By ETHAN HARTLEY -- Safety improvements, roofs and accessibility are three of the key areas school department officials hope to address should Warwick voters approve a $40 million bond on Nov. 6.
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Safety improvements, roofs and accessibility are three of the key areas school department officials hope to address should Warwick voters approve a $40 million bond on Nov. 6.
In an updated presentation, the first of its kind given publicly regarding the bond since the requested amount was chopped down from $85 million to $40 million by the Warwick City Council in late January, school finance director Tony Ferrucci went through a detailed list of the work that can get done across the district should the money be approved.
“I get very excited about this,” Ferrucci said. “This is about where we're going. If you can't get energized about where we're going, you don't belong in the business, but I am energized by this.”
Broken down, the $40 million would go towards work at each of the 20 schools in the district, with the majority (almost $34 million) going towards mechanical fixes, ADA improvements to increase accessibility and nine full roof replacements. The remainder of the money would fund replacing aging fire alarm systems, build 14 ADA-compliant playgrounds, facilitate the installation of nearly 1,200 new interior doors and locks and provide over $800,000 in asbestos abatement to eight schools.
A flyer detailing the full list of repairs proposed to happen at each individual school is being disseminated to as many parents as possible via school open houses, and the presentation given by Ferrucci is available on the home page of the Warwick Public Schools website. We’ll break down some of the highlights below.
While $40 million certainly is not a “small” amount of money to most people, it actually only comprises 22 percent of the $178 million investment that the Rhode Island Department of Education concluded in its Jacobs Report should be spent over the next five years to get Warwick schools up to good academic standards. It is less than 18 percent of what architectural firm SMMA estimated was a $228 million need in order to make renovations to the city’s schools.
Ferrucci emphasized, however, that the current iteration of the school department has shown the ability to do much more than expected with far fewer resources. He pointed to the very building the audience was gathered in, Warwick Veterans Middle School, as an example.
RIDE concluded that Vets would need $27 million to make significant improvements, however the school department has been able to completely renovate much of the school’s interior – floors, the gymnasium, the cafeteria, auditorium, ceilings, lighting fixtures and asbestos abatement – in addition to completely replacing the antiquated HVAC system for about $13 million over the past five years.
Should the city bond be approved, Vets would receive another $1.2 million, which would enable administrators to make widespread ADA improvements to the school, such as accessible doors, bathrooms, sinks, actuator buttons for all entryway doors and a lift for the auditorium stage.
“We can do this across all our schools. When we go for our second phase we will really in at the top end,” Ferrucci said. “I'm excited about what we can achieve with the dollars that this community presents to us. This, to me, is clear fact. While folks coming in from the outside said you need to look at $30, $40 million, we can say, ‘Look what we did for $15 [million].’ It's exciting. It's where we're going. It's the future.”
All said, the breakdown of the $40 million would go towards the following:
Ferrucci referred to how the bond was essentially cut in half by the city council, but that he was hopeful and optimistic the full extent of the work could be realized if the bond is achieved in two phases.
“We had planned doing this kind of work at all of our elementary schools,” Ferrucci said of mechanical renovations, which originally amounted to $34.5 million in the original request. “So the whole air quality issue would have gone away if we had gotten the $85 million authorization we were seeking. This will be the top priority for the rest of our schools when we go to phase two.”
In terms of reimbursement, Ferrucci said that at a minimum the city would be looking at a 40 percent reimbursement rate from RIDE for capital projects, however that rate could jump to 50 percent if the state’s $250 million bond for statewide school renovation passes and Warwick is able to earn additional reimbursement through incentives based on the types of projects they bring forward.
Even with the minimum 40 percent reimbursement, RIDE would foot $16 million of the $40 million bond, leaving taxpayers responsible for $24 million to be paid over 25 years. Ferrucci said that this would amount to 30 to 40 cents per thousand in tax increases over a five-year span. “Little money, great results,” he said.
Following his presentation, school committee members expressed the importance of the community voting in approval of the bond.
“If this doesn't pass, the only thing to do is buy every building all the duct tape that Amazon and Walmart has. That and bubble gum and maybe we can patch some of these things together,” said Testa. “That's how crucial this is.”
Testa pointed out how the city council and members of the public have claimed in the past that the school department has mismanaged bond funds, but that it wouldn’t be possible to mismanage funds for projects that require RIDE approval.
“Bond moneys are not play money for the Warwick School Department. It's not as if voters approve this and we get a $40 million toy to play with. Every project has to be approved by RIDE for reimbursement,” he said. “Contrary to the lie that keeps popping up, this school department responsibly spends bond moneys on appropriate, bond-related capital projects.”
Testa inquired as to whether or not there would be enough contractors to conduct multiple projects during the same summer session, such as roof replacements, as multiple districts will be going out for similar projects if the $250 million state bond is approved this November as well. Ferrucci said prioritization would be key to ensure work can be accomplished.
“I think each school will see some activity each summer as we progress, it will just be different projects,” he said.
“We really believe the time is now,” Ferrucci said at the beginning of his presentation, which was the overarching theme of the report.
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davebarry109
I'm glad they pared this back to a 'mere' 40 million. The schools are killing the taxpayers.
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
CrickeeRaven
"Even with the minimum 40 percent reimbursement, RIDE would foot $16 million of the $40 million bond, leaving taxpayers responsible for $24 million to be paid over 25 years. Ferrucci said that this would amount to 30 to 40 cents per thousand in tax increases over a five-year span."
Contrary to the many comments made by a frequent commenter who has lost two straight mayoral elections, the city's investment in its schools is neither immediate nor irresponsible.
He is sure to repeat his failed campaign talking points of how this referendum question is somehow an unfair contribution because it would be in addition to the annual support approved by the city council every year -- further proving why honest, taxpaying voters were absolutely correct to reject his candidacy again on Sept. 12.
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
Justanidiot
If you don't vote no, you are are the idiot. We don't have the money for this.
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
SCOT63
Mr Corrente be carful becasuse Crickee can't seem to keep your name out of anything...
i think Crickee has a secret crush on you!!!!
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
Cat2222
The schools are falling down on the heads of the students. We can no longer say we can't afford this. Money has to be allocated and a plan developed to ensure we invest in the schools.
Look at what has happened with the fire department and not replacing the trucks as needed. We are borrowing other cities trucks and still don't have a plan on how to replace vehicles that are 17 years old!
Time to stop sticking heads in the sand and get working on rebuilding the infrastructure of Warwick. Paying teachers salaries will be the least of everyone's worries if there are no schools to house the students.
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
richardcorrente
"...that COULD be made as part of the $40 million..." THAT is the problem. There is no guarantee! Once the SC is given money, they have the legal right to spend it any way they want AND THEY DO!! If Warwick had a Home Rule Charter, they couldn't. Here's an idea. Warwick should get a HOME RULE CHARTER!
The School Committee (SC) has never accounted for the one-and-a-half-BILLION dollars they spent since 2009 except from their own " independent audit" performed by school administrators from Pawtucket. The "possible repairs" that Finance Chairman Anthony Ferrucci stated do NOT include a "clerk-of-the-works" to supervise payments to keep the taxpayer from getting the same shafting they have received for the last ten years. I met with Ferrucci several times and find him to be friendly, respectful, and professional. His job is to present the SC's data in the most acceptable manner and he does that VERY well. It's the data that is the problem. The SC has continued to favor the needs of the SC and has openly, and repeatedly, harmed the teachers, the students, and the taxpayers. They CAN'T be trusted. Period. But here is the good news. Joe Solomon is involved and he is an accountant. He can analyze the present audit and decide what to do about it. Good news #2 is that both sides are talking. From communication comes solution and I applaud the efforts of all people involved. Keep working on it everyone. The 80,000 taxpayers that are paying the tab are counting on you!
Happy Autumn everyone.
Rick Corrente
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
Thecaptain
Cat,
If we dont have the money, we should not have entered into a teacher contract which gives out $13.4 million in raises. We should have not ratified the police and DPW contracts with $2.8 million in raises prior to the completion of the 5 year fiscal report.
These decisions have been, and are being mad,e due to political pressure and elected officials who care more about themselves than they do about the taxpayers. Lets face it, this fiscal disaster did not happen overnight. I didnt vote for these unsustainable contracts and benefits and neither did you, but we pay the bill.
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
CrickeeRaven
Aw, SCOT, you're too funny.
You support a two-time loser who continues to lie and post conspiracy theories about the school committee, lie about the city charter, and support spending more money on a clerk of the works -- and yet I'm the one with the problem?
Hilarious, in a truly pathetic way.
Friday, September 28, 2018 Report this
Cat2222
Thecaptain,
I completely understand that the budget is completely political and we are in this mess because of decades of "helping" political allies. I also agree with you regarding the WTU, WPD and DPW contracts. The fact still remains that the schools need to be maintained. We can't just not deal with the issue. If just one child gets harmed because of the condition of the school we are going to be paying either way.
Monday, October 1, 2018 Report this
patientman
Will elderly Warwick residents support a bond after a 4.25% property tax increase? Why would Ferrucci say “Little money, great results,”? Insulting to residents to say $40,000,000 is not significant.
Tuesday, October 2, 2018 Report this