Jamestown School Committee weighs sharing a superintendent with another district

The Jamestown School Committee spent much of its July 30 meeting weighing four ways to staff the superintendent's office, including a shared-superintendent arrangement with one or more other Rhode Island districts that no district in the state currently uses.

The committee took no vote on a model. It scheduled a workshop meeting for Monday, August 17th at 4 p.m. to go deeper, with the goal of deciding on a direction at a September business meeting. A workshop is an informal but legally posted public meeting at which no business is conducted.

Four superintendent models on the table

The superintendent presented a draft comparison chart laying out the tradeoffs of a 90-day part-time model, the 140-day model Jamestown has used for the past two years, a full-time superintendent, and a shared superintendency split with another district.

Under state law, retired educators may work 90 days a year, which is why the 90-day model exists. According to the presentation, Foster, New Shoreham and Little Compton currently use it. The superintendent said the 140-day model was designed to attract candidates who wanted three days a week plus a health benefits package.

The shared model drew the most questions. The committee's attorney told members that districts whose schools total fewer than 60 in the aggregate may vote to join a "superintendency union" without approval from the Rhode Island Department of Education. Two or more school committees vote, a joint committee forms automatically, and that joint committee hires the superintendent, sets salary and terms, and allocates costs according to the prior year's school census. The arrangement must stay in place for three years unless all participating committees vote to disband it earlier. Sharing services beyond the superintendent would require the education commissioner's approval.

Cost estimates presented were rough. The superintendent said the chart assumes a full-time superintendent costs roughly $250,000, with Jamestown paying a two-fifths share — two days a week — under a two-district split. The 90-day model was priced at about $750 per day.

A committee member pressed on the hidden costs of coordinating with another district and another school committee. The attorney said there would be a learning curve, and recommended workshops with any partner district before committing. Another member asked whether partnering with a district that receives more state aid could affect Jamestown's funding, and whether being first could draw legislative attention. The attorney advised against involving General Assembly members during the exploratory stage.

The superintendent said she has spoken with superintendents of small districts who believe the arrangement could attract experienced candidates. She cautioned that no such arrangement exists in Rhode Island yet. Asked whether it could be done in time to hire for next year, the attorney said full district mergers he had worked on took a little over a year, and that sharing a single position should be achievable within a year if both parties are motivated.

Kindergarten will run two sections with full-time aides

A parent used public forum to ask whether a third kindergarten section was under consideration, citing small class sizes his first grader benefited from.

During the enrollment update, the superintendent gave revised counts as of that day: pre-K 25 with a waiting list, kindergarten 38, first grade 41, second grade 31, third grade 42, fourth grade 31, fifth grade 50, sixth grade 40, eighth grade 47. Seventh grade was reported as unresolved between 42 and 44.

The plan is two kindergarten sections of 19 students each, with a full-time teacher assistant in each classroom — a change from last year, when three kindergarten classrooms shared one aide who spent about an hour in each. The superintendent described the plan as her recommendation as of that date rather than a final commitment. A resignation among teacher assistants will not be backfilled, which frees a position for kindergarten.

A district administrator explained the pre-K cap of 15 per session exists so seats remain open for children who need special education placements under federal law. The morning session has a waiting list of three; the afternoon session has seven, described as the longest in about nine and a half years.

Transportation contract extended, at a cost

The committee approved a two-year extension of the district's school bus contract by voice vote. The increases are 7.9% in the first year and 7% in the second — an additional $41,663 this year and $39,834 next year, for a total of $81,497.

Asked where that leaves the contingency fund, staff said roughly $22,000 had been budgeted, leaving about a $20,000 gap this year that other savings will cover. Members were told buffer remains in the contingency line.

Other business

• The committee approved by voice vote the minutes of May 20, June 4, June 11 and June 17, and the bill payments for June 10, 11 and 26, on its consent agenda — the bundle of routine items handled in a single vote.
• Two home-schooling requests were approved individually by voice vote, identified only by initials. The district will have 11 home-schooled students this year.
• The committee voted by voice vote to meet once a month, adding meetings as needed, particularly around budget season in January and February.
• A finance subcommittee was established by voice vote to meet monthly with the district's finance staff on budget actuals and forecasts, reporting back to the full committee, with quarterly presentations to the full body. Committee assignments will be reshuffled after the November election.
• A draft social media and website policy received its first reading, replacing an older policy written when teachers built their own web pages. A member raised whether teacher-built classroom apps created with AI tools would be covered, and staff agreed to look at broadening the language. Members were told the draft was reviewed by the administrative team, the district's attorney and the teachers' association.
• The superintendent said the state's personal electronic device policy review was due August 1st and the district will miss it; she has asked the state education department for extra time and will bring a first reading in August for possible passage in September.
• Semester bullying reports from both school principals showed zero incidents at each school in the second semester.
• The superintendent said the strategic plan will come back for a possible adoption vote after the state education department returns comments.
• Summer construction includes gym work and reconstruction of the fifth-grade wing at one school, and HVAC installation in the art room, library and music room, plus interior and exterior painting, at the other.
• The committee recognized the district's Teacher of the Year, a music teacher, and its School Support Professional of the Year, and honored three recipients of a scholarship for graduating Jamestown students established by a bequest, with preference for students pursuing art.
• A member reported the facilities study contractor plans a building committee meeting in the second week of September, followed by a community meeting roughly the third week.

What's next

The superintendent workshop is set for Monday, August 17th at 4 p.m., with the location to be announced on the agenda, which the chair said would be posted by Wednesday, August 12th. The next regular business meeting is Thursday, August 20th at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.