on everyone — even though voters rejected it twice.

But look at what that same document shows about FY2026, which just ended.

It shows that a whole lot of spending lines were way over budget — some by tens of thousands of dollars. This wasn’t the whole budget running short. There was padding in the FY2026 budget. The overspending happened on specific line items where, in our opinion, the Superintendent and Business Manager made significant mistakes.

When a line item goes significantly over budget, the district is supposed to move money from somewhere else to cover it. That’s called a budget transfer.

The School Committee has its own Budget/Line Item Transfer Policy that says they have to approve those transfers when they’re over certain amounts. They’re also supposed to get monthly budget-to-actual reports showing exactly where things stand.

By our count, there were already over 10 line items that needed transfers as of December, and another 10–15 that were on track to need them by June 30.

For months, there was no agenda item to approve budget transfers. The only finance item on the agendas was a generic “Finance Update.”

When we asked for the financial documents from the April meeting through a public records request, we received a summarized budget-to-actual report. That means the School Committee is not seeing how far off the individual line items actually are on a monthly basis.

They approved the very document that showed these problems. They knew — or should have known — that specific lines were running way over. Instead of fixing it properly in public, they’re now trying to push through this new FY2027 budget anyway.

If the School Committee isn’t approving transfers or getting detailed reports, who is actually watching the spending?

💪90 days, 120 posts, 600,000 viewsIn 90 days we’ve posted about 120 times — and those posts have been viewed over 600,00...
07/01/2026

💪90 days, 120 posts, 600,000 views

In 90 days we’ve posted about 120 times — and those posts have been viewed over 600,000 times.

That reach didn’t happen on its own. It happened because more and more of you are paying attention, reading the documents, and speaking up instead of just watching.

To the originals who helped get this page started — thank you.

To the newer folks who found us more recently — welcome. You’re making the conversation stronger.

Most of you live right here in Glocester and Foster. You’re parents and taxpayers who feel the impact of these budgets every day.

We get tips and messages nearly every day, and we appreciate each and every one of them.

A lot of the posts you’ve found most interesting started with something one of you sent us.

Some of you are even starting to think about running for School Committee yourselves, or supporting fresh faces who want to bring new ideas, real transparency, and real accountability.

And to those of you who need to stay quietly supportive for personal or professional reasons — thank you too. There’s a role for everyone in this work. You don’t have to comment or show up publicly to matter. Just staying informed and paying attention is already more than a lot of people do.

Can you see yourself getting a little more involved in whatever way feels right for you? A comment, a share, showing up to a meeting, or even exploring what it would take to run or back someone new who is running?

The more of us who are paying attention, the harder it gets for things to stay quiet and get swept under the rug.

Together we CAN make change.

🚨😧The district spent over $320,000 on the Business Manager role in FY2025.The Business Manager contract said it should h...
06/29/2026

🚨😧The district spent over $320,000 on the Business Manager role in FY2025.

The Business Manager contract said it should have been about $118,000.

According to the district’s own budget documents, the budgeted amounts make sense for one person. For FY2026 they budgeted about $118,000 in salary — which would mean roughly $7,300 in employer Social Security taxes for one person.

But the actual spending tells a much different story.

In FY2025 they spent over $320,000 on regular salaries for the Business Manager job code. The documents show that's an Audited Actual amount.

They also paid nearly $20,000 in F**A taxes under that same job code — more than double what one person at that salary level should cost based on caps on F**A amounts in the law.

This year in FY2026, as of December they had already spent/encumbered about $100,000 on salaries for that Business Manager job code line — on pace to significantly exceed the full-year budget again.

Voters rejected the FY2027 proposed spending in that budget.

The elected School Committee doesn’t appear to be asking why the district is spending more than double the budgeted and contractual amount for the Business Manager role when their own documents show the numbers don’t make sense.

Why do you think this is happening?

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