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Chariho committee approves bond legislation language for unified elementary campus after heated public debate over voting structure and funding
Summary
School committee approved bond legislation and a memorializing resolution to send a $116 million unified-elementary bill to the General Assembly after members rejected amendments that would have required each town to vote separately or capped future bonds; public speakers and some members warned the changes could torpedo the proposal.
The Chariho Regional School Committee voted April 14 to approve bond legislation as drafted for a proposed unified elementary school campus serving Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton and adopted a resolution asking the Rhode Island General Assembly to introduce the bill.
The updated legislation reflects planning changes developed with the district’s architects and consultants: the bond principal amount was increased to $116 million to reflect revised square-footage estimates, potential building configurations (one school or multiple buildings on a single campus), and inflation and reimbursement assumptions. The draft also added language addressing land acquisition options and clarified that the elementary school could consist of one or more buildings on a single campus.
The bond discussion dominated the meeting.…
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