School Committee Candidate Q&A: David Florio

Q: What motivates you to want to become a school committee member?

A: I grew up in Providence and went to Manton Avenue Elementary School where I got a good foundation at the elementary level because it was a humanistic school, it was caring and there was empathy. This is where I started, working with kids (as Asst. Director and youth program coordinator at Mt. Pleasant Tutorial, Div. of Substance Abuse Case Manager Supervisor/Family Court Liaison, Co-founder of Coventry's Juvenile Hearing Board, etc.), and what I see going on right now is very disheartening. 

I've gone to these meetings and haven't heard the word empathy once from anybody. There hasn't been any; "we understand what you're going through", "we understand that banks are foreclosing on people's properties", "we understand that your property values have decreased", "we understand that as parents you're working two or three jobs to pay the bills and get your kids through school", or "we understand and we're trying to help your kid". I hear those things from teachers but not from administration. 

I dislike hearing teachers referred to as human capital or kids referred to as being part of a strategic plan. I'm trying to hear that the terms nurturing, person responsibility and multi-generational influences are happening in our schools like they are happening around the country but i don't hear that here, I've only been hearing the mean side. I'm not trying to criticize anyone, I'm just looking at it from a historical perspective from how it used to be done to what is being done now.  

I have the time now, I've retired from the state and closed my private practice (Coventry Psychotherapy Center) and working for the children will give me purpose again. 

Q: What strengths or relevant experience do you have that you would bring to the committee?

A: Growing up, my mother had Multiple Sclerosis and my dad had Epilepsy, so I've spent my whole life caring for people. 

In 1975 while studying at RIC, I got a call and was asked to work for the Joslin Multi Service Center as Director of Senior Citizens for the Reading is Fundamental program and I got to meet some of my old teachers who had taken an active involvement in their students' educations. In 1976 to '78, I worked for the Director of Senior Citizens in Providence and at that time I recruited senior citizens to read to kids, because it was a multi-generational philosophy, bringing grandparents to read to children from broken families. 

In 1980 I was hired by the Division of Substance Abuse as a task case manager and was also a family court, federal court, district court and superior court liaison, before I became case manager supervisor. In 1987 I went back to RIC for my Masters in Counseling and Education Psychology and also got my CAGS in mental health. In '88 I went into probation and parole and became a probation officer.

In 1990, former Rep. Steve Anderson and I started Coventry's Juvenile Hearing Board where we gave first-time offender juveniles community service, which is actually where I met Nancy and we worked together for 10 years and talked every day. 

I became involved with the PTA at Oak Haven Elementary while my son went there, and my wife and I stayed involved through middle school and high school until he graduated in 2009. I was also part of the School Building Committee and helped get a lot of work done at the schools, including putting a roof on Oak Haven for $1 million with a referendum project like the one being done right now.

 Q: What is your vision for education in this community? How does it differ from the way things are currently?

A: We need better communication. Right now, it seems like there's no communication whatsoever between the school department and the town. Also, I don't see anything going on between the administration and the teachers other than an adversarial relationship. There's a lot of finger pointing going on.

We need a coordinated strategy like in the past when John Deasy was superintendent. What we need to do again is to have meetings and a retreat to Alton Jones once a year like in the past where everyone affected would participate. PTA, teachers, town council, school committee, representatives and senators need to sit down together, discuss the problems, discuss the budget, discuss the needs of the community, and say "Ok, what's our plan? We need to develop a real plan for the kids,". 

I feel like there's no heart to our school system anymore. I don't see compassion. I don't see caring. We need to get back to the concept that it takes a village to raise a child, and maybe then things will improve.

Q: What do you see as the primary work of the committee? 

A: The primary function of a school committee is the kids, and it has always been that way. The school committee is the body who protects the public's interests and its responsibility is to the families. A committee is about being honest and doing the best you can to keep costs down, hold central office accountable and not give up on kids. That's what Nancy (Sprengelmeyer) never did, was give up on the kids. 

Q: How can the committee be more accessible to the Coventry community?

A: We would need to have meetings at the same set time and location so no one is wondering where it is being held. The individual schools could host community information nights, but it shouldn't be on the same night as a meeting. We would need to start on time, handle the agenda in a timely fashion, and then end. The Committee shouldn't be late and keep everyone waiting, and needs to take everyone's schedules into account. These things would encourage public attendance.

Q: What are the current challenges facing education/school committees?

A: There seems to be a failure to trust the teachers. It's truly dysfunctional and a main reason for why morale is so low. These teachers have already been interviewed for their positions. If they were worthwhile for their position, why do you have to reevaluate them and keep reevaluating them? If you hire somebody to do the job, that's it, you know they can do the job. They passed their probationary period.

The teachers' time is being taken away from actually teaching to do their own (RIDE) evaluations and to teach to the NECAP test, and soon they'll be going into the PARCC assessment instead, which is going to be another stress for them, the kids and the families. It puts everyone on edge. There comes a point where you just have to allow people to do their jobs.

Q: A number of Coventry residents have recently expressed their opinion that the school committee should be eliminated, allowing the town council/municipal government to make decisions regarding education. Why do you think a school committee is necessary here?

A: The importance of a school committee is that they're there to advocate for the kids, that's the whole point when it is working correctly; to advocate for the fair and equal education for all children. That isn't happening right now in Coventry, and that's why people are upset and asking those kind of questions.

Q: What goals do you hope to achieve if you are elected?

A: This town has a reputation for its good schools, but I would like people to realize that it's not so much the school system, but more the teachers and administrators. They are failing to realize that teachers and principals make a school and that is the perspective that I want to bring to the committee. 

The anxiety of our teachers is at an all time high district-wide, morale at an all time low, and families are losing sight of the fact that it takes a village to raise a child. You have to be empathetic, you have to be human and you have to be nurturing, particularly when it comes to a school system. I would like people to realize that you can't run the school system like a business. It's been tried and it doesn't work. 

Q: If elected, how would you handle requests from parents? What should the protocol be for parents to have their questions/concerns addressed?

A: I've walked the neighborhoods in my district, talked to residents, gave them fliers and sent out a mailing. They all have my cell phone number and know that if I'm elected, they are welcome to call me or see me any time they need to. Sometimes a parent needs 24/7 access to help, they don't always need it at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, they might need it at 10 o'clock at night when the child is acting out. They don't usually need a call or visit from the cops, they need a call or visit from their school committee member to just ask, "OK, what's going on here?".

The protocol for residents is to call their school committee member. That's the point. That's why we run for this office, not to hand it off to the school department. I will call central office and have a hands-on approach, which is what I did as a probation and parole officer and supervisor.  

Q: Have you talked to constituents about their experiences with the Coventry School Committee or school department in the past? How have they responded?

A: They're not happy. Residents in District 4 were happy with Nancy because she was always hands-on. If she got a call, she responded and I think they're afraid that that won't continue. I walked my entire district, saw how unhappy and stressed people are and heard the issues and concerns that parents are dealing with. They need someone who has the time and can drop everything to talk to a parent, and I can do that.