Closure of Barrows approved

Master plan for facilities adopted

By JEN COWART
Posted 3/20/19

By JEN COWART The School Committee on Monday voted in favor of a plan to close Chester Barrows Elementary School at the end of the current school year and adopted a five-year capital master plan for improvements to the district's facilities. The

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Closure of Barrows approved

Master plan for facilities adopted

Posted

The School Committee on Monday voted in favor of a plan to close Chester Barrows Elementary School at the end of the current school year and adopted a five-year capital master plan for improvements to the district’s facilities.

The committee previously held three community meetings regarding the Barrows closure, which was proposed by Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse late last year.

“It is not something I take lightly, as I am fully aware that our children’s schools are a significant part of the community,” wrote in a letter to parents and community members at the time.

A decline in the student population in the Edgewood area has been cited as the impetus for the proposal. Barrows students will be assigned to either E.S. Rhodes or Edgewood Highland elementary schools.

Before the vote on the closure plan, parent Tara Sweeney implored the committee to keep Barrows and to continue. She pointed to all of the successes that have taken place at the neighborhood school.

Sara Tindall-Woodman, the committee’s Ward 1 representative, was the sole vote against approving the Barrows closure. She said that based on public input from the past three meetings, the members of the Chester Barrows community do not want the school to close.

She said she does not think the population decreased being considered now is a long-range trend and expressed concerned about where the students would attend school when the student population increases again in future years. She also expressed concern over the fact that there is currently no long-term plan for the building itself.

Paul Archetto, the committee’s Ward 3 representative, said that as an educator it was difficult to vote in favor of closing a building. He added, however, that financial considerations make the move necessary.

“There is no feasible way, financially, to keep the building open,” he said.

Archetto also encouraged families to continue their advocacy by attending City Council meetings and making the case for 100-percent funding of the Cranston Public Schools budget plan for the coming fiscal year.

Committee Chairman Dan Wall, who represents Ward 6, said none of the committee members took the Barrows closure lightly. He said as a teacher, he has been opposed to similar plans in the past. He also said that as a parent of two daughters who attended a small Cranston elementary school in an older building, he understands that neighborhood schools are the heart of a community.

Wall also said, however, that he needed to keep the best interest of the entire school district in mind when making his decision.

Mike Traficante, the committee’s citywide representative, reflected on his days as mayor, when four schools were closed due to budget constraints and declining enrollment. He noted that although the School Committee has embraced the neighborhood school concept over the years, the district has seen its financial constraints grow. He said a new concept of community schools must now be embraced as the consolidation and modernization of the Cranston Public Schools takes place.

In a Facebook post, Ward 2 committee member Stephanie Culhane called the Barrows closure vote “probably the most difficult decision I have ever made in my 10 years on the committee.”

The five-year capital master plan, covering the 2021-2026 fiscal years, was created in conjunction with Fielding-Nair International, or FNI, an education planning and architectural design firm. The process included multiple community meetings held across the city to seek feedback from students, educators, families and community partners.

Nota-Masse said over the years, projects like sprinkler systems and roof replacements have been undertaken. While costly, she said, those improvements did not directly address student learning. She emphasized that the aging buildings all over the district, some as old as 100 years, are in need of repair.

“It’s mind-blowing to think of all the repairs and improvements needed,” she said.

Nota-Masse described the FNI plan as expensive and bold, even while it represents only a portion of the district’s facilities needs. She noted that nearly 80 percent of Cranston voters supported the $250 million statewide school repair bond question on the 2018 election ballot, saying that indicates widespread support in the city for addressing school facilities.

The superintendent recalled parents of students at Cranston High

School West calling the central administration offices over the winter to complain that their students are cold in the classrooms.

“That’s because there is no insulation between the walls there,” she said. “That’s a problem. Last winter, a wall actually fell off of the building at Cranston West. That’s a problem.”

Although the five-year plan does not include all of the district’s schools, it will affect several schools directly. It includes the eventual closure and repurposing of Daniel D. Waterman Elementary School and the complete replacement of Gladstone Street Elementary School, as well as renovations to Eden Park and Garden City elementary schools, Park View Middle School and Cranston High School West.

Nota-Masse said the plan provides a clear starting point.

Wall commended the committee members for their extensive and thorough work, and he also described the capital plan as a necessary first step.

Two members of the community, Robert Murray and Jessica Marino, spoke in support of the plan during the public comment portion of the meeting.

In other business, the committee presented a number of recognitions to members of the district’s community, including retiring teachers, student athletes and artists, cybersecurity champions, coaches and educators.

Additionally, a diploma was presented to Ira Edgerton, who left Cranston High School in 1952 to join the Navy just one day before his 17th birthday and never graduated high school.

Nota-Masse also spoke of Lauren Ise, a graduate of Cranston High School East who was killed last week. She asked those present to keep Ise’s family and friends in their thoughts.

The next meetings of the School Committee will take place on April 8 and April 22. 

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