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School committee approves contracts, parking fix and donor gift; finance staff warn of near-term deficit
Summary
The Newport School Committee approved multiple contracts and agreements — including temporary parking at Rogers High School (MPA 381, $177,800), renewal of workforce and curriculum contracts, and acceptance of a $10,000 donation to Rogers’ international-studies program — and heard that the district faces an approximately $425,000 operating shortfall due to higher out-of-district special-education costs.
The Newport School Committee approved a package of operational contracts, a temporary parking project at Rogers High School and accepted a donor gift, while finance staff reported a roughly $425,000 operating deficit largely driven by increased out-of-district special-education tuition costs.
On the consent and action agenda, members approved teacher recalls (action 4.1), the updated 2024–25 staff handbook (4.2), and a three-year renewal of an interagency agreement funding a College and Career Readiness coordinator (4.3). The committee also approved awarding MPA 381 to Oakill Farm LLC to add approximately 25 temporary parking spaces at Rogers High School, for $177,800 funded from the Capital Improvement budget. Committee members emphasized the work is a temporary binder/binder-coat solution intended to restore lost spots during construction and noted some parking will still be removed when the new building’s site work resumes.
Principal and school staff described a contract to partner Rogers High School with Springpoint for targeted high-school instructional improvement; that agreement, supported by the Bar Foundation, was approved. The committee unanimously accepted a $10,000 donation to the Rogers High School International Studies and Leadership program from a donor introduced during the meeting; presenters said the program has a 10-year history of bringing international leaders into the classroom and has received larger past gifts that funded field trips.
Several curriculum and student-support contracts were approved: a renewal with Vector Solutions (online professional-development content funded by Project AWARE), a contract with n2y LLC for alternate-assessment curriculum (federal grant funded), a virtual Spanish-language therapy contract with Huddle Up/comTherapy (Project AWARE funding), a memorandum of agreement with Salve Regina University for board-certified behavior analysts (funded through the Consolidated Resource Plan), and an as-needed contract with RCM Educational Consultants for para/staff training and support.
During a budget update, the district reported a net operating deficit of approximately $425,000 for the just-closed fiscal year. Financial staff attributed the shortfall largely to faster-than-expected out-of-district special-education tuition costs (roughly 25 additional out-of-district placements compared with budget assumptions), higher rental costs during an unexpected generator replacement and other unplanned facilities work. The business manager said the district’s reserves can cover the shortfall but recommended the finance committee review approaches to replenish or reallocate contingency funds.
Committee members asked for clearer communications about parking limits for drivers next year (principals indicated student driving may be limited to seniors next year during the construction year) and for regular updates on implementation of the Portrait of a Graduate and strategic-plan monitoring. The committee set future meeting and subcommittee dates and adjourned.
