Newport School Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain joined What'sUpNewp's Ryan Belmore and Frank Prosnitz on Wednesday for her monthly conversation, providing updates on several key issues facing the district.
The construction of the new Rogers High School is progressing well, with the building nearly fully enclosed. Jermain reported that cranes were lifting rooftop units onto the building during a recent fire drill, allowing students to witness the ongoing work.
"It's coming along. Today we discussed our furniture and the furniture delivery and what's going to happen," Jermain said.
A major decision looms regarding the Newport Area Career Technical Center (NACTC) building. The district is exploring keeping the structure to house cosmetology and automotive programs, which currently lack funding for inclusion in the new high school building.
"We're very excited. We're keeping our fingers crossed because we need to look at the costs of redesign," Jermain said. A decision is expected by March 1.
Jermain announced that the school committee has accepted proposals from the teachers' union, resolving ongoing disputes.
"Santa came early," Jermain said. "Everything went away."
While details of the agreement were not yet public, Jermain indicated it involves ensuring properly certified teachers are in classrooms, particularly for multilingual learners.
After our conversation, Jermain provided What'sUpNewp with the following joint statement;
Newport School Committee and Teachers Association of Newport Announce Universal Settlement
Newport, RI — [December 17, 2024] — the Newport School Committee and The Teachers Association of Newport (TAN) are pleased to announce a comprehensive settlement of pending labor relations matters between the two parties. The agreement reflects a shared commitment of TAN and the Newport School Committee to collaborate with one another in serving the students and families of the Newport Public Schools.
“We are pleased with the outcome of this settlement as it focuses on ways to support our teachers and students,” said TAN President Jen Hole. “We thank the Newport School Committee for their efforts to settle the disputes and appreciate their willingness to engage in the dialogue.”
Newport School Committee Chair James Dring commented, “The Newport School Committee is committed to providing excellence in education through collaboration with our educators, our parents, our Superintendent, and our community. We thank TAN for their dedication to our mission and look forward to working with them in building a strong student centered learning community.”
The superintendent reported that the district is currently fully staffed with teachers. However, she acknowledged future staffing challenges due to budget concerns.
Addressing mental health support in schools, Jermain said Newport is "fully staffed" with social workers and has taken advantage of federal and state grants to provide additional service providers.
"We are trying our best not only to provide support staff in the schools, we are also trying to provide professional development for our teachers and our administrators," Jermain said.
The recent release of the state's school report card showed challenges for Newport schools. Pell Elementary dropped from a two-star to a one-star school, which Jermain said was "not unexpected" due to lack of achievement and growth in English language arts.
"We've started a new model. We're focusing on the Tier 1 instruction, implementing the new curriculum," Jermain said. "I'm confident and I know our teachers can do this."
Rogers High School maintained its two-star rating, with Jermain noting it has the potential to move to three or four stars.
Jermain emphasized the need to improve attendance across the district, citing a direct correlation between absenteeism and student performance.
"We need to continue on that. We need to keep making the phone calls. We need to have the relationships and keep stressing the importance of everyone being in school," she said.
The superintendent briefly addressed rumors of renewed regionalization talks but did not elaborate beyond confirming discussions are happening.
Upcoming events include a parent advisory committee meeting on Dec. 19, a school building project meeting on Jan. 6, and a FAFSA night for high school juniors on Jan. 13.
Jermain concluded by reminding students that classes resume on Jan. 2.
"We need everyone in school on Thursday and Friday. No extending the vacation," she said.
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