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Committee approves transfer of 4 Sharp Drive after amendment recognizing Apprenticeship Exploration School name change
Summary
The Cranston Public Works Committee approved a resolution transferring 4 Sharp Drive to the city, adding an amendment noting the charter school's renaming to the Apprenticeship Exploration School; councilors raised questions about bond reimbursement.
The Cranston Public Works Committee voted to approve a resolution transferring the property at 4 Sharp Drive to the City of Cranston, adopting an amendment that records the school’s renaming to the Apprenticeship Exploration School.
The amendment added the sentence that "as of August 2023, and with the approval of the Rhode Island Department of Education, the Charter Academy was renamed the Apprenticeship Exploration School." The amended resolution, sponsored by Mayor Hopkins, passed on a roll-call vote with all members present voting yes.
The change matters to the city because the school’s executive director told the committee the Rhode Island Department of Education recommended the school for a five-year renewal, the maximum renewal cycle for a charter school. Lindsay Tavares, executive director of the Apprenticeship Exploration School in Cranston, told the committee she was "pleased to share" the RIDE recommendation and spoke in support of the city’s purchase of the facility.
Councilors discussed financing. One member asked to place on the record an understanding that bond funds would be used to purchase the building and asked whether the city will be reimbursed at a 74 percent rate rather than the typical roughly 52–53 percent state reimbursement. The councilor asked whether a memorandum of understanding or similar agreement should be in place to secure that reimbursement. A staff member, identified in the record as Mr. Collins, responded but the record does not specify his detailed reply.
The amendment to the resolution was moved and approved on a roll-call vote. After amendment, a motion to approve the amended resolution carried unanimously.
The committee did not set further conditions in the meeting minutes; the matter was approved to proceed under the terms in the amended resolution and the sponsor’s presentation.
