Providence council delays decision on lease of Laurel school to Excel Academy after hours of public comment

The Providence Ordinance Committee on May 12 continued consideration of a resolution that would authorize the mayor to enter into a lease with Excel Academy Rhode Island for the Carl G. Laurel school building, following a two-hour public hearing that included presentations from city staff, Excel representatives, teachers, parents and students.

Courtney Hawkins, chief operating officer for the city, told the committee the current lease proposal represents “a compromise” that she said secures roughly $2.5 million for renovation work on the Laurel building to benefit Providence Public School District (PPSD), creates a $50,000-per-year neighborhood investment fund to be directed by councilors and would provide ongoing rent income to the district’s capital revolving fund. Hawkins said PPSD will use the building as a swing space for about five years and that Excel has agreed to pay utilities and to cover large capital investments in the building while smaller repairs would be shared between Excel and the city. “If Excel doesn’t move into this building, it has some significant financial implications for the city and the district,” Hawkins said.

Owen Stearns, speaking for Excel Academy, said the proposal produces “meaningful wins” for Excel, the district and the city and emphasized that 84% of Excel’s students live in Providence. Stearns told the committee long bus rides to Excel’s North Providence campus mean students lose academic and extracurricular time and that the charter would likely lease a commercial property if denied this building. He said the combined effects of rent, tax classification changes and building upkeep could amount to roughly $700,000 per year in fiscal impacts the city should weigh.

Excel and district staff answered questions about enrollment and services for students with disabilities and multilingual learners. Stephanie Patton, deputy chief schools officer, said Excel’s enrollment is based on a blind lottery and that Excel reported 10% of its students have disabilities and 24% are multilingual learners; she contrasted those figures to district rates she cited of roughly 15% students with disabilities and about 38% multilingual learners.

Public testimony split sharply. Dozens of parents, students, Excel staff and supporters said moving Excel into the Laurel building would shorten student commutes, expand program offerings and put a long-vacant building back into use. Multiple students testified about long bus rides and urged the council to approve the lease so the school could expand programs and athletics closer to students’ homes. Community supporters included the Rhode Island Education Collective, which said it had raised $1,250,000 in philanthropic funding to support capital improvements and collaboration at the site.

Opponents — including current PPSD teachers, union representatives and neighborhood residents — argued the lease would divert public funds to a charter operator, risk privatizing public space and exacerbate inequities in public education. Several speakers raised concerns about provisions that allow subletting or an option to purchase the property, and one speaker said the city had already spent about $300,000 maintaining the empty building this year. Speakers urged alternatives such as affordable housing or district-driven reuse and questioned whether the lease terms sufficiently protect PPSD interests and taxpayer oversight.

Procedural motions included unanimous votes to enter letters of testimony into the record and to add a substitution (sub A) to the record. After hearing public comment, Council President Rachel Miller asked that the committee take public testimony and then “continue this issue for several weeks” to answer outstanding questions without leaving the Excel community in limbo. Councilwoman Peterson moved to continue; Councilman Vargas seconded the motion, and the committee approved the continuation.

With the item continued, no formal council vote was taken on the resolution or on the lease terms. Committee members said they will continue vetting the lease language and the fiscal and programmatic details before bringing the matter back for decision. The committee adjourned after approving the continuation and routine motions.

Votes at a glance: motions to enter testimony and to add substitution A were approved by voice vote; the committee approved a motion to continue the lease item for further review. No final vote to authorize the mayor to sign the lease occurred during the May 12 meeting.