Warwick, RI — The city council on Nov. 12 approved a $3.1 million deal with the state Department of Education [RIDE] that will transfer ownership of the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center to the city.
According to the resolution passed 8-0 on last week [Council President Donna Travis was absent], RIDE will pay the city to update the facility, then hand over the school on Aug. 15, 2016.
Earlier this year, the school committee voted 3-2 to approve the deal, according to the Warwick Beacon.
The funding will be paid out in three installments, with $950,000 paid in fiscal 2015, $1.8 million in fiscal 2016, and $350,000 in fiscal 2017.
Under the terms of the resolution, the school committee is required to use the funds for “care, control, and maintenance” of the career and tech center.
During a phone interview on Tuesday, Avedisian explained that the money will pay to “bring the building up to code,” including the state fire code, make repairs to the roof, and update the center’s automotive and electrical shops.
From here, Avedisian will sign the formal agreement with the state, triggering the schedule for the three payments and ending with final transfer of the center to the city.
“It’s a good fit all around,” Avedisian said. “This gives us the opportunity to shore up the programs we have, and make our programs more diversified in the future.”
Students from Warwick, West Warwick, and East Greenwich attend the center, which includes programs in automotive technology; computer aided drafting and design; construction trades; culinary; electronics, digital, and audio technology; fashion merchandising and management; graphic design; health occupations; and houses one of four high-school based CISCO Networking Academies, according to RIDE.
“[WACTC Principal] Bill McCaffery has been doing a great job, and he has ambitious plans for expansion,” Avedisian explained.
Read the complete resolution below:
PCR-130-14 Transfer of WACTC to Warwick
Author: Joe Hutnak - editorjoe.warwick@gmail.com
Co-Founder and Editor-at-Large of Warwick Post. For Warwick Post-related inquiries or communications, email editorjoe.warwick@gmail.com
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