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Council clears schematic submission for new South Kingstown High School; critics urge recheck of enrollment math
Summary
The Town Council voted Jan. 27 to approve the schematic design submission for a new South Kingstown High School—a required step in the state reimbursement and review process.
The South Kingstown Town Council voted Jan. 27 to approve submitting schematic design documents for a proposed new high school to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and the School Building Authority, clearing the project to move to the next design stage.
Architects from Left Field Studio and members of the town’s school building committee described the schematic submission as the first of three formal design portal submissions required by RIDE. Kate Masinanti, chair of the School Building Committee, said the schematic submission affirms the educational program, room counts and basic layout; the project will then enter design development and construction‑document phases, with additional council checkpoints later.
Why it matters: Approval is a formal prerequisite to keep the district’s reimbursement application active with the state. Councilors said they wanted to avoid losing the district’s spot in the School Building Authority review process or delaying the timeline for construction and state aid.
What council heard: The project team said the proposed building is sized for 725 students, consistent with the stage‑2 application and a memorandum of agreement with RIDE. Doral Beasley, a resident who has publicly questioned the enrollment projections, urged the council to recalculate capacity estimates; he said a lower projection could reduce construction costs and free money for other district projects. Project staff and school officials said the stage‑2 MOA reflects a holistic review by RIDE and that substantial changes at this point could void approvals and restart the state review process.
Vote and next steps: After a brief debate, the council approved the motion to forward the schematic submission to RIDE. Staff said RIDE will review and submit comments and the project will return to the council at subsequent design milestones.
Ending: The schematic‑submission approval keeps the district’s application active with the state and maintains the project schedule; opponents who favor redoing enrollment projections said they will continue to press their case at future project checkpoints.
