With the school year half over, WhatsUpNewp will check in for our monthly videocast with Newport Schools’ Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain on Wednesday, January 31 at 1:30 pm, updating ongoing projects and looking at future funding, some of which is now in jeopardy.
Statewide, COVID relief funds to school districts are drying up, and the Rhode Island Department of Education is ending its forgiveness for declining enrollment. Meanwhile, the governor’s proposed budget would raise the per pupil funding formula, provide additional funds for programs supporting impoverished students and multi-language learners. We’ll ask whether the net result is a loss of state funding, or an increase.
We’ll also be looking for an update on the Rogers High School construction project, and how the school department is closing the construction financial gap. Also, we’ll ask whether any decisions have been made about seeking RIDE approval for another bond to fund construction of the automotive and cosmetology areas.
Attendance remains a critical issue, not only raised by RIDE, but also in the latest report from KIDS Count. In her latest newsletter, Jermain says the schools are “working every day to build and improve” attendance, calling on parental and community support. We’ll ask how well the school department is addressing problems of chronic absenteeism.
We’ll ask about the Learn 365 initiative that provides after-school programming at organizations like the Boys & Girls Clubs and Martin Luther King Center.
