[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6517232,"mediaKeyId","5419688-9c43d132f0f3cb67285dbf2e8ced9977","parentId",5419688,"title","Votes at a glance: Coventry board approves exchange student, chemical-waste disposal fees and CHS gym sound purchase","audioSeconds",280,"startMs",8165000,"endMs",8445000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5419688-9c43d132f0f3cb67285dbf2e8ced9977&start=8165&end=8445","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5419688-9c43d132f0f3cb67285dbf2e8ced9977/thumbnail_8165000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6517232/Coventry/School-Districts/Rhode-Island/Votes-at-a-glance-Coventry-board-approves-exchange-student-chemical-waste-disposal-fees-and-CHS-gym-sound-purchase","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517232-82280e2cc404ef9ffa1b667358b4e69b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775067540&Signature=XOw~zQq4q29lsPsNEVZoG-z04sScyu5vwvg5tIQX8qjqB1CtZ~3Cb1A-5UfGzCBe3JJs-Hae5I1~QC4w74CA82dVjf9XnWrVTRhnUEr5fnNeS5pi-v9kE5DEmolyXD5yXggERdSYZsTMUCvP7piEZL~rYi2PyyRutahwXiPAUkawdS0zYiQlfSytaG7MIfwsDXrIhA~oXZJBdn70XcvFfvxdAnP1m-g1RTwSbRqxll1W2re43hvtaIHJ3x8i7-EUh5OOwLK3jwp2y7LelbKwHpHBRaa1XhMzJ0vyAjRTxpzU0K2C3WJx0Qg5Ui7htx5Z8wml6k0x9wAUjMfQUzgSlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Coventry RI Public Schools","date","2025-07-18T01:17:21.557Z","article","The Coventry School Committee unanimously approved three time-sensitive items added to the agenda: recognition of a foreign exchange student's enrollment for grade 10, impact fees for chemical-hazard waste disposal tied to science-lab renovations, and a purchase order to update the sound system in the Coventry High School gym.

The committee voted 6-0 to approve the foreign exchange student's enrollment for the 2025–26 school year after the high school confirmed the student met the school's documentation requirements. The student will be a 10th grader; the administration kept the student's personal information out of the public packet and recommended committee approval.

The committee next approved impact fees to hire a licensed hazardous-waste contractor to remove out-of-date chemicals from the high school's chemical storage room. The superintendent said the work responds to a fire-marshal inspection and is necessary because expired and unused chemicals cannot be disposed of through ordinary trash or dumpsters. \"We want to get them in and get these chemicals out of the building,\" the superintendent said during the discussion.

Committee members then approved a purchase order to replace or upgrade the gymnasium sound system while crews are on site installing lighting and fans. Don Cowart said the project remains within the gym budgeted amount of $2.5 million and noted savings elsewhere in the capital work — including a portable fume-hood decision that freed roughly $70,000 that allowed additional painting in the science labs. Joe Fagnoli, the district's athletic director, was present and participated in the discussion about vendor selection.

All three motions passed by recorded announcement with the tally \"motion carries 6 to 0.\" The committee adjourned at 8:22 p.m. by a 6-0 vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","7/17/2025 School Committee Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","The Coventry School Committee approved a foreign exchange student's enrollment, authorized chemical-hazard waste removal impact fees for science-lab renovations and approved a purchase order to update the high school gym sound system; all recorded motions carried unanimously, 6-0.","taxTitle","Coventry, School Districts, Rhode Island","taxId",57886,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6517236,"Coventry superintendent previews tentative teacher and support-staff contracts; ratification votes postponed",2020,6760000,8780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5419688-9c43d132f0f3cb67285dbf2e8ced9977&start=6760&end=8780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5419688-9c43d132f0f3cb67285dbf2e8ced9977/thumbnail_6760000.jpg","/articles/6517236/Coventry/School-Districts/Rhode-Island/Coventry-superintendent-previews-tentative-teacher-and-support-staff-contracts-ratification-votes-postponed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517236-e95e079185315a5d8b2cad393f8138ef/orig.mp4?Expires=1775067540&Signature=HY7fngQxSfpI5j8X-2kl7OhEwz79EhS3Wj06F9gqJ9A~AHIYuB-cvaEJkKK8T3PdsqdV3tKVvOPGFVaX1mBDSQ0eYya3JqZAe13IR9irxRFkoE5vKjuMEPZ7ilPOgl-EEbOcnA-ALi0YxYiGGyQJcimaNdlpSnf9gRvgF3PpsWiJLasS1RuWcqKs5Zdbq~iY~VgZtfR8KZhAOAKUr221JUwc4HLUnsfxY5VT6r8F4fvJ1u-S7HJmzf~5i~aqMVgMnfQ2wPFtB9ZP9OfqCi1NY80bRgIbHkciNkN-m~gAtDzcTVtOnTk7rFBps1HGaZ3tb9HEnajNfU9fuOVpgmwusA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Don Cowart presented a timeline and fiscal analysis of tentative three-year agreements with the Coventry Teachers Alliance (CTA) and the school-related professionals (SRP) during a school committee meeting, and the committee postponed votes on ratification to the next meeting.

Cowart told the Coventry School Committee the negotiations were atypical in timing but necessary after the district changed health-care trusts earlier this year. \"I thought it was important to do the presentation so that when people come to the next meeting, they've had some time to, digest the information, understand what's being discussed,\" Cowart said.

The superintendent said the district and union leaders opened the collective bargaining agreement specifically to address prescription-drug plan language and to set a new three-year salary schedule. Under the tentative CTA deal Cowart described, salary increases would be 1% in year one, 2% in year two and 1.75% in year three; the SRP proposal is described as 2% each year. Cowart said the CTA schedule averages 1.58% over the three years compared with a 10-year teachers' average of about 2.4%.

Cowart presented the financial-impact calculations the district used: he said the total, cumulative cost of the CTA salary schedule compared with the base year is about $5.4 million; the SRP total cost is about $1.2 million; and the combined total shown on the presentation was roughly $11,000,003.83 when measured against the base year in the district's fiscal model. Year-over-year incremental amounts shown on the slide were about $1.34 million for 2027, $1.694 million for 2028 and $1.648 million for 2029 for CTA salary costs.

Cowart said the district closed a dispute over pharmacy management that included expedited arbitration filings and a temporary restraining order. He said lawyers for both sides and union leadership worked outside the courtroom and signed a memorandum of agreement that cleared the way to change prescription-management vendors on July 1. \"A lot of that settlement agreement had to do with an extension on time for people to get their prescription drug plans in order,\" Cowart said.

In public comment on Zoom, Kelly Aranakis, representing the Coventry Teachers Alliance, said the ratification vote by teachers had been contentious because the proposed raises are modest. \"It was a little bit contentious, because teachers are getting very minimal raises,\" Aranakis said. She said the CTA's ratification reduces projected salary growth compared with a previously used 2% placeholder in the district's five-year projection, producing more than $1 million in projected salary savings and nearly $1 million in expected savings from the new prescription plan.

Committee members asked for clarification about the district's fiscal year closing and whether the proposed contract would increase the 2026 deficit. A staff member identified as Chris answered budget-process questions, saying final FY2025 closing figures were not yet available and that the district expected to present an updated five-year projection at the next meeting.

The school committee announced it would postpone votes to ratify the CTA and SRP agreements until the next meeting to give members time to review updated audit and fiscal materials. The committee had earlier recessed into executive session to discuss collective bargaining and litigation under R.I. Gen. Laws cited during the motion.

Next steps listed by Cowart included updated five-year projections and a fiscal-impact memo to be available to the committee before the ratification votes.","Superintendent Don Cowart presented a timeline and fiscal analysis of tentative three-year contracts for the Coventry Teachers Alliance (CTA) and support staff (SRP), including proposed salary schedules and a switch in prescription management to CVS Caremark. The committee postponed ratification votes to its next meeting.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Coventry board approves exchange student, chemical-waste disposal fees and CHS gym sound purchase

Coventry superintendent previews tentative teacher and support-staff contracts; ratification votes postponed