Rogers Calls For The Removal Of Supt. Pia Durkin

Former Mayor and State Senator George Rogers is seeking office once again, this time he's running for a seat on the New Bedford School Committee.

Rogers says he'd like to see many things change in the New Bedford Public Schools, including Dr. Pia Durkin's role as superintendent.

"I think that she should go, period," said Rogers "I've had a lot of complaints from teachers, people that have been in the force, that have left the force, because of the attitude and the atmosphere that seems to permeate the school department."

When it comes to standardized testing and Common Core programs mandated by the state, Rogers says the school department has little choice other than to do what the state says because the state provides the bulk of the funding for the school budget,

Rogers says that if the city invested more, it could have a larger say, and he believes there is one source of revenue new bedford should be getting more of.

"If you look at the amount of money we generate in New Bedford, for the state lottery, and compare it to what is generated in all the other cities and towns, you will find that we are at the very top of the list of cities that are generating funds for the lottery, and we don't get our  share of that money," said Rogers.

The election takes place November 3.