Officials talk school building
Governor, treasurer attend forum on school construction needs
Governor says she wants to see more school projects
WEST WARWICK — Governor Gina Raimondo, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner and Commissioner of Education Ken Wagner attended a public forum at Deering Middle School in West Warwick this week to hear from educators about the future of school construction. Local teachers expressed a need for upgrades that will make their lessons and the learning of students run more smoothly.
“I started out my career as a teacher,” Magaziner said. “I taught elementary school, third and fourth grade, in a school building that was 68 years old and not in great shape. I saw firsthand what is needed – having good, natural light and the right temperature. It can all have a real impact on morale, attendance and discipline.”
He said Rhode Island has neglected its school facilities over the years, pointing to a recently ended five-year moratorium on school repairs and construction.
“Frankly, even before that went into effect we had a lot of buildings that were not in the condition our students deserve,” Magaziner said.
The state worked with Jacobs Engineering to come up with the RI Schoolhouses Report, available on the Rhode Island Department of Education's website, detailing the different infrastructure needs at all of the state’s public schools.
Following the report’s results, which Magaziner described Monday as “kind of overwhelming,” the governor appointed a special task force to see what kinds of buildings the community would like to see, mainly educators. He said the plan is to make a “once in a lifetime” investment in public schools in Rhode Island that changes the game for students.
Wagner said the report, which was released a few months ago, shows that Rhode Island’s facilities “are absolutely having an impact on not just the achievement of our students and the professional accomplishments of our teachers, but also morale.”
“Students know when they are attending a facility that’s not what it should be,” Wagner said.
The report forecasted $627.6 million for different level priority projects - money that is needed just to keep the state’s schools “safe, warm and dry.” About $ 54.5 million is needed for just priority 1 critical concerns alone. The statewide cost to bring all school buildings into an ideal condition is estimated to be around $2.2 billion.