Slater proposes study of school districts merging

PROVIDENCE – A vote is scheduled this week for the formation of an 11-member panel that will study whether or not the state’s school districts should be combined.
Introduced in the House by Rep. Thomas C. Slater, the resolution panel would be expected to report its findings and recommendation to the General Assembly by next May.
“We have talked for a long time about the possibility of consolidating school districts in Rhode Island,” said Slater, “but we have not, to this point, done a comprehensive study of the issue. It may work and it may not, but I believe we need a thorough and sincere investigation of the kind that this study panel will produce.”
Slater, a member of the House Committee on Finance, noted that a great deal of attention – by the Assembly and by the general public – is currently being focused on school issues, and particularly school funding. The resolution is scheduled for a House vote on April 25.