The Middletown Town Council and School Committee will hold a joint meeting in the coming weeks to discuss Newport’s recent invitation to restart school regionalization conversations, according to the Town of Middletown. During Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting, officials emphasized that agreeing to the discussion should not be interpreted as endorsing or rejecting regionalization. Instead, […]
Newport Public Schools
Posted inCity & Government
New Rogers High School celebrates grand opening with ribbon-cutting ceremony
NEWPORT, R.I. — Under perfect August skies, Newport celebrated a milestone decades in the making as community leaders, students and residents gathered Friday morning to officially open the new Rogers High School with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and Rep. Gabe Amo joined Newport Mayor Charles Holder, School Committee members and City Council […]
Posted inOpinion
Letter to the Editor: Don’t waste $250,000 on redundant study…fund schools!
At the last City Council meeting, the Superintendent, parents, and some of my Newport School Committee colleagues, made their priorities clear—fully fund our schools and stop wasting money on duplicative studies. Hopefully, the second reading of the budget will reflect that by including the full four percent school budget request plus the additional $250,000 that […]
Posted inNews
Pell Elementary’s Sybil Grayko named Newport District Teacher of the Year
Sybil Grayko, a second-grade teacher at Pell Elementary School, has earned the title of Newport Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year for 2025-2026. With 21 years of experience in the district, Grayko stands out for her innovative approach to teaching environmental sustainability through hands-on projects. “Newport and our students are very lucky to have such […]
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Newport Public Schools face $900K shortfall amid layoffs and funding cuts
Newport Public Schools confronts a $900,000 budget shortfall for the upcoming school year, despite implementing 10 staff layoffs and after receiving reduced funding from the city council, Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain announced during her monthly interview with What’sUpNewp on Wednesday, June 18. The district balanced its budget by reducing the out-of-district special education line; however, […]
Posted inCity & Government
Watch: A conversation with Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain
Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain will join What’sUpNewp for her monthly one-on-one conversation on Wednesday, June 18, at 1:30 pm. Have a question for the Superintendent? Ask it here.
Posted inInstagram
Rogers High School celebrates Class of 2025 Graduation
Rogers High School celebrated the graduation of 127 seniors during a ceremony held at Toppa Field in Newport on Thursday (June 12). The Class of 2025 marked this milestone under clear skies as family, friends, and school officials gathered to honor their achievements. The evening’s ceremony began with the procession of faculty to “Air for […]
Posted inNews
Newport School Committee votes to preserve NACTC Building
The Newport School Committee voted Tuesday to keep the Newport Area Career Technical Center (NACTC) building in place and remove the cell tower at Rogers High School, addressing two significant issues facing the district. The committee supported retaining the NACTC building, which houses popular cosmetology and automotive programs. The move requires revising the Rogers High […]
Posted inCity & Government
“We Are Begging for Help,” Newport Teachers’ Union President tells Newport City Council
Jennifer Hole, president of the Teachers Association of Newport (TAN), addressed the Newport City Council on Aug. 28, expressing concerns about recent actions by the school superintendent that she claims violate the teachers’ collective bargaining agreement. Hole spoke during the council’s public forum to highlight what she described as negative impacts on teachers and students […]
Posted inCity & Government
Superintendent Jermain: Newport schools ready for new year amid ongoing labor dispute
Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain announced Wednesday that the district is fully staffed with teachers but still seeking bus drivers as it prepares for the start of classes next week. Speaking during her monthly conversation, Ask The Superintendent, with What’sUpNewp, Jermain said the district is “six short” on bus drivers and continues to […]
Posted inCity & Government
No agreement in Newport school dispute
A mediation session, the third, between Newport teachers and the administration over the layoff and displacement of 20 percent of the school faculty, ended without agreement on Tuesday. It had been characterized as perhaps the final mediation session in an effort to resolve the dispute. “We were unable to reach agreement yesterday (Tuesday),” said Jennifer […]
Posted inCity & Government, News, People & Profiles
WUN-ON-ONE: A conversation with Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain
Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain provided updates on teacher contract negotiations, school construction, and plans for the upcoming academic year during her monthly virtual conversation with What’sUpNewp on July 31. Newport Schools Near Full Teacher Placement After Layoffs The Newport School District is close to fully placing teachers following recent layoffs, with only six […]
Posted inCity & Government
Exploring 2024-25 vision with Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain on Wednesday videocast
This may be the dog days of summer, but for school administrators they are days filled with planning for a new school year, which in Newport begins September 6. Superintendent of Schools Colleen Burns Jermain joins WhatsUpNewp for her monthly videocast tomorrow (July 31) at 1:30 p.m. And there’s no shortage of subjects to address. […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport school dispute heads to what may be a final mediation session
With the opening of school just over a month away, the dispute between the Newport teachers’ union and school administration is still unsettled, with a third and perhaps final day of mediation scheduled for Tuesday, according to Jennifer Azevedo, deputy director of the National Education Association Rhode Island (NEARI). “We are scheduled for a third […]
Posted inNews
Teachers’ dispute in mediation tomorrow
Newport teachers and school administrators will meet tomorrow (Thursday, July 11) at noon in a mediation session, both hopeful of resolving a dispute over the layoff of 16 teachers and displacement of 45 others. The session, said Jennifer Azevedo, deputy director of the National Education Association Rhode Island will be held at NEA headquarters. The […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport to receive $393,688.47 Learn365RI Grant to support learning beyond the traditional school day
Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) today announced the recipients of $3.8 million in Learn365RI grants, marking the program’s second round of funding to support learning beyond the traditional school day. In total, 29 municipalities received grants between $40,000 and $400,000 to create or expand extended learning programs, with many focusing on […]
Posted inNews
Newport honors Rogers High School Baseball Team for State Championship
The Newport City Council recognized the Rogers High School varsity boys baseball team Wednesday for winning the 2024 Rhode Island Division Three State Baseball Championship, their second title in five years. Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong read a proclamation declaring June 26, 2024, as “Rogers High School Vikings Varsity Boys Baseball Day” in Newport to honor the […]
Posted inNews
Newport City Council debates school funding, adopts Strategic Plan
The Newport City Council held a contentious meeting Wednesday, grappling with funding for the Rogers High School construction project and approving a new strategic plan for the city. The council voted 5-2 to approve $3 million in additional funding for the Rogers High School project, down from an initially proposed $4 million. The funding comes […]
Posted inNews
Newport students shine in academics and athletics
Newport public school students are excelling across multiple disciplines, from cybersecurity to track and field, demonstrating the district’s commitment to fostering well-rounded education. Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain proudly shared a list of recent student achievements during a conversation with What’sUpNewp on Wednesday, June 26. “We have a lot of great things happening here,” Jermain said. […]
Posted inNews
Newport Schools see 327% surge in multi-language learners
Newport Public Schools are grappling with a surge in multi-language learners, mirroring a statewide trend that has seen Rhode Island’s MLL student population more than double since 2013. Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain revealed during a conversation with What’sUpNewp on Wednesday, June 26, that Newport’s MLL enrollment has skyrocketed by 327% over the past decade, from […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport City Council commits to funding up to an additional $3 million for the Rogers High School building project
Newport City Council spent most of its two-hour and fifty-minute meeting on Wednesday night discussing, amending, and eventually approving a resolution to provide more funding for the Rogers High School Building project. The resolution, which was introduced by my Councilors, Khamsyvoravong and Holder, became contentious at times between Councilors and between members of the community […]
Posted inCity & Government
Watch: A conversation with Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain
Newport Public Schools Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain faces challenges as the district grapples with funding issues and staffing changes ahead of the upcoming school year. A resolution before the Newport City Council proposes awarding the school building committee approximately $4 million for the Rogers High School construction project, with contingencies. The school district had initially […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport teachers support proposed resolution to fund the completion of Rogers High School and support educators
The Teachers Association of Newport (TAN) today announced their support for a resolution regarding funding for the Rogers High School construction project. The resolution is proposed by Mayor Xay Khamsyvoravong and Councilor Charles Holder and will be considered by the Newport City Council during their Regular Council Meeting on Wednesday, June 25.”This resolution provides a […]
Posted inCity & Government
Newport teachers’ dispute headed to arbitration
The dispute between the Newport teachers and the school administration is headed to what the union describes as an arbitration/mediation process to resolve issues the union says has “wreaked havoc across the district.” Poised to appear in Superior Court today to continue a hearing on a potential restraining order, the sides have agreed, according to […]
Posted inNews
Newport teachers denied a temporary restraining order
The Teachers Association (TAN) of Newport was denied a request for a temporary restraining order on Thursday in Superior Court that would have blocked the Newport Schools from holding a “job selection process” while unfair labor practice charges and grievances are pending in relation to the displacement of 45 teachers and layoff of 16 others. […]