On Tuesday, Nov. 7, Barrington voters approved the school construction bond... by a wide margin.

According to the RI Board of Elections website, 2,803 residents (63.1 percent) voted to approve the $250 million school construction bond in Barrington, while 1,641 (36.9 percent) voted to reject it. 

“The process to get to today’s vote with clear facts and a comprehensive plan to address the needs across our entire district was an enormous team effort on the part of staff, volunteers, industry experts and administrators,” said Barrington School Committee Chairman Patrick McCrann. 

“The approval of the bond referendum confirms that Barrington voters support the major investment in our educational infrastructure. An investment that will define our community for decades to come. 

“The School Committee remains committed to delivering a comprehensive Stage Two plan in February for RIDE approval.”

School Building Committee Chairman TJ Peck said the Committee recognizes the large investment Barrington has just made in its schools and the associated impact on taxpayers. 

“We remain committed to continuing our facts first approach to advancing a final plan which utilizes those tax dollars in a judicious and responsible manner,” Peck said. 

The approval allows Barrington to move forward on a plan to address a number of issues facing the local school facilities. 

The Barrington School Building Committee’s plan, titled “Option 5,” calls for targeted renovations and a large addition at Barrington High School, as well as renovations and additions at Sowams, Primrose Hill, and Nayatt schools. 

Option 5 consolidates Barrington’s elementary schools to three PreK-to-Grade 5 neighborhood schools. It also reduces the number of building transitions for students, expands learning space at all the schools (except for Barrington Middle School), and provides a twenty-first century learning environment that fosters collaboration and enhanced teaching and learning opportunities.

Congressional race

In the race for the Congress District 1 seat, Gabe Amo easily captured the majority of Rhode Island voters — 64.6 percent versus Gerry Leonard’s 35.1 percent. In Barrington, Amo won 72 percent of the vote, while Leonard earned 27 percent of the vote.