Could Closed School Become New Administration Building?

Could a musical chairs of school buildings be on the horizon?

The largely vacant Davisville Elementary School may have a future in North Kingstown’s school department – but not as a school. School Superintendent Phil Auger presented a proposal Tuesday night to the School Committee for a new configuration of buildings that would turn the former elementary school into the district’s administration building. According to Auger, the reconfiguration could help the district make better use of some of its buildings and may even result in long-term savings. Auger proposed that the school district’s central administration office, currently located at 100 Fairway Drive next to the high school, be relocated to Davisville Elementary School (DES), which was closed down in 2010 due to declining enrollment and …

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Politics Sheriff of NK

11:58 am on Sunday, April 28, 2013

And "oh by the way" returning to the Wickford location with all town admin, would allow the sale of town hall and the annex (old library) which should bring in the $$$ needed to do the job right. DES would remain available, as would the old admin if we dont demolish it (which they should). DUH   more ›

Red Tape Bars The Greene School from Occupying DES

Roof repairs continue at Davisville Middle School and Quidnessett Elementary, while Davisville Elementary School will remain largely empty this year

Plans to move a charter school into part of the empty Davisville Elementary School are on hold for this school year. North Kingstown School Superintendent Phil Auger told the School Committee at its Aug. 14 meeting that the lawyers involved had not approved a lease agreement. Attorneys for the school system, the town, the town bond counsel and The Green School itself have not ironed out all the details, Auger said. "I've been blown away by the bureaucracy." Auger said he is still pursuing the lease plan, possibly for the next school year.  School Business Director Mary King said that over the summer she has been meeting regularly with contractors on school projects being overseen by public works officials from the Town of North Kingstown…

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Plan For Charter School at Davisville El Gets Preliminary ‘Greene’ Light

The North Kingstown School Committee approved a preliminary agreement with charter school The Greene School.

The North Kingstown School Committee unanimously approved a preliminary agreement with the Greene School, a public charter high school currently located in West Greenwich, to lease part of Davisville Elementary School. Last month, Superintendent Phil Auger presented a plan to re-open the school (which closed in 2010 due to declining enrollment) as a combined-use building. According to Auger, the plan could help save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars – almost $100,000 in the first year. Under the proposal, roughly two-thirds of the building would house the Greene School (168 students and 20 to 25 staff members) with the rest of the building dedicated to North Kingstown School Department programs – such as Child Opportunity Zone…

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School Committee Names New Finance Director

Finance chief for the East Providence School System succeeds Ned Draper, with an annual salary or $110,000

At its March 27 meeting, the North Kingstown School Committee approved a contract with Mary King to oversee school finances as director of administrative services. King will succeed Ned Draper, who recently took a position at the Rhode Island School of Design. King's two-year contract carries an annual salary of $110,000, which is more than Draper earned. School Superintendent Phil Auger said that King has a master's degree and is a Chartered Public Accountant, qualifications that exceed Draper's. He added that King currently earns $115,000 per year as director of finance at the East Providence School Department. Auger said that the contract includes provisions that allow either King or the North Kingstown School Department to terminate it…

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E

1:47 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012

Mary King was impeccable at last night's SC mtg. I was so impressed with everything about her! She is well worth the little extra $$ we are paying her for this position.   more ›

Davisville El to Reopen in the Fall?

North Kingstown's superintendent has a proposal that would reopen the closed school this fall, gaining revenue from a public charter school.

Superintendent Phil Auger has an idea for Davisville Elementary School that could see it reopen as soon as this fall as a combined-use building, which could save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars. Under the plan, roughly two-thirds of the building would house the Greene School — a public charter high school dedicated to community and the environment. According to Auger, the school would have about 168 students and between 20 and 25 staff members. The rest of the building would be dedicated to North Kingstown School Department programs, such as NK KIN-Nect Preschool, Child Opportunity Zone, Parents as Teachers, adult education classes and other programs. A special education transition program aimed at helping students adjust to…

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Govstench

7:29 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The only problem with this proposal is that no one is including the town council in the decision making process. They need to be included as they are the ones who control contracts on town assets. Granted, the SC can run behind the Title 16 laws to try to justify this move without council approval, but the town council needs to protect the taxpayers. We all know the voodoo math these school …   more ›

Five Things To Know Today

5 Things: School Committee, Healthy NK & No School

Five things to know for Nov. 8.

The North Kingstown School Committee meets tonight at 7 p.m. at the North Kingstown High School. On tonight's agenda, the committee looks to give the superintendent the authority to investigate a detailed plan for Davisville Elementary School, discuss policies on text messaging and social networking, discuss the formation of a charter school sub-committee and more. Check here for the full agenda. The second meeting of a weeklong summit for the Healthy Places by Design project kicks off tonight. Tour the “work in progress” of this community design event to re-envision healthy living on North Kingstown. View the designs and ideas in development, consider how it might make the community healthier and even offer your own feedback. Starts at 6:…

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School Committee Approves Hiring Assistant Superintendent

Group debates teacher pension reform, electronic communication, Davisville Elementary School and miniature horses trudging through classrooms

Michele Humbyrd, principal of Curtis Corner Middle School in South Kingstown, received a special North Kingstown welcome Oct. 25 as the North Kingstown School Committee approved her appointment to the post of NK assistant school superintendent. Lynda Avanzato announced that not only would Humbyrd receive a salary more than two percent lower than her predecessor, Superintendent Phil Auger, but she also had volunteered not to enroll in the school health insurance plan, saving the system thousands of dollars. William Mudge congratulated Humbyrd, but said he wished the committee had discussed the qualifications required to oversee the technology department, which was added to the assistant superintendent's job description, before making a …

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Govstench

10:06 am on Sunday, January 8, 2012

With a school budget running a "potential" deficit, I question the wisdom of expanding the administration. Granted, the assistant Supt. position may have been vacant, but to save money in these challenging times, it should have been left that way. School districts have long been tacking on assistants positions for various reasons, usually to satisfy the needs of RIDE. They take on the looks of a …   more ›

Five Things To Know Today

5 Things: Davisville El, Flu Shots & Firefighters in Pink

Five things to know for Oct. 25.

The North Kingstown School Committee meets tonight at 7 p.m. at North Kingstown High School where Superintendent Phil Auger plans to make a presentation on the future of the vacant Davisville Elementary School. The committee will also discuss forming a charter school sub-committee. (Check here for the full agenda for tomorrow night.) North Kingstown's firefighters will be going pink today, taking part in the Rhode Island Chapter of Pink Heals campaign. For the rest of the week, members of the North Kingstown Fire Fighters Association will don pink t-shirts while on duty. Today, the department will hold a small gathering at Station 1 at 8150 Post Rd. when the RICPH pink fire truck will be on site as well as a signing by cancer survivors. …

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Five Things To Know Today

5 Things: Council Meeting, Coffee Hour & Flu Clinics

Five things to know for Oct. 24.

The North Kingstown Town Council meets tonight at 7 p.m., holding a public meeting on a wastewater facilities plan. Tonight's meeting will be held at Beechwood Senior Center. Learn about the happenings at North Kingstown High School over coffee this morning. Sit down with NKHS Principal Dr. Thomas Kenworthy over coffee as he provides information on the latest news at the high school. This event is open to parents and community members from North Kingstown and Jamestown. Starts at 8 a.m. at the high school. Tomorrow night, the North Kingstown School Committee meets at 7 p.m. at the high school. On tap for tomorrow night, Superintendent Dr. Phil Auger will make a presentation on the use of Davisville Elementary School (which has been vacant …

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Five Things To Know Today

5 Things: Make NK More Walkable, Davisville El & Airport

Five things to know for Oct. 19.

Wish that North Kingstown was more bike and pedestrian friendly? Make your voice heard at tonight's Healthy Places by Design meeting. On hand will be Mike Lydon from The Street Plans Collaborative. Tonight's meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Davisville Elementary School, 50 East Court. Need a sitter for the night? The West Bay YMCA is offering free child care while you attend this event. Speaking of Davisville Elementary, Superintendent Phil Auger and staff will be holding a discussion with residents of the Davisville area regarding the future of the building tomorrow night. That meeting kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at the school. The Providence Jet Center, also known as Quonset State Airport, is holding its open house tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. Tonight…

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