The new Rogers High School project remains on schedule with keys to the building set to be handed over on June 6, according to Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain. The project is entering its final phase with punch lists being created and moving plans already underway.
“Things are moving along quite nicely,” Jermain said during her monthly one-on-one conversation with What’sUpNewp. “Gilbane has a very busy timeline. A lot of things need to be done.”
Some Career and Technical Education (CTE) equipment has already been relocated to the new facility during April vacation, with more equipment scheduled to move next week. Teachers are currently packing their classrooms in preparation for the full move.
“The movers will be here on June 20, the last day of school. They’ll be here through, I think, July 3,” Jermain explained. “Hopefully by then we’ll have everything buttoned up into the new high school.”
A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Friday, August 22, at 10 a.m. The school is sending out save-the-date postcards designed by students in the ADM program.
Tours of the new facility are currently underway, but will end May 1 as construction crews begin final cleaning and punch list work. The Department of Education recently toured the site, along with various building committee meetings taking place as the project nears completion.
The budget for the project remains on track, with approximately $1.3 million in contingency funds still available. However, Jermain notes this amount is relatively modest considering the upcoming demolition of the current Rogers High School building.
“We still have the demolition of the building I’m standing in right now,” Jermain said. “This is a site that has a lot of unknowns and a lot of history to it. Rules, regulations, everything have changed since this building was built back in the 50s.”
The NAC Tech building, which houses some CTE programs, will be retained. The school recently received a grant to refurbish parts of this building, including new flooring for the cosmetology room and fresh paint for both cosmetology and automotive areas.
While culinary programs will move to the new high school, the kitchen facilities in the NAC Tech building will remain to support Jean’s Closet, the school’s food pantry that serves both students and community members. The alumni association will also relocate to this building.
Utility work around the NAC Tech building will cost approximately $380,000. The school committee has committed $300,000 from its fund balance, with the remaining approximately $80,000 coming from project savings.
“Work on the NAC TAC building and the parking lots, and that entire area is going to begin July 3,” Jermain noted. “That whole back area is going to be closed to traffic.”
The cell tower on the property was removed during the first week of April, addressing safety concerns from neighbors who worried it might attract unauthorized climbing attempts.
The new high school features numerous state-of-the-art facilities that have impressed both students and staff during preliminary tours. The building features a multi-story design, a grand staircase, a 400-seat auditorium, a library media center with folding glass windows, and specialized CTE spaces.
“The bathrooms have really been eye-opening for them,” Jermain said of student reactions. “They’re very much like the airport. So you get there and you can see in there, you can see the sinks, you can see the dryers.”
The gymnasium floor was installed two weeks ago, with scoreboards, speaker systems, and volleyball netting already in place. The school is planning to bring over banners from the old gym to maintain historical connections.
Other notable features include a mock apartment for life skills training, a fitness room that will display the Viking logo from the former gym floor, and art rooms strategically placed on the third floor to maximize natural southern light.
“The teachers were in there last week. I was fortunate to be with them when they were in there. They just couldn’t get over the rooms and the space and the light,” Jermain said.
The school is preserving several historical elements from the current building, including the cornerstone from outside the superintendent’s office, which will be displayed prominently in the new facility.
On the budget front, Newport Public Schools has requested a 4% increase ($1.1 million) from the City Council. While preliminary budgets include this increase, final decisions won’t be made until May 14. State aid projections are currently $280,000 less than expected, contributing to an approximately $950,000 budget gap that will necessitate some layoffs.
Discussions about potential regionalization with Middletown continue, but have been moving slowly. Jermain notes that declining enrollment projections—potentially 500-600 fewer students over the next decade—make such conversations increasingly important.
The superintendent also announced that Rogers High School has implemented “Phone Free Fridays” as a pilot program ahead of a complete cell phone restriction policy at the new high school.
“The new high school is not going to have cell phones for children,” Jermain explained. “We’re going to go phone-free during our academic time.”
Watch the full conversation below.
