Want to know what architects have sketched out for the future of Barrington schools? 

Well, you’re going to have to wait until Thursday afternoon.

The Barrington School Building Committee will meet on Thursday, July 14 at 3:45 p.m. and watch a presentation of the concepts created by the architecture firm, Kaestle Boos Associates. The meeting will be held in the middle school presentation room and is open to the public.

Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore said the concepts will not be shared publicly prior to the meeting. 

“We’re very cautious about what gets out and how it gets out,” Messore said. 

The concepts are part of a Rhode Island Department of Education five-year process involving school facilities, said Barrington Schools Director of Finance and Administration Doug Fiore. The “end-game” is for Barrington school officials to submit a Stage II application to RIDE, Fiore said, adding that this is part of a long range capital plan. 

Months ago, school officials unveiled a different set of options that were being considered for the future of Barrington schools. Some of those options included a restructuring of the grade groupings in town and the elimination of some elementary schools. Some residents voiced loud opposition to the options. 

More recently, school officials, working with a consultant, held a pair of visioning sessions. The group of 50 people, including some from the school department and others representing various community groups, helped the district develop a long-term educational facility master plan. According to the district-wide email, there was robust support for “correcting inadequate school facility conditions,” and for “increasing student engagement through learning activities and spaces.” There was also strong support for improved indoor and outdoor physical education and athletics spaces/playfields, educational equity for all schools, correcting existing space deficiencies, eliminating overcrowding and more.

Fiore said the concepts presented at the July 14 meeting will be based on the information shared at the visioning sessions. He said the Barrington School Building Committee members will then be given two weeks to mull over the concepts and, on July 28, are expected to recommend their top selection to the Barrington School Committee. 

“We need to narrow it down to one concept,” Fiore said. 

Fiore and Messore said the concepts will be different than the options presented previously by KBA which had been done before the visioning sessions. Fiore and Messore said there was a consensus reached at the visioning sessions about the priorities and needs of the district. 

Messore said officials are eager to see the presentation of concepts on July 14.

“Concepts can be exciting, logistics are challenging,” Messore said. 

The July 14 and July 28 meetings will also be live-streamed for the public. People can access them through the district’s website (www.barringtonschools.org)