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Dr. D was the principal at Oakland Beach Elementary when I was there, I always knew him as a nice and level-headed individual and up until this point, I was so very happy to see him progress to Superintendent of the Warwick School System. I've also come a long way, as I am now an Architectural Engineer pursuing my Master's Degree in Architecture. A fascination of mine has been Urban Planning and thus I've dedicated a lot of time to studying it.

What seems to be lacking in this 4-month analysis is the socio-economical affect this change will have on the city of Warwick and how this ‘Long-Term Facilities Planning Committee’ will want to be viewed 5-10 years from now when everyone realizes that they have not created a solution, but a major problem by Transitioning Vets to a Junior High School Facility. I will put an earnest effort to address the issues and remarks stated by Dr. D’Agostino to which he argues why this is a good decision as a professional rather than Alumni of Vets.

Arguing that Vets is in a central location for displaced students is a moot point as anyone with access to Google can assert that it is in fact the center of the school district. This is not an argument for the transition of Vets; it is actually an argument against it. A centrally located high-school would benefit from staying a high school because the students, whom are there for four years versus two of a junior high school because high school students obtain their Driver’s licenses, and will have an easier time driving to the center of a school district rather than to one side or another. A strong benefit from keeping Vets as a high school is that Mickey Stevens, a major sporting complex is a short walk away. This sporting complex is where all three high schools play hockey, and my assumption is that this will not change. Junior high students are wholly dependent on the bus system currently in place, and in reality, if the decision was made to transition Pilgrim instead of Vets (which I don’t view is a solution either) than the current transit system would suffice for those students who are attending Pilgrim for two years.

My main point for this argument of transitioning a centrally located high school is basic: you are displacing students for four years versus two years. Furthermore, strictly speaking from an Urban Planning perspective – bringing more people to the center is better for the economy, and local businesses would reap the benefits. This is not a new concept, any time someone approaches design, you must think about where you are bringing the users. Bringing a user to the center allows them to choose their own in and out of a space; this is no different in Urban Planning.

Addressing the student population spike to both schools is a volatile situation that I firmly believe is in no one’s best interest that has a student in the Warwick School system. Adding 1,200 or 1,600 additional students to a school where the student/teacher ratio is already 28:1 is a ridiculous argument. Dr. D. argues that the “state recommendation of keeping schools at 85% capacity would be followed” this is numerically impossible with current figures. It may calculate for the year of 2015, but how about 2025? Has there been sufficient studies to see how many students will be in the school system in 5, 10, 15 years? My bet is that the schools would be well over capacity. Adding, nay, essentially doubling the population of Toll Gate & Pilgrim is so detrimental, not only for the parents of these students, but the teachers, and finally the students themselves. The Rhode Island school system has a high school dropout rate of 4.6% (10th Highest in the country) and a graduation rate of only 76.4% (33rd overall in the country). Packing more students into the same sized classrooms, in the same educational system would not bolster these statistics, and it doesn’t take much to assume that the current course of action is again, not in the best interest of the communities of which the school committee serves.

Dr. D. asserts that there are much needed improvements to all three schools, but Vets has the mostly costly and the most time consuming. He references that all Pilgrim needs are “Cosmetic Improvements”. I have a cousin currently attending Pilgrim and when I asked her about the condition of her high school, she stated that yes, tiles are decaying from the ceiling, and some coats of paint would be make the school endurable. However, she went to state that the building doesn’t maintain temperature, and in some rooms it is freezing, while others are unbearably hot. This is not a cosmetic issue; this is a core concern for the overhaul of the HVAC system in the school. There are leaks in the roof which moistens the ceiling tiles which are why they’re falling apart.

Blatantly stating that only cosmetic improvements are needed is a false statement, and I’m sure all three schools need significant updating. Dr. D. argues that Vets would “need to be shut down for an entire year to provide these updates” but completely contradicts himself by saying “Vets would close at the end of the academic year in 2014 and re-open for the school year in 2015”. So basically, no improvements will be provided to the students. So then what does it matter if the students are high school students or junior high students? It doesn’t because the school committee has no intention on providing these updates, nor do they have the budget. But if they did, wouldn’t it make more sense to improve a school with significant updates that last a lot longer than paint and ceiling tiles?

This is a starting point for a better-informed conversation, once sufficient studies have been completed and addressed. I do not feel that that choosing to transition on high school over another is a valid option. Personally, I believe they should have elementary schools take 7th grade students and all three high schools have 8th – 12th grade students. This would limit the influx of students, help limit the student/teacher ratio, and leave the capacity of these schools at 85%. Rushing into a decision like the committee has done is to nobody’s benefit, and the 4 months of conversations they’ve had is not sufficient in any regard.

Lastly, I’d like to address the fact that for decades, Hurricane Pride has been a pillar in Warwick. I am a Hurricane, I graduated in 2004. My father is a Hurricane, he graduated in 1979. All Hurricanes will unite against this committee, we will not make this easy, and we will stand together. Hurricane Pride!

Thank you,

Bryan Buckley

Works Cited

Rodrigues, J. (2013, October 24). Panel Favors Vets as Junior High. Retrieved October 29, 2013, from Warwick Beacon: http://warwickonline.com/stories/Panel-favors-Vets-as-Junior-High,86711

Spetrini, P. (2013, January 24). Rhode Island Dropout Rate on the Rise. Retrieved October 29, 2013, from GoLocalProv.com: http://www.golocalprov.com/news/rhode-island-dropout-rate-on-the-rise/

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