I’m really encouraged with the way things are going.”

Barrington Town Council President Carl Kustell

One night. Two meetings. Two votes. 

On Thursday night, Feb. 9, Barrington officials formally voted to submit a Stage 1 proposal to the Rhode Island Department of Education for improvements to school facilities in Barrington.

Three members of the Barrington School Committee met at the Barrington Middle School presentation room early Thursday evening and voted to approve the Stage 1 submission. The vote followed a short presentation by the architecture firm, Kaestle Boos Associates, detailing what was included in the submission to the state. 

Shortly after the vote, school officials traveled to the town hall where three members of the Barrington Town Council voted to approve the Stage 1 submission. 

The two affirmative votes mean Barrington will move forward with building a plan to improve the school facilities in town. The exact details of those improvements will be determined in the upcoming months.

This is the second time recently that officials submitted a Stage 1 proposal to the state — the prior Stage 1 focused mainly on improvements to the district’s elementary schools. Ultimately, committee members decided to file the new Stage 1 submission with a broader view of the district’s buildings, including potential work at Barrington High School. 

“I look at this as an opportunity to go back to basics — to inform all of our stakeholders what the needs for our schools are, what the dollar signs are associated with those needs, and how we go forward,” said Barrington School Committee Chairman Patrick McCrann.

“My hope is that we can re-set the baseline with the community … and then collectively make those strategic decisions: Where do we want to invest this money? What do we feel is going to be the best ROI (return on investment) for our students and for our community? I think there’s a synchronicity there.” 

McCrann also spoke about the need for the schools to align with the town council during the school improvement process. 

Barrington Town Council President Carl Kustell agreed on the importance of a healthy relationship between the council and school committee. 

“I’m really encouraged with the way things are going,” Kustell said, following the vote at the council meeting on Thursday night, Feb. 9. “We just want a lot of community input, and I think the more interfacing we get between the council and school committee, the better it will be. Because there are things, whether it’s street construction or whether it’s sea level rise or whether it may be the athletic fields, there are a lot of things that do overlap. We can’t necessarily control what they do. They can’t control what we do, but we can certainly collaborate and enhance what each other does. 

“I think that’s encouraging. I think that’s what we need going forward. An organized, methodical and ultimately more fruitful approach.”

McCrann said he anticipates that there will be multiple visioning sessions for the school improvements that will be open to the public. He said he hopes residents — those with children in the schools and those without — follow closely in the process and understand the important milestones. 

McCrann said the schools need the support of the community to ensure the success of future improvements. 

He compared the process to a marathon: “People talk about a marathon as 20 miles of hope and six miles of reality. At the half-way point, you still feel really good about things. You’re not quite sure how hard it’s going to be. I think as a community, we realize the last six miles is work. And it’s something we’re going to have to connect on together to get over that finish line.”

McCrann also said school committee members had a recent opportunity to tour the district’s schools. He said there have not been many changes at the schools over the years.

“It’s pretty clear that the distribution of resources is as efficient as possible but that we’re asking a lot of the professionals who work in our schools, the students and their families… to make the magic possible,” he said. 

What’s changed

During the school committee meeting early Thursday night, KBA officials explained what has changed from the previous Stage 1 submission. 

KBA’s Kate Jessup said the lengthy document has new dates included and updated cost estimates. Officials said the industry is experiencing an escalation in costs — approximately 25 percent higher. 

School Committee member TJ Peck asked how much of that escalation is due to a general increase in materials and labor costs and how much is due to the changing scope of the future work. 

Sean Schmigle, of KBA, said about 20 percent is because of general escalation of costs, and 5 percent is the scope of work. Peck said he would like at a later point to see more a specific list of labor and materials cost estimate increases. 

School Committee member Megan Douglas said she would like to see a list of specific dates when items are due to the state. 

Douglas, McCrann and Peck voted 3-0 to approve the Stage 1 submission. (Frazier Bell and Amanda Regino Basse did not attend the meeting.)

Council comments

The second meeting Thursday night offered Council members an opportunity to sign off on the Stage 1 submission. 

McCrann and Peck attended the meeting and offered some details about the process. McCrann said the new Stage 1 submission included updated dates and cost estimates. He said the focus of the new Stage 1 submission was taken off the elementary schools and made broader. 

Officials also spoke about the potential cost reimbursements from the state. Peck said officials would like to include more visioning sessions for the work, offering the public greater opportunities to be involved. 

Kustell asked what role the council could have in the process, referencing a holistic approach. 

McCrann said he wanted a more collaborative process, adding that the decision made on the schools will be a 100-year decision. 

Kustell, Rob Humm and Braxton Medlin voted 3-0 in favor of the Stage 1 submission. (Annelise Conway and Kate Berard did not attend the meeting.)