The Chariho School Committee last night (Tuesday) approved language that likely will lead to a $116 million district-wide bond referendum in November to build one unified school to replace three aging elementary schools, all with considerable problems.
Meanwhile, the board also voted to deny School Superintendent Gina Picard an extension on her contract, which expires in June 2027. The vote not to extend the contract was six to four, with two vacancies on the school committee.
The vote on the bond language was necessary to ask the General Assembly to pass legislation allowing for the November bond vote.
The vote on the superintendent’s contract was not unexpected, since the School Committee, following an election turnover that largely shifted the committee to more conservative control, also rejected the contract extension last year that would have extended the contract to 2028.
Picard, a Democrat, has served as superintendent since 2020, and is also a member of the North Providence School Committee.
The two vacancies on the regional school committee will be filled within the next few weeks by the Town Councils in Richmond and Charlestown, with an election scheduled this fall for eight of the 12 School Committee seats. School Committee chair Louise Dinsmore, who represented Richmond, resigned just prior to the district-wide vote on the school budget (it passed), and Donna Chambers, who represented Charlestown, died in March.
“To date I have not received a written evaluation that my contract language requires last year or this year,” Picard said. “I have received no feedback (verbal or written) from any member who voted not to extend. They never met with me. There has been no discussion.”
Picard has been superintendent since 2020, in a job that she, and others, have characterized as too political. It comes with “love and hate,” she said.
“Every decision is in the best interest of the kids, not always making everybody happy,” she said. “I love working in Chariho. We have amazing teachers, staff and kids. I don’t run from a challenge. I love feedback, and when we get feedback, we become better.”
Picard appears to be counting on a vote in November that shifts the makeup of the school board but also understands that there are constantly administrative openings in various school systems.
The average stay for superintends of schools, according to numerous sources, is three and a half years. In Stonington, Ct., the superintendent just retired after three and a half years. In Newport, Colleen Burns Jermain is leaving at the conclusion of the school year.
Just recently, East Providence School Superintendent Sandra Forand announced she was stepping down at the end of the school year, despite being granted a one-year extension, and last December in Smithfield Dr. Dawn Bartz resigned amid a hazing controversy. In January, Dr. Laurie Andries resigned from Scituate, effective June 30.
Other districts have been plagued by superintendent resignations or controversies, with some operating with interim leaders. Warwick, Pawtucket, East Greenwich are among those systems that have experienced some leadership controversy.
Picard said the “politicization” of the superintendents’ role has been a factor in the relatively short tenure of many superintendents.
Picard has been a fierce advocate for construction projects that would upgrade the high school complex and replace the elementary schools. A $15 million bond for the high school was approved, and that work is nearly complete. A bond issue for the elementary schools failed, and now the system is trying again.
One change is the manner of the vote. In the previous elementary school bond, each of the three communities had to approve the bond. In the language approved last night, approval will be determined by the aggregate vote of the three communities (Richmond, Hopkinton, Charlestown).
If approved, the schools that will be replaced are:
- Richmond Elmentary, built in 1935 (91 years old), and often plagued by flooding issues.
- Charlestown Elementary, built in 1954 (72 years old), and prone to electrical issues.
- Ashaway Elementary, built in 1968 (58 years ago), where art and music students attend class in trailers.
Picard has said it is costing the district more than $3 million a year to maintain those three schools.
She said the district will soon hold a community meeting to outline next steps. The plan, she said, is to build the unified school on the site of Charlestown Elementary, with two buildings – one to house pre-k through first grade; and the other, two through five.
After the November election, Picard said a building committee will be formed in which each community will appoint three members and the school committee will appoint three members.
If all goes well, Picard said there could be “shovels in the ground” by the end of 2027 for a building project expected to take 24 to 30 months.
