South Kingstown school committee votes to relinquish Wakefield Elementary to town; residents urged to press council

The South Kingstown School Committee voted to relinquish care, custody and control of Wakefield Elementary School to the town after a public comment period in which neighbors urged the committee to delay the transfer.

Residents told the committee the Wakefield site and adjacent playground are important neighborhood assets and asked the district to pause the handoff so the town can consider preserving public space and reuse options. Superintendent James Pedraza recommended the transfer, saying the district does not foresee reopening the building for instruction given current enrollment and facilities.

The recommendation mattered to neighbors because the committee’s action moves the legal title and decision-making to the town council. “I asked the committee to postpone the transfer in order to fully evaluate options and weigh what the future impact to the community would be,” public commenter Bridal Apuzzo said. Marissa Salisbury said, “It is inevitable that if the land gets turned over to the town, it will end up in the hands of a developer,” and warned that a proposed site plan would leave just 16 public parking spaces that could be taken up by residents of any new development.

Chair Carol Vetter responded to public concerns by noting a state requirement the committee cited earlier in the meeting: “We’re mandated that if we close a school, the building returns to the town. So we don’t have a choice.” Vetter and other committee members told residents the town council—not the school committee—will decide how the town uses the property and encouraged neighbors to bring their preferences to the council and municipal staff.

Committee members acknowledged the playground’s local significance and discussed possible protections residents might press the council to adopt, including a reverter clause that would return the site to the district for educational use if enrollment needs change. Superintendent Pedraza said district staff had been working with the town and community on logistics such as removal of educational materials and a plan to preserve a time capsule, but that detailed plans for celebrations or further actions were not yet finalized.

The school committee approved the recommendation to relinquish the building by voice vote. The motion, which passed without a recorded roll-call tally in the transcript, transferred responsibility for the building and adjacent grounds to the town of South Kingstown. The committee’s action does not itself set any specific reuse plan; that authority now rests with the town council and town manager.

Residents and committee members said they will take their concerns about playground maintenance, parking for town events, historical dedications (including references to the Nancy Brown playground and other named site features), and potential clauses to preserve educational reuse to the town council.

What’s next: The town council will consider how to use and manage the site. Committee members asked residents to attend town-council meetings and submit written requests to the town manager and councilors to advocate for preservation and specific protections.