Middletown School Committee refuses to support Newport-led regionalization effort

The Middletown School Committee voted on Aug. 21 to not support a City of Newport resolution dated Aug. 13, 2025 that urged renewed efforts to regionalize the Middletown and Newport school districts.

Chair Gregory Hewitt read a prepared statement explaining the committee’s position, saying the local context has changed since 2022 and warning that regionalization could carry major financial and governance risks. “Chasing an undetermined, uncertain funding stream with daunting timelines and questionable outcomes … while knowing that approval would ultimately result in the loss of school committee autonomy, is unwise and has no support from the elected officials of the Middletown School Committee,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt’s statement noted that Middletown voters approved a regionalization issue in 2022 while Newport voters did not, that Middletown recently approved a bond package to build two new schools and that Rogers High School in Newport is reopening this year. The chair also told the committee there is “no current or pending Rhode Island legislation that guarantees an approximately 80% reimbursement rate for regionalization,” and said the state’s fiscal picture and federal funding uncertainty make such a guarantee unlikely in the near term.

A committee member recused themself from the consideration, citing a family connection to Newport schools; the recusal was announced before the hand vote. By a hand vote the committee recorded a unanimous decision among voting members to not support the Newport resolution.

The committee also directed that the Middletown superintendent not engage in regionalization efforts at this time. Hewitt said the directive is intended to allow district leadership to focus on immediate priorities, including preparing for the coming school year and overseeing Middletown’s ongoing school construction projects.

Why it matters: proponents of regionalization have argued it can create efficiencies and greater programmatic alignment across neighboring districts; opponents in Middletown cited recent local investments, uncertain state-level reimbursement and the potential loss of local governance. The vote formalizes Middletown’s position and signals that any future regionalization steps would require further local discussion and new legislative or voter actions.

What’s next: The committee’s decision will be communicated to the Middletown Town Council and the public; the chair said the intent of the vote is to inform taxpayers and elected officials of the committee’s position. The Newport City Council and Newport School Committee retain their positions and any future formal regionalization steps would require separate approvals and, where applicable, voter referenda.