Prudence Island exhales: Schoolhouse will remain open

Funding secure for 2019-2020, council tells foundation

By Jim McGaw
Posted 5/13/19

PORTSMOUTH — The great "Prudence Island School is Closing” scare is officially over, at least for now.

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Prudence Island exhales: Schoolhouse will remain open

Funding secure for 2019-2020, council tells foundation

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — The great "Prudence Island School is Closing” scare is officially over, at least for now.

After more than a week of handwringing over fears that Rhode Island’s last operating one-room schoolhouse could be shuttered at the end of the academic year, the Prudence Island School Foundation (PISF) got some good news from the Town Council Monday night.

“The council has the ability to continue with the funding,” Council President Kevin Aguiar told Catherine Homan, a member of the PISF board of directors who came before the council for some answers after some recent uncertainty over the school’s future. 

Mr. Aguiar continued, “I know there’s been some …”

Ms. Homan cut him off. 

“Concerns? Agony? Distress?” she said.

All ended well, however, as council members assured the foundation there are no plans to close down the school, and that a new agreement will be reached to continue funding from the town under civic support going forward.

“I’m thrilled,” Ms. Homan said after the meeting.

Background

Except for a brief hiatus from 1982 to 1989, the school has operated continuously since it was built in 1896. The school is owned by the School Department, which decided to close it in 2007 and transport students to Portsmouth schools on the town proper for their education. 

Island parents opposed the move and took the matter to the state commissioner of education, who ruled that transporting young students back and forth from the island by ferry was “so extreme as to render the proposed transportation arrangements ‘unsuitable’ under state law.” Another proposal, to send the island students to Bristol schools, was also rejected by parents.

In 2009, island residents formed the PISF to resolve the issue, with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) drawn up between the town of Portsmouth, the School Department and the PISF.

Under the MOU, the PISF agreed to provide education for the elementary-aged students and pay the expenses related to maintaining the school building, while the town agreed to pay a per-student dollar amount through civic support for each elementary-aged student attending the program. 

According to the PISF, the per-student dollar amount was based on the cost of paying tuition to Bristol, and for the 2018-2019 school year, that totaled slightly more than $55,000 to educate three children at the elementary level. (Two other students who attend the schoolhouse are middle-school age, and their education is funded by grants, fund-raising and payment from their parents.)

In December 2018, however, School Committee Chairwoman Emily Copeland notified the PISF that the MOU would be terminated before the next academic year. Ms. Copeland said the foundation had not upheld its agreement to maintain the building since the district had spent $15,000 toward the replacement of the schoolhouse’s roof. 

In a press release, PISF Chairman Allan Bearse replied that the foundation had in fact fulfilled its part of the MOU. “We have maintained the building for 10 years, including replacing doors and windows, painting, paying utilities and insurance,” he said. 

‘We panicked’

Things really ratcheted up on May 3, Ms. Homan said after Monday’s meeting. 

“The School Committee actually told us that they were not going to give us the money — no more funding. We panicked,” she said. “I knew the School Department had it in their budget, but they were saying they weren’t going to fund us this coming year — 2019 to 2020.”

Facing the possibility that their children would have to be ferried off the island for their education starting next year, the PISF sprang to action. The foundation blasted off a press release, objecting to any funding cuts, and urged islanders to attend Monday’s meeting and write to town and school leaders as well as their local legislators. 

“We revved up and loaded all the guns and got the battle ready,” Ms. Homan said. 

But after waiting over two hours for their agenda item to come up in the Council Chambers Monday night, PISF members were able to keep their weapons holstered. The uncertainty over the school’s future was apparently a misunderstanding, they were told.

“That funding was already approved three weeks ago,” Town Administrator Richard Rainer, Jr. told Ms. Homan. “We have plenty of time to talk about the funding as a civic support line item in next year’s budget.”

“That’s fine with me,” a happy Ms. Homan replied. 

Also in attendance were Sen. James A. Seveney (D-District 11) and Rep. Susan Donovan (D-District 69). Sen. Seveney sought assurances that a new MOU be drawn up that assures the town will continue to support the schoolhouse going forward. 

“The children have to come first,” he said.

Council member Leonard Katzman said there may be some “technical issues” with the current MOU. Specifically, if the R.I. Department of Education declares that the building is an actual school and not simply a “place where people educate their kids” — elementary-aged students who attend the schoolhouse are considered home-schooled — the structure may need significant funding to address compliance issues, he said. However, that issue could be cleared up by the School Department and Mr. Rainer, he said.

“It’s a schoolhouse, but it’s not a school; that’s just the fact,” Mr. Rainer said. “However, the memorandum of understanding did state there’s a commitment to provide civic support to the Prudence Island School Foundation.”

Whether the district decides to continue funding the schoolhouse or not is up to the School Committee, Mr. Rainer said. However, the town will continue supporting the building financially going forward, he said.

Prudence Island, Portsmouth Town Council, Prudence Island School Foundation, Prudence Island School, Portsmouth School Committee

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.