Proposed state law could cost Barrington millions

'Article 9' only rewards school building projects approved after July 1, 2018

Posted 4/2/18

Barrington school officials recently testified before the House Finance Committee about proposed legislation that would create a system of bonuses and additional reimbursements for school …

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Proposed state law could cost Barrington millions

'Article 9' only rewards school building projects approved after July 1, 2018

Posted

Barrington school officials recently testified before the House Finance Committee about proposed legislation that would create a system of bonuses and additional reimbursements for school construction and renovation projects. 

Barrington School Committee members and Superintendent Michael B. Messore III spoke generally in favor of the measure, called Article 9, but argued that it treats unfairly Barrington and other communities that approved school building projects immediately after the state lifted the moratorium on state reimbursement for school building projects.

Construction is underway on the new Barrington Middle School, at a total cost not to exceed $68.4 million. Under existing state law, Barrington will receive from the Rhode Island Department of Education reimbursement of at least 35 percent of eligible costs, estimated at $16 to $18 million.

The new legislation proposed by Governor Gina M. Raimondo would establish a system of bonuses points and items for reimbursement, in some cases increasing a community’s reimbursement from the state by as much as 20 percentage points – but only for projects that meet certain conditions and are approved after July 1, 2018. If Barrington Middle School were allowed to benefit from these new incentives, Mr. Messore estimates that the project could be eligible for about $11 million in additional state reimbursement.

Barrington was one of the first communities in Rhode Island to submit an application for school construction funding when the state lifted its moratorium in 2015. 

RIDE officials approved the application in 2016, and voters approved the bond referendum to finance the project in Nov. 2016 and affirmed the decision at a special Financial Town Meeting in March 2017. Construction is now underway on the site, and the new school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019.

Barrington School Committee Chair Kate Brody said in her testimony: “The legislation, as it is written, penalizes Barrington for being proactive in our efforts relative to the timeline for this project. All projects, regardless of the approval date, are evaluated using the same criteria established by the Rhode Island School Building Authority.”

Barrington School Committee Vice Chair and co-chair if the Building Committee Anna Clancy testified also. 

“You have before you legislation that spells out a system of financial incentives for districts to do just what we’ve done. Yet, for the mere fact that we are ‘ahead of schedule,’ Barrington would be excluded from the majority of these proposed incentives," she said. "We are here today to tell you that this we find this proposal inequitable.”

Former Barrington School Committee member Patrick “Buzz” Guida, who co-chairs the Middle School Building Committee, also testified on the matter.

Barrington is one of several municipalities, including Lincoln and Tiverton, with existing facilities projects that would not be eligible for maximum increased reimbursement under the new proposal.

Gov. Raimondo’s proposal is part of a plan to invest $1 billion in Rhode Island’s public school buildings over the next 10 years, funded in part by a proposed $250 million general obligation bond that would be on the statewide ballot in Nov. 2018.

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