On Sept. 18, Providence Public Schools Superintendent Javier Montañez proposed two school consolidation projects looking to merge Roger Williams Middle School with Young Woods Elementary School, and DelSesto Middle School with Anthony Carnevale Elementary School.
The district has been developing these plans for several months as a part of a $1 billion school improvement plan to ensure all Providence students have access to “new or like new” buildings by 2030. The Providence School Board has roughly a month to deliberate before they are expected to vote on the consolidation plans on Oct. 21.
“The merger of Young Woods/Roger Williams would allow us to create a Pre-K hub for specialized instruction,” PPSD spokesperson Alex Torres-Perez wrote in an email to The Herald. “Both schools already have a significantly higher percentage of special education students. The project will allow us to create dedicated additional classrooms, specialized support areas and accessible spaces.”
But Lindsay Paiva, president of the Providence Teachers Union, expressed concern about the mergers. While the school consolidation plans were developed through collaboration between the PPSD, the City of Providence and the Rhode Island Department of Education, the PTU was not consulted, Paiva said.
Torrez-Perres wrote to The Herald that the PTU was informed of the recommended merger of Carnevale and DelSesto on Aug. 28, and that the district held meetings about the proposals with staff at the two schools in September. “Over the next few weeks, we will hold additional meetings to engage with families and community members about the proposed plan,” she added
While the PTU is framing the changes as mergers, Paiva disagreed. “They're calling it a merger,” said Paiva. “It’s a closure. One school is closing, and it's being added to another school. It doesn't mean that school is not closing, right? That's a space for those children and families and teachers, and that is no longer going to exist.”
Torres-Perez wrote that she encouraged the PTU to share feedback with the district about the mergers during the coming meetings. She wrote that, “To date, we have not heard any opposition from (the) PTU, and we welcome the opportunity to hear their perspective as discussions continue.”
Paiva described Carnevale as “one of the few barrier-free schools,” enrolling a large student population “with high need.”
“It's concerning that they're thinking of moving those children to DelSesto, which does have some ability to have accommodations for those students, but I'm not sure that it will be the same,” Paiva said.
Torres-Perez wrote that because DelSesto is “structurally sound” and that, after renovations, it will have “improvements to better serve students with higher needs.”
Under the proposed consolidations, the Young Woods building, which currently serves grades PK-5, would house PK-2 while the Roger Williams building — located less than a quarter-mile away — would serve students in grades 3-8. Roger Williams students would move into a swing-space building during construction, and a few Young Woods classrooms would also be displaced.
Carnevale, which currently houses grades PK-5, was found to have significant long-term structural settlement and contamination issues. Under the merger, the DelSesto building will be renovated to serve students in grades PK-8.
The Carnevale “findings do not represent a new immediate safety concern, and the building remains safe for students and staff to use today,” Torres-Perez added. “However, (renovating Carnevale) would require a disproportionate share of the project budget to go toward below-ground structural and environmental work rather than classrooms and student spaces.”
According to the memo, “substantially renovating Carnevale would require deep excavation and extensive contaminated-soil remediation.” The memo estimates that relocating Carnevale would save $500,000 annually in operational and maintenance costs, while helping the district toward its goal of increasing PK-8 pathways.
The state’s “Newer and Fewer” strategy, adopted in 2022, has prioritized developing bigger, newer schools through statewide financial incentives.
According to Torres-Perez, school consolidation projects can receive reimbursements for capital projects from RIDE which typically cover 80% of the cost. Under a state incentive, 91% of the costs will be covered if construction is completed by June 30, 2029.
Once construction begins, “our priority is to minimize disruption to the school day while keeping students and staff safe,” Torres-Perez wrote, noting the dDistrict’s intent to coordinate with school leaders and construction staff to accommodate school activities and notify constituents of changes as they occur.
“I hope the School Board passes this proposal,” wrote Torres-Perez. “Not doing so would have a domino effect on the entire project, and we could risk not being able to substantially complete it by the reimbursement deadline of June 30, 2029.”
If the projects are delayed, the city would face $40 million in additional costs because of the reduced reimbursement rate, Torres-Perez added.
“These proposed mergers represent a critical step forward in our commitment to providing high-quality, modern learning environments that are highly beneficial for the district as a whole,” Montañez wrote in the memo.
Amber Marcus-Blank is a metro editor covering youth & education. She is a senior from outside of Boston studying Political Science and Public Health on the pre-law track. She is interested in working in politics and journalism in the future and enjoys playing soccer and making playlists in her free time.
