![[CREDIT: WPS] School Committee Chair Shaun Galligan explains the difference between Board of Canvassers duties and that of the School Committee during a discussion of the Feb. 3 Special Election at Thursday's School Committee meeting.](https://warwickpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Galligan-School-Committee-02-19-2026.jpg)
The vote rejected the bond question with 2,987 votes against, and only 2,239 votes to approve the bond supplementing the new high school project currently building replacement buildings for Toll Gate High School and Pilgrim High School. The voting tallied 57.16 percent against to 42.84 percent approving.
High School Bond Vote Questions Answered
During public comment, Pat Ford, reporter, owner and publisher of Coalition News in Providence interjected himself into the meeting, asking questions for his story. The practice is widely discouraged by Journalism ethics, except in extreme, physically urgent cases, as discussed in a story by the Poynter Institute, a global non-profit promoting ethical journalism.
Ford alleged the committee had not been transparent in the way information was provided, specifically legal fees and projected interest costs.
Galligan noted the School Committee was not in charge of the election and advised Ford to direct his question to the Board of Canvassers or the City Council. He said he also had received the robocalls in the days leading up to the special election, noting they encouraged residents to vote, not telling anyone how to vote on the bond referendum.
“No taxpayer-funded mediums were used to inform the public to vote a certain way,” Galligan explained. “It was reminding people to get out and vote, which I think, you, as a libertarian, would probably appreciate,” Galligan said. Ford worked on Libertarian 2020 Presidential Candidate Jo Jorgensen’s campaign, according to his LinkedIN profile.
“It was reminding them of an election occurring. The people who did issue those robocalls should be applauded for encouraging public involvement,” he said.
However, he added, individual Committee members were within their rights to speak their minds about it on social media.
“We are legally allowed as individuals, to promote on our own social media pages what way we’re voting,” Galligan continued. “We are public servants, we are locally elected officials, but we’re also taxpayers first and foremost so just because we run for public office does not mean we relinquish freedom of speech and we do so at our own expense. I just wanted to clarify that the election was not administered or under the direction or control of any individual on this stage.”
Trump tariffs adding to High Schools Construction Costs
John Bates of Left Field Project Management told the committee that 25 percent additional tariffs on Canadian steel, begun in March 2025, according to TD Economics, had a “sizable impact” on the cost of construction for the new Pilgrim and Toll Gate High schools. Bates did not specify a dollar amount.
In addition, the exporting of contaminated soil at Pilgrim resulted in “disposal up-charges and lab testing fees.”
Roughly 40 percent of the concrete foundation is in place at Pilgrim, Bates noted. Steel will arrive on site sometime in March.
At Toll Gate, the steel is installed, and concrete floor slabs will be poured soon.
“We will start to enclose the building with what we call the ‘envelope’ exterior walls,” Bates added.
Pilgrim was slated to be completed in August 2027. That date has been pushed forward to November 2027.
Toll Gate was expected to be completed in August 2027. Bates previously said the new move-in date would be December 2027, during the winter vacation.
Last August, the School Committee voted to amend the cost of construction for Pilgrim to $153, 427, 714. That amount was $8 million more than the Dimeo Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP).
In November 2022, voters approved the $350 million bond to pay for the project. The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) was expected to reimburse the district for the construction of the new high schools for $314 million out of the $350 million bond instead of $300 million as originally anticipated, said Stephen Gothberg, Director of Buildings and Grounds.
The full meeting video can be accessed on the WPS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nu9dnjBKB2Y.
Author: Joe Siegel
Joe Siegel is a regular contributing writer for WarwickPost.com. His reporting has appeared in The Sun Chronicle in Attleboro and EDGE.
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