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Call for Warwick voters to halt borrowing for two new high schools rejected

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PBN Staff

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02/11/2025

New-Warwick-HS — A PRELIMINARY RENDERING shows a new high school in Warwick. The The City Council Monday rejected a resolution that would have let the voters decide weather to revoke the $350 million bond to to replace both Pilgrim High School and Toll Gate High School. / COURTESY WARWICK PUBLIC SCHOOLS

WARWICK – The City Council rejected a resolution that would have let the voters decide whether to halt borrowing to build two new high schools, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported on Tuesday. By a 7-2 vote Monday night, a resolution unveiled by City Councilor Ed Ladouceur calling for a special election to allow the voters to

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WARWICK – The City Council rejected a resolution that would have let the voters decide whether to halt borrowing to build two new high schools, WPRI-TV CBS 12 reported on Tuesday. By a 7-2 vote Monday night, a resolution unveiled by City Councilor Ed Ladouceur calling for a special election to allow the voters to revoke the $350 million bond for the new high schools was defeated. The funding was approved in 2022 for construction of new Toll Gate and Pilgrim high schools, originally built 50 and 60 years ago, respectively. However, the projects are currently $23 million over budget. Ladouceur, who is chairman of the Warwick Finance Committee, told WPRI the city’s residents deserve to have a say in whether the project moves forward. “If voters say we still want to do it, then fine … I will do whatever I can to help get this done as efficiently as possible,” he said. “But right now, my position is that the voters absolutely need to have their voices heard, because of the dramatic changes to what they’re getting, the increased cost of what they’re getting and the fiscal crisis that we face right now with the school department.” Warwick School Committee Chairman Shaun Galligan argued that turning back now would end up costing taxpayers more in the long run, WPRI reported. “We’re in big trouble if we, in fact, go back to the voters and for some reason the community says, ‘You know what? We don’t want them anymore. It’s going to be a massive cost,'” Galligan told WPRI. “But if we try to renovate our existing facilities, the cost would be drastically higher to the taxpayer and the reimbursement amount would be significantly lower.” Galligan also added nothing has been scrapped from the project, though there have been modifications. The district has already spent more than $20 million of the bond money. The new schools are expected to be open by summer 2027.