NORTH PROVIDENCE - Catherine E. Graziano, a candidate for the senate District 7 seat in the Sept. 9, Democratic primary, said in a press release she will be proposing legislation to consolidate the educational districts in our state.

In her statement, Graziano said Rhode Island cities and towns can no longer afford the rapidly escalating costs of separate and distinct school systems. "It is time to look for savings through cooperation and coordination of services. Our national ratings consistently show poor performance on mandated tests while placing Rhode Island in the top ten in terms of costs for the education of our children. We can and should do much better with the resources we have," she said.

"In addition to reducing overhead costs, we should be open to a variety of programs that actually improve learning at all levels. Dedicated teachers have long devised creative ways to approach the learning needs of a variety of students and these programs should be encouraged/allowed to exist with the more traditional ones."

She continued, "This year's legislature approved the Mayoral Charter school approach. There are other models as well which would bear evaluation and could possibly provide an excellent education at less cost."

"Regionalization may well be the way to go as we attempt to overcome huge budget deficits while we continue to provide necessary services to our communities," she said.