Less Is More

Last week, I wrote that with a proposed reduction in state aid of over $800,000 in the current state budget, "less would be less" when it comes to Teaching and Learning in East Greenwich Public Schools. I stand by that. We will discuss the FY26 budget at this week's School Committee meeting and again at the Joint Meeting on Monday, February 10. 

While working on the FY26 budget, we are also moving forward with our Master Plan. The current plan is to begin construction in January of 2026. As discussed at the School Construction Committee meeting on January 9, the Town Council on January 13, and the School Committee on January 14, the project is over the budgeted amount. To do that, we will need to reduce the square footage for both the new builds at Frenchtown and Hanaford. 

It would be easy to see this reduction as a loss. That would be short-sighted. The glass is very much half full!

The Master Plan includes much-needed renovations at the high school: 

• Renovations to the Teaching and Learning Spaces for Life Skills & Art
  
  
• Mechanical and Custodial Upgrades, including Heating Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC)
  
  
• Improvements to our Auditorium, a shared community space
  
  
• Revamping our Athletic Spaces

The new first through fifth-grade elementary buildings will ensure: 

• Teaching and Learning will grow and meet the needs of twenty-first-century education for our students
  
  
• Professional spaces for all of the specialists, who are critical to meeting all the academic and social-emotional needs of our students
  
  
• Improved athletic spaces, built to accommodate the community needs once the academic day is over and on weekends
  
  
• Our buildings will reflect the commitment of this community to public education. 

Here is where we are in the process: 

We have a lot more work to do and are still seeking feedback. Last week, we finished a round of programming sessions at the high school, and more are coming up in our elementary schools in February. In addition, we are planning a Community Listening Session for late February or early March. We will continue to refine and hone these projects over the next several months, with professional and public engagement. 

While we do have to reduce the square footage of our new buildings, this does not diminish the fact that, at the end of the project, we will have two brand-new buildings. The buildings will be home to students who have not even been born yet. They will be home to Teaching and Learning, where All Means All and professionals will continue to strive to meet the elements of our Vision of a Graduate. 

In this case, very much so, less is more.