RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity Launches Ad Campaign for School Choice. House Hearing Today.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2015
Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity Launches School Choice Ad Campaign
Full-Page Ad in Providence Journal Coincides with House Finance Committee Hearing on School Choice
Unions cited for standing in the way of needed education reforms
Providence, RI – Today the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, the state’s premiere free-market think tank, announced a new ad campaign in support of school choice. The Center’s full-page ad is currently running in today’s Providence Journal. The ad, which asks “What’s the difference between a bright future and a bleak one?” is part of the Bright Today initiative to expand school choice and improve education quality in the Ocean State.

The ad comes on the same day the House Finance Committee is to hear bill H5790, legislation that would offer Bright Today educational scholarship accounts for all Rhode Island families. The bi-partisan bill is sponsored by Representative Raymond Hull (D, Providence) and will be heard at 4:30 pm today in Room 35 of the State House.

The full-page Providence Journal ad goes on to say: “The Rhode Island General Assembly is considering a bill that could expand school choice and improve education in Rhode Island. For too long, unions have stood in the way of a brighter future for our children. But with the lowest graduation rate in New England, Rhode Island can and must do better.”

To view the ad, click HERE.Based on reports previously published by the Center, sub-grade facts about public education in Rhode Island include:

  • The lowest graduation rate in in New England;
  • Low value. The RI public school system spends among the top 10 in the nation per pupil, yet K-12 performance and reform is rated among the bottom 10;
  • At-risk students especially suffer– low income, black, Hispanic, & students with disabilities; RI Hispanics score almost 8 points lower than the national average;
  • RI parents are the most pessimistic about public schools in the entire country, based on public polling.

In addition to today’s Providence Journal ad, the Center will also launch an aggressive social media push to inform taxpayers throughout the state of the benefits of the school choice legislation. The bills currently under consideration in the General Assembly would allow parents greater flexibility and choice in their children’s schooling, whether at a public or private school.

Mike Stenhouse, CEO of the nonpartisan group, said today, “After years of increased per-pupil spending and little improvement in educational performance, it’s time for Rhode Island lawmakers to do what’s best for our state’s families and students. Empowering parents with expanded school choice options would give our children greater opportunities to succeed and help create a brighter economic future for our entire state.”

Bright Today Scholarships are a form of Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) where, just this month, Tennessee became the fourth state to officially adopt the innovative scholarship program. . A bi-partisan Senate version of the bill (S0607), also with a Democrat lead sponsor, was heard in committee last week.*****

Background: In January 2015, the nonprofit Center published The Case for Expanded Educational Choice, putting forth arguments why the time is now to empower parents with more educational options for their children.
  • In March 2015, the Center published a report, The Way of the Future, describing the Bright Today Scholarship program outlined by the legislation.
  • In April 2015, The Math of Educational Choice, showed how most public school districts would actually achieve net fiscal savings via the Bright Today Scholarship program.
  • The main tenets of the “Bright Today Educational Choice” campaign, are that no child should be condemned to attend a failing school; that every family should feel confident that their children can dream of a bright future; that no child should have to wait for tomorrow’s reform promises; and that every child deserves an education of their family’s choice – today. A dedicated campaign website can be viewed at BrightToday.org.
  • The Center is part of a growing coalition, currently comprised of the nationally renowned Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, as well as number of in-state advocacy groups. For more information, concerned parents can also visit the Center’s ed choice home page at RIFreedom.com/EdChoiceRI.
  • BrightToday_Prov_Journal
Media Contact:
Mike Stenhouse, CEO
About the Center
The nonpartisan RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity is Rhode Island’s premiere free-enterprise think tank. The mission of the 501c3 nonprofit organization is to return government to the people by opposing special-interest politics and advancing proven free-market solutions that can transform lives by restoring economic competitiveness, increasing educational opportunities, and protecting individual freedoms.

STATEMENT: RhodeMapRI Proponents Show True Color; Again Slander Opponents at House Hearings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 2015
Dozens of Citizens Support Bills to De-Fang Controversial Plan
Consortium Members Once Again Resort to”Racist” Tactics
Center Recognizes Testimony from The Gaspee Project
Providence, RI — Once again, grassroots members of the public expressed their clear opposition to the controversial RhodeMap RI agenda at hearings in the House Finance Committee yesterday that lasted until approximately 9:30 pm.

And once again, liberal activists, who were members of the consortium that designed RhodeMap RI, resorted to underhanded tactics by slandering opponents of the plan as “racists”, this time recorded for all to see on Capitol TV (the two witness after the 94:45 minute mark of part 2 of the 5-21-15 House Finance Committee hearings). This following almost identical smears being levied at a November 2014 consortium meeting.

Virtually all of witnesses, who testified to support the bills that would de-fang certain elements of the top-down RhodeMap RI plan, were individual citizens or leaders of taxpayers groups. Virtually all witnesses opposing the bills – and supporting RhodeMap RI – were state employees, consortium members, or planners themselves.

Overall, testimony from the hearings supported the Center’s original contention that the true agenda behind the RhodeMap RI centralized plan is not economic development for Rhode Island, but, rather, to advance a radical social equity agenda out of Washington, D.C.

“This is a clear case of the government machine imposing its will against the wishes of the people,” said Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity. Also presented at the hearing were copies of various resolutions from over a dozen municipalities, either requesting a halt to the RhodeMap RI process or expressing their desire to opt-out of the burdensome mandates the plan would impose on them. “We will now see if legislative leaders will listen to voice of the people or choose to allow this government boondoggle to proceed unabated,” added Stenhouse.

The most compelling testimony presented, from The Gaspee Project, claimed that supporters of the plan engaged in “systematic deception” over recent years in seeing the plan adopted into the official state guide plan, including:

  • Manipulation of and bypassing the legislative process
  • False claims of the plan’s economic development agenda
  • Claiming RhodeMap RI is a plan for RI, when dozens of other cookie-cutter HUD designed plans exist throughout the nation
  • Bogus claims of public support
  • Utilizing dishonest technical language to hide the true intent of the plan and the involvement of the federal government

A number of bills were heard, dealing with: allowing municipalities to opt out of various mandates in the plan; providing the General Assembly with future oversight of plan revisions; and plugging loopholes to limit overly zealous eminent domain land seizures by the government. All bills were held for further study.

Media Contact:
Mike Stenhouse, CEO
About the Center
The nonpartisan RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity is Rhode Island’s premiere free-enterprise think tank. The mission of the 501c3 nonprofit organization is to return government to the people by opposing special-interest politics and advancing proven free-market solutions that can transform lives by restoring economic competitiveness, increasing educational opportunities, and protecting individual freedoms.

Bright Today Scholarship Legislation to be Heard Wednesday in RI Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2015
Bright Today Scholarship Legislation to be Heard Wednesday in RI Senate
Center Publishes New Booklet Summarizing Win-Win-Win Policy Solution
Providence, RI – Bi-partisan Senate legislation that would empower parents with greater choices when it comes to determining the best educational path for their children will be debated Wednesday in the Senate Committee on Education in Room 313 of the State House.

“No child should have to attend an under-performing school just because of their zip code or be forced to wait for vague promises of tomorrow’s reforms,” said Senator Marc Cote (D, Woonsocket), lead sponsor of the bill. “In order to have a bright future, every child deserves a great education of their family’s choice – today.”

At the 4:30 pm hearing for S0607, which would provide ‘Bright Today’ scholarships for private educations, and which would allow open enrollment within public schools, the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity will provide testimony and will distribute a report-booklet, which highlights the key findings of multiple publications by the Center.

“In the five months since the launch of this school choice campaign, there has not been one credible argument made against this WIN-WIN-WIN policy solution,” said Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the Center. “The booklet, The Way of the Future, shows how this major educational reform can provide immediate relief for thousands of under-served students, without costing taxpayers a single new dime and without adversely impacting public schools.

The booklet lays out a full description and narrative on the benefits of the Bright Today Scholarship program. Highlights include: Low value by government-run schools. Public schools in Rhode Island yield one of the lowest taxpayer values in New England and across the nation, failing far too many students.The public supports school choice. Based on behavior and public surveys, Rhode Islanders firmly support empowering parents with private school options.Not a partisan issue. Choice is not a Democrat-Republican or left-right issue, and is supported by constituencies from across the political spectrum. Demand exceeds supply. Legislative and administrative restrictions on existing charter school and corporate tax credit scholarship programs means parental demand for alternative schooling is greater than what the state allows.

  • Myths debunked. Despite claims from opponents, there is no adverse impact on public schools. In fact, public schools generally benefit from the increased competition and parent-driven accountability.
  • School choice leads to net fiscal savings for public school districts. The math of educational choice, unlike charter school math, leads to increased funding per public school student and actual savings for most school districts.

Bright Today Scholarships are a form of Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) where, just this week, Tennessee became the fourth state to officially adopt the innovative scholarship program. The bi-partisan House bill (H5790), also with a Democrat lead sponsor, is expected to be heard in the House Finance Committee in the coming weeks.

Background: In January 2015, the nonprofit Center published The Case for Expanded Educational Choice, putting forth arguments why the time is now to empower parents with more educational options for their children.
In March 2015, the Center published a report, The Way of the Future, describing the Bright Today Scholarship program outlined by the legislation.
In April 2015, The Math of Educational Choice, showed how most public school districts would actually achieve net fiscal savings via the Bright Today Scholarship program.
The main tenets of the “Bright Today Educational Choice” campaign, are that no child should be condemned to attend a failing school; that every family should feel confident that their children can dream of a bright future; that no child should have to wait for tomorrow’s reform promises; and that every child deserves an education of their family’s choice – today. A dedicated campaign website can be viewed at BrightToday.org.
The Center is part of a growing coalition, currently comprised of the nationally renowned Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, as well as number of in-state advocacy groups. For more information, concerned parents can also visit the Center’s ed choice home page at RIFreedom.com/EdChoiceRI.
Media Contact:
Mike Stenhouse, CEO
About the Center
The nonpartisan RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity is Rhode Island’s premiere free-enterprise think tank. The mission of the 501c3 nonprofit organization is to return government to the people by opposing special-interest politics and advancing proven free-market solutions that can transform lives by restoring economic competitiveness, increasing educational opportunities, and protecting individual freedoms.

SCHOOL CHOICE to be debated on Smith Hill

CENTER PUBLISHES NEW REPORT FOR SENATE & HOUSE HEARINGS.

Win-Win-Win policy solution empowers families with expanded choices, without any new costs to taxpayers, and without harming public schools!

Read the new report booklet

Open-Eyed Medicaid Reform: Review of Working Group Proposals

Click here for a printable PDF of this analysis.

Josh Archambault with Buddy on Medicaid

As part of her 2016 budget proposal, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo convened a Working Group to Reinvent Medicaid. Although its theme is reform of the way the public healthcare program operates, the selling point has been budgetary savings — specifically in the next fiscal year, when the group expects its suggestions to save or raise $91.1 million, just shy of 10% of state spending.

While there can be no doubt that Rhode Island’s Medicaid system is in need of reform, analysis of the proposals suggests that policymakers should be reluctant to hinge their budget decisions on the savings’ actually being realized. They should also go into the reforms with eyes wide open. Substantial portions are likely to shift costs to their constituents as healthcare consumers and federal taxpayers.

The group divides its proposals into three categories:

  • Payment and delivery system reform
  • Targeting waste, fraud, and abuse
  • Administrative and operational efficiency

Although waste, fraud, and abuse is often a go-to source when government officials promise to pay for new spending without raising taxes, it makes up a very small portion of the working group’s list, at $4.0 million (4% of the expected savings). About two-thirds of the savings come via payment and delivery system reform, with the remainder in administrative and operational efficiency.

These categories are of limited use in understanding how the state is actually supposed to save money. Working with health policy expert Josh Archambault, of the Foundation for Government Accountability, the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity sorted the proposals into five new categories that are more descriptive of the likely effects of the policies:

  • Shifting costs to private insurance and employers
  • Shifting costs to federal taxpayers
  • Potentially saving or costing money, depending how the market reacts
  • Cutting payments, with uncertain effects
  • Implementing good (if limited) ideas

workinggroupprojections-newcategories

More than half of the savings (53%) will likely shift costs to the private sector, with another 4% shifting to the federal government. Despite the working group’s projections, 27% of the reforms should be considered speculative and might even cost the state money. Another 8% are simply cuts that may have adverse outcomes or fiscal effects. That leaves just 7% of reforms that we would count as plainly good ideas.

The largest example of cost-shifting to the private sector ($15.7 million) is a 5% reduction in hospital payment rates, which hospitals will seek to transfer to others. The policy would give hospitals an opportunity to receive bonuses, but to the extent that they do so, the “savings” will be consumed. The largest proposal to transfer costs to federal taxpayers, at $1.5 million, would “streamlin[e] the application process” to ensure that beneficiaries are counted in the way that will bring the most federal dollars for their care.

With respect to unknowable outcomes, the largest projected savings ($3.3 million each) come from proposals to change the methods and locations of treatment for people who are seriously mentally ill or have complicated cases. Such proposals may or may not save money, and if the providers losing revenue find ways to bring their customer bases back up, the costs could actually increase. The largest outright cut is $6.1 million in increased risk and other agreements the state would force on providers. Meanwhile, the most significant good, if limited, idea is $2.6 million in projected savings from new methods of tracking waste, fraud, and abuse.

In short, the working group’s proposals are a mixed bag. In some cases, it may in fact be more appropriate for costs to be borne by insurance customers and the federal government, and some reforms might be worthwhile despite uncertain outcomes. Hopes for short-term savings, however, should not become an excuse for jumping into reforms, and costs shifted off of the state’s books should not be an excuse for increasing or maintaining other government spending.

At Least 11 Other Judicial Employees Already Drawing $100k+ Pensions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2015
At Least 11 Other Judicial Employees Already Drawing $100k+ Pensions
Some have contributed $ ZERO $ to their retirements

Providence, RI — As follow-up to an article in the Providence Journal today about three soon to be retired judges who will draw high six figure annual pensions, at least 11 other judicial employees are already drawing taxpayer funded pensions at this level, some of whom have not contributed even a single dime to their own retirements. This according to information posted on RIOpenGov.org, the government transparency website of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity.

According to information filtered from the interactive transparency website, eleven judicial employees are known to have collected $100k or more in pension payments in 2013. One such retiree, former Superior Court judge Judith Savage is not listed as having made any individual contributions to her plan. Further, Savage is estimated to receive a total lifetime benefit of about $3.4 million, the highest such liability among all state retirees, which would be 100% funded on the back of taxpayers.

Statewide, 13 current retirees are projected to receive lifetime benefits exceeding $3 million: 6 former workers from the State; 4 from the State Police; 2 from the Judicial system; and 1 from the Woonsocket School Department. Two retirees from this group made zero individual contributions to their retirement.

Also according to the data listed on RIOpenGov.org, another former judicial employee, Bruce Morin from the Workers Compensation Court, who retired in 2011, pulled in $172,330 in 2013 – the highest amount among all state retirees from all departments. Further, the next three top 2013 pension payments in the entire state were made to former judges; Howard Lipsey (2008, $167.3k), Walter Gorman (2008, $161k), and Albert Ciullo (2013, $160.9k). Morin is projected to receive the 2nd highest total lifetime retirement benefit.

“As yet another unfair result of overly generous collective bargaining and state employment provisions, the average family is being forced to support exorbitant benefits for the select few,” commented Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the Center. “Rhode Islanders need to start understanding that government is not the friend of the little guy, but rather is geared to benefit well-connected insiders and cronies.”
Media Contact:
Mike Stenhouse, CEO
401.429.6115 | info@rifreedom.org

About the Center

The nonpartisan RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity is Rhode Island’s premiere free-enterprise think tank. The mission of the 501c3 nonprofit organization is to return government to the people by opposing special-interest politics and advancing proven free-market solutions that can transform lives by restoring economic competitiveness, increasing educational opportunities, and protecting individual freedoms.