East Providence enters latest school construction bond process

District could also have access to state Facilities Equity Initiative monies

By Mike Rego
Posted 12/8/22

EAST PROVIDENCE — The current incarnation of the City Council, elected in 2018 and meeting for the second to last time in its session last Tuesday night, Dec. 6, approved the bonding of $148 …

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East Providence enters latest school construction bond process

District could also have access to state Facilities Equity Initiative monies

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — The current incarnation of the City Council, elected in 2018 and meeting for the second to last time in its session last Tuesday night, Dec. 6, approved the bonding of $148 million for repairs to district schools.

The move was a follow-up to referendums, one specific to East Providence and another state-wide, resoundingly backed by voters here at the November 2022 General Election.

The council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the administration of Mayor Bob DaSilva, himself re-elected last month to serve a second four-year term, “to finance the construction, renovation, improvement, alteration, repair furnishing and equipping of schools and school facilities in the city by the issuance bonds of not more than $148 million.”

The bulk of those monies are already spoken for. Most of the expenditures are earmarked towards the near-complete renovation of the 45-year-old Martin Middle School — which serves pupils from Rumford to the center of the city to Kent Heights — as well as significant upgrades to the some six-decade old Waddington Elementary School — which educates the majority of pupils who live in Riverside.

As voters did in 2018 when asked to procure $189.5 million in bonds for the construction of a new high school, Townies by a 3-to-1 margin this cycle, percentage-wise, were even more supportive of the school construction referendum in 2022.

Last month residents here voted 78.2%-21.8% (11,676-3,260) to back the question during an off-year election. In 2018, a presidential election it should be noted, residents voted 77.6%-22.4% (12,320-3,549). Only 933 more votes were cast four years ago as compared to 2022.

Likewise, voters at both elections in East Providence overwhelmingly approved corresponding state-wide referendums, which asked and approved $250 million each time to be distributed to school districts around Rhode Island for construction projects.

At the time, based on the Rhode Island Department of Education reimbursement formula, the city received a base rate of 54.5% and with incentives earned up to 20% more (74.5%) in support from the state towards the new EPHS.

For the next batch of construction, the city will get a base reimbursement rate of 48.5% and could again earn a significant percentage from incentives such as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) curriculum,  environmental efficiencies and American with Disabilities Act compliance. 

Speaking at last month’s School Committee meeting, which took place a week after Election Day November 8, body chairman Joel Monteiro lauded residents for once again supporting the district with their votes.

“It was just another proud moment and a wise decision made by the voters of East Providence,” Monteiro said, referring to the 2018 and 2022 referendum results.

From that same committee meeting, Sam Bradner, of the district’s on-going owner project manager the Peregrine Group, expounded a bit on another state program that could benefit both the Martin and Waddington projects as well as other infrastructure needs in schools throughout the city.

Beyond the referendum dollars, the district could have access to other monies aimed at making schools more secure, modernizing science labs and libraries inside structures and also creating exterior learning spaces.

Bradner noted East Providence qualified for the next round of RIDE’s Facilities Equity Initiative, which is aimed at upgrading more school buildings to 21st Century learning standards.

During the initial round of Facilities Equity Initiative funds a total of $13,392,362 was distributed to Providence ($4,453,002), Pawtucket ($4,355,836), Central Falls ($3,590,870), Woonsocket ($500,000) and West Warwick ($492,654).

Bradner said secondary aspects of the plans at Martin and Waddington would fall under the Facilities Equity Initiative as would transforming the library at Riverside Middle School into a multi-purpose media center akin to the one in the new EPHS and remodeling six of the eight existing RMS science labs.

Bradner told the committee though there were no guarantees the district would receive Facilities Equity Initiative funds, RIDE told administrators to “over-subscribe” in the scope of the proposals they submitted for consideration.

He said East Providence was “leaps and bonds” ahead of the process, adding “I think that it puts you in a great position to jump into (the projects)" if the district is granted access to the additional source of funding.

Facilities Equity Initiative funds were due to be submitted to RIDE as of December 1. The district should have an idea sometime in the early part of 2023 if it will access program monies.

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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.