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These are answers to frequently asked questions about the upcoming school bond. If you have another that is not addressed here, please send it to info@nkdemocrats.org.
Q. How much is the bond?
A. The School Department proposes borrowing $137.2 million, with $77.2 million for a new Wickford Middle School and $60 million for renovations and repairs at other town schools, including upgrades of the facilities at Davisville Middle School. The bond question authorizes the town to borrow, but the actual borrowing will happen when the projects are ready and when it seems like the interest rates are good for the town.
Q: Why is North Kingstown proposing a new middle school?
A. Wickford Middle School is nearly 100 years old. The building is in poor condition and maintenance costs are skyrocketing because of its age. The floors have asbestos and the walls have cracks. Any building reaches a point when it is no longer feasible to continue to pour money into maintenance. For example, disability access at the school is inadequate and ADA non-compliance has a cost. The science labs are dated and the computer labs inadequate.
Building a new school will not only create a better educational environment for the children of North Kingstown but also is the financially prudent thing to do for the town’s taxpayers. Providing a quality education is among the most important things a community can do as property values generally depend on the quality of the schools.
Q: Does this mean there will be only one middle school?
A: No. North Kingstown will still be served by two middle schools. Davisville Middle School will remain open (and will undergo upgrades funded by this bond) and the new Wickford Middle School will be located at the same site as the existing one. Nothing will change except that a 100-year-old building will be replaced by a modern one that will better serve the children of North Kingstown and will be more cost effective for taxpayers during its lifetime.
Q: Why Wickford Middle School?
A: Because it is long past its useful life. Every capital asset has a period of time in which it is serviceable, but eventually it cannot be repaired any longer. The current Wickford Middle School is nearly 100 years old. The building can no longer serve its purpose. How long can we keep a building in operation that was constructed during the Hoover Administration, using materials and techniques that make it difficult, expensive and, in some cases, impossible to upgrade?
Q: What about the other schools?
A: There are funds in the bond for improvements to other schools. In fact, $60 million of the bond issue (44% of the total) is for improvements and upgrades to schools other than Wickford Middle School. These include roof replacements, disability access upgrades, and AC improvements to all the schools.
Q: Why now?
A: There are many reasons why the current Wickford Middle School doesn’t accommodate today’s educational norms and needs. There have been and still are concerns regarding the air quality, even with the air purification steps that have been taken. Disability access is inadequate, with steep staircases, and immovable obstacles between one side of a floor and another. There are classrooms in the building that were originally built to be bathrooms, with plywood covering up the old plumbing.
More important, today’s methods of education are very different from 1932 when the school was built. Back then, education was primarily rote learning and memorization, one teacher talking to lots of kids. Today, it is about critical thinking, collaboration, and independent work. The day-to-day work in the classroom involves more independent work and small groups, which requires more space to spread around a classroom. In addition, the costs to maintain a 100-year-old building are huge, and not going down — much greater in the long run than the cost to build a new building.
Q: Why isn’t the school good enough? I went there/sent my kids there.
A: Today’s job requirements and, therefore, teaching methods, are significantly different than in previous decades. The physical space must accommodate these needs. When the school was built in 1932, students’ workspaces were defined by their desks. Today, students need more space for hands-on and collaborative learning, which usually involves spreading out around the room in small groups. Additionally, there is more equipment required to meet educational needs today. This means a need for adequate and convenient storage space for that equipment. Mainstreaming of special needs students in the classroom means space for wheelchairs, space to accommodate those with behavioral issues, space for additional adults in the classroom ranging from aides to special ed teachers to notetakers for hearing impaired students.
There also is the financial side of this. Maintaining such an old building is expensive. The maintenance costs of the new building will be greatly reduced, which again will benefit taxpayers in the long term.
Q: I don’t have children in school. Why should I vote yes?
A: Today’s children who have the benefit of a quality education are tomorrow’s well-rounded, civic minded adults. The whole community is better off, safer and more respectful. Good schools have a direct positive impact on property values. Today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, and investing in their education will benefit everyone.
The reality is that the town does a lot of things that benefit only some citizens, not others. The town has a senior center, town dock, soccer fields, community center, etc, and not everyone uses all of those things. The town exists to provide services to all its citizens because we are all in it together.
Q: if a new Wickford Middle School is built, will the students attending Davisville Middle School be at a competitive disadvantage by being in an older building?
A: Educational equity is an important factor to the school committee. Indeed, making sure that all of North Kingstown's students had access to the same quality facilities was the primary reason they voted to endorse a single school last year. But the town’s voters made it clear they preferred two middle schools, so that's what is on the ballot this year. Equity issues remain important to the school committee members, so the bond includes several million dollars for DMS facilities, including HVAC, ADA accessibility, and plumbing upgrades, to keep it functioning at a high level. As Davisville’s building is only half the age of Wickford’s, the need to replace it is not as urgent.
Q: Are there financial benefits to the town to building a new school?
A: Yes. Several studies have shown that property values move in tandem with school investment and school performance. So, the higher the quality of the schools, the higher the property values.
A study of LA schools showed that $1 in spending brought $1.62 in benefits to residents. Julien Lafortune and David Schönholzer. "The Impact of School Facility Investments on Students and Homeowners: Evidence from Los Angeles."American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2022, 14 (3): 254–89.
A Boston Fed researcher studied towns in New Hampshire after the property tax reform in 1997 and showed that increased public investment in the schools was positively associated with substantial increases in housing value when vacant buildable land is limited, as it is in NK. Byron Lutz, 2015, “Quasi-Experimental Evidence on the Connection between Property Taxes and Residential Capital Investment”American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 2015, 7(1): 300–330.
Researchers from Princeton University and the Chicago Fed found a direct relationship between increases in school spending and increases in home values. Barrow, Lisa & Rouse, Cecilia Elena, 2004. "Using market valuation to assess public school spending," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(9-10), pages 1747-1769, August.
A review of several such reports identified variation in the size of the effect, but much consistency in the direction. Phuong Nguyen-Hoang, John Yinger, “The capitalization of school quality into house values: A review,” Journal of Housing Economics, Volume 20, Issue 1, 2011, pages 30-48,
In addition to the positive effects on the town, the new school is expected to cost less to maintain and have lower utility bills as well.
Q: What about the ongoing budget for a new school?
A: The new school will cost less to operate. The utility bills are expected to be half or less of the current bills, and of course there will be no more maintenance backlog. Solar energy generation on the roof can offset not only the utilities of this building, but some of the other schools, too.
Q: How is this proposal different from the last one?
A: The School Committee, based on feedback from the community, has abandoned the plan to consolidate two middle schools. This proposal is to rebuild Wickford Middle School, make some of the necessary repairs to other schools and upgrade some others. The list of improvements is in the school department’s Capital Improvement Project (CIP) list, which you can find at https://www.nksd.net/page/middle-school-project-2024 (look for “capital improvement specific to 2024 bond”) In addition, the new school will be built at the same location as the existing Wickford Middle School, which will provide continuity and will not require additional travel time for any students.
Q: What will be the tax impact of the bond?
A: There is also a $60 million bond on the ballot to build badly-needed expansions to the main police and fire stations. After reimbursements from the state, town estimates are that debt service from both bonds will cost approximately 2.93% of tax revenue in FY26, and 5.75% in FY27, with the amount declining after that due paying off other town debt. For the median homeowner, this could be a tax increase of $176 next year and $356 the following year, about 60% due to the school bond, and 40% to the public safety bond. These are the dollar amounts of debt service. Actual changes in tax rates, including those that might go above the 4% annual cap, are subject to negotiation and approval by the Town Council. These estimates are conservative, and do not account for growth in the town's tax base which will decrease the impact on individual property owners.
Q: Aren't school enrollments declining? Why do we need this?
A: School enrollments in North Kingstown are not declining. They have been constant for some years, with more growth in the south end of town than can comfortably be absorbed by Hamilton Elementary. Projections are that enrollments will tick up slightly in the future.
Q: Do our town officials and staff have experience managing similar projects?
A: North Kingstown officials have an excellent track record in completing projects on time and on budget. In recent years, the High School Athletic complex, the Town Hall renovation, and the renovations at Wilson Park, McGinn Park, and the Town Beach have all been completed on time and under budget.