Around one month after Providence Public School Department Superintendent Javier Montañez proposed two school consolidation projects, the Providence School Board voted in favor of the mergers at Wednesday’s meeting.
The project seeks to merge Young Woods Elementary School with Roger Williams Middle School, as well as Anthony Carnevale Elementary School with DelSesto Middle School.
Ben Holstein, Acting Chief Operating Officer at the PPSD, stated at the meeting that the priority of these consolidations is “to get more students into new and like-new seats by 2030.”
According to the meeting slides, PPSD’s other goals include a Pre-K hub for specialized instruction, a grades PK-8 pathway on the east side of Providence, preservation of seats at high-demand schools and reduction of inefficient operating costs.
“Investing and building a true pre-K hub, and in particular one that is very proximal to the recreation center as our Young Woods (Elementary) School is, was a priority for us to really consolidate those supports under one roof,” Holstein said.
The Rhode Island Department of Education can provide reimbursements for capital projects, including school consolidations, for up to 80% of the cost, PPSD spokesperson Alex Torres-Perez previously told The Herald. But under a state incentive, if construction is completed by June 30, 2029, 91% of those costs will be covered.
“This revised capital plan will make the best and most effective use of our construction funding to benefit as many students as possible,” Montañez wrote in a statement to The Herald. “Delaying this decision would have a domino effect on the entire project and put our ability to substantially complete the work by the June 30, 2029 reimbursement deadline at risk.”
He added that if the PPSD misses that deadline, the City would be on the hook for $40 million in funding reimbursements. This would mean the district would need to either find that additional funding or reduce the project’s cost.
According to Providence Teachers Union President Lindsay Paiva, while the PTU looks forward to students having access to new spaces, they are concerned about the lack of teacher input during the process.
“There is currently no teacher representative on the Providence School Building Committee and meetings are often rescheduled or changed with minimum notice, which has made it challenging for PTU to participate meaningfully in these conversations,” Paiva wrote in a message to The Herald. “Educators, along with students, are on the ground in classrooms every day and should be integral to the design and layout of the new schools and in determining programmatic priorities.”
The PPSD did not immediately respond to The Herald’s request for comment.
According to Torres-Perez, the PPSD has held over 200 meetings involving families, staff and community members over the past 18 months to “gather feedback and help shape this revised capital plan.”
Holstein said that the PPSD has met with the relevant stakeholder groups — including school staff and leadership, families, community members, students and “specialized groups” — to discuss the plans.
“I think we need to have a framework for how (the model) works at PK-8, such that we have sufficient staffing to meet the students’ needs,” Holstein said.
The PK-8 model “keeps families together (and) eliminates those separation points where people might consider going to a school out of district,” said Chris Spiegel, project executive of Left Field in Rhode Island, a project management firm where he works on capital improvement programs.
“When the school building committee votes unanimously to approve something, I think it’s a good message for this board that we should also do the same,” said Andrew Bramson, a member of the Providence School Board for Region 1.
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.
Nate Barkow is a senior staff writer for the Youth and Education beat and a co-chief of The Herald's social media team. He is from New York City and plans on concentrating in International and Public Affairs and Education Studies. In his free time, he loves trying new restaurants and watching Survivor.
