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Newport leaders open talks on school regionalization with Middletown; no vote after public workshop
Summary
At a joint Newport City Council and School Committee workshop, officials and residents debated whether to begin regionalization talks with Middletown, citing steep enrollment declines, an estimated $5 million potential annual shortfall, and an RIDE reimbursement offer; councilors plan to meet Middletown but did not take a formal vote.
NEWPORT — Newport City Council and the Newport School Committee convened a public workshop to discuss possible regionalization with Middletown, focusing on whether the two communities should begin formal talks and how any change would be phased. No formal vote was taken; council leaders said they will seek to meet with Middletown in the coming weeks.
Supporters at the Nov. 12 workshop argued the districts’ shrinking enrollment and funding formula made the current model unsustainable. “He said it could be up to $5,000,000 a year,” School Committee member James Dring noted when recounting projections from the finance director, a figure proponents used to press for a change in structure. Dring and other supporters said regionalization could broaden AP, honors and career‑technical education offerings and cited bus‑service efficiencies and state construction reimbursement as major financial incentives.
Opponents and skeptical councilors urged caution. “I’m not personally willing to just sign on the dotted line and figure it out later,” Councilor Stephanie Winslow said, pressing for a concrete plan, clear metrics for student outcomes and community engagement before a referendum. Residents and council members repeatedly asked who would produce a plan, where reimbursement dollars would be allocated and how the process would protect programs and jobs.
Superintendent Pauline Germaine framed the decision around students. “I’m asking all the adults in this room to please put students first,” she said, urging a process that includes teacher, parent and community voices as well as the superintendents from both districts.
Officials referenced the state legal framework for consolidation, pointing to Title 16 of the Rhode Island General Laws and documents from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) outlining reimbursement and statutory mechanics. Multiple speakers said an earlier bill (first drafted in June 2022) did not pass the legislature and that any statutory approach would require additional action by state lawmakers.
Several participants pushed for a formal, well‑scoped working group. Members of the public and some councilors asked whether the $250,000 the city previously budgeted for consultants and facilitation would be used to hire outside expertise to develop a community‑facing plan and to manage the many technical, human resources and contract questions regionalization would raise.
The meeting also spotlighted governance questions about the academic integration advisory committee created by the council. Councilors said they have not completed appointments to Newport’s portion of the advisory body despite a prior internal deadline; several urged resubmitting or revising the resolution so Newport can populate its seats without waiting for Middletown’s participation.
Next steps: leaders said they will try to coordinate schedules and hold joint discussions with Middletown officials in the coming weeks. No binding action was taken at Wednesday’s workshop; any change would require additional planning, community engagement and ultimately a public vote.
