Colon School Committee Race Q&A

WARWICK, RI — Zach Colon, former high school student political leader and an institutional investment wholesaler in Smithfield, hopes to improve district and city communication, bolster Career & Tech Center programs and expand Pre-K as one of four School Committee candidates Warwick voters will choose among Nov. 5.

“Warwick Public Schools gave so much to me, and I believe the best way I can show my gratitude is to do my best to give back to our students and future generations. As a candidate for the Warwick School Committee, I hope to bridge better communication between the City Council, Mayor’s office, and the School Committee, further strengthen our robust Warwick Area Career & Technical Center programs, expand Universal Pre-K to all Warwick Public Schools, and foster a supportive, welcoming, and inclusive space for all students to become their own best self,” Colon wrote on his campaign page.

Warwick Post posed the following questions to each of the Warwick School Committee candidates, giving each the same amount of time, five days,  to respond with their answers. Candidates were urged to answer the questions directly, and invited to elaborate on each topic after answering the initial question. All the questionnaires have been posted within the same  five-minute window, with a digital dice roll assigning the order each set of answers run on the site, and thus, their order in  the daily newsletter.

Here are Warwick Post’s questions, and Colons’ answers:

Colon School Committee Race Q&A

WARWICK POST QUESTION 1A: The final bill on the new high schools project is set at $350M, with adjustments and a $28M buffer to guard against cost overruns. As the design process continues, what elements of the design are you most concerned with preserving?

COLON: There is so much to look forward to within the designs of our new high schools, but two aspects I thoroughly enjoy and support are the large, modern Learning Commons (media center/library) and the auditoriums accessible from two floors of the schools.  Outside of the typical classroom setting, students need multiple gathering centers to learn, grow, and thrive.  Students gain so much through reading, acting, and performing music and arts that cannot be done without these facilities.

WARWICK POST –  QUESTION 1B : What would you suggest using any unused contingency funding for once site work and demolition are finished in 2027?

COLON: During public comment at School Committee meetings and when speaking with voters at their doors, I have heard concerns about the proposed fields not being “turfed.” Although I do not claim to be an expert in artificial turf, I have heard a lot of pros and cons around this topic.  With the pros of longer lasting fields, less maintenance, and no “down-time” in field recovery after heavy rain, there are also cons of increased and more serious injury on turf versus grass and the environmental impact of the plastics within.  If the case is made that the pros outweigh the cons, and we have the unused contingency to install it, I would be in favor.

WARWICK POST –  QUESTION 1C) Please share any other thoughts on the new high schools project.

COLON:  I have major safety concerns with the amount of windows/glass walls on the main floors.  For instance, if we have the need for a lockdown, most classrooms are designed with full glass walls.  How will students and teachers take shelter or hide? God forbid, will that glass protect our students and teachers from bullets?

I am also worried about the limited seating in the gymnasiums.  In the current design plans, the gymnasiums are designed to seat approximately 750 students in schools built for populations of 1150.  For pep rallies and other events inside the gymnasium, the student population simply wouldn’t fit.

WARWICK POST –  QUESTION 2: What steps will you support to limit district operating costs and tax increases?

COLON: We need to ensure this project is completed to the high standard that has been set for the promised $350 million or less. I hope to work with allies of our schools on our City Council to avoid tax increases and to use the budgeted contingency to cover any unexpected/underestimated costs.

WARWICK POST –  QUESTION 3:  Are you confident the planned HVAC air conditioning approach for the new high schools will be effective with increasingly hot weather later and earlier in the year? (https://warwickpost.com/architects-present-toll-gate-pilgrims-new-high-schools-designs/)

COLON:  I am not an HVAC specialist.  I would like to trust the experts on this. During the presentation in August, we were assured that the tempered air systems will be sufficient. David Polito, the HVAC engineer on both Pilgrim and Toll Gate’s projects stated that this is the system that he endorsed for his own children’s future middle school in Somerset.  It will certainly be an improvement from no air conditioning currently, but if we spend such a large amount of money on this system, we need to make sure it works as well as we need it to.

WARWICK POST – QUESTION 4A: The School Committee’s fiscal subcommittee is reviewing policies for procurement, purchases, and bids after RI State Police began investigating the district for hiring Jada Trucking without first advertising the work: (https://warwickpost.com/warwick-school-committee-exerts-extra-contract-oversight) What safeguards would you suggest to the School Committee Policy Subcommittee, chaired by Michele Kirby Chapman and Leah Hazelwood?

COLON: Without knowing the exact mistakes that happened that allowed this oversight to pass through, it is hard to pinpoint a solution.  While this is still being investigated, we cannot jump to conclusions.  I would like to see general safeguards of double and triple checking all policies and requirements are followed when in the bidding process, but that is something that should be ongoing already.

WARWICK POST – QUESTION 4B: Please share any other thoughts on the district’s bid and procurement process.

COLON: Based on reporting from both the Warwick Post and WPRI 12, it seems that there was an honest oversight in this situation, where multiple people figured that other folks did their due diligence before getting the contract in front of them.  We cannot hold any one person accountable, especially while this is still being investigated.  However, I strongly believe in full transparency, and look forward to the findings of the investigation, and adapting the process to avoid a situation like this happening again.

The city of Warwick has listed polling places by precinct on Board of Canvassers website.