COVENTRY, R.I. (WPRI) — Coventry is considering a proposal that would merge three of the town’s elementary schools into one newly-constructed building.
The $82 million plan was presented to the Coventry School Committee Thursday night.
The proposal, according to Coventry Superintendent Don Cowart, would consolidate Tiogue, Hopkins Hill and Blackrock elementary schools into one building. The three elementary schools have roughly 1,000 students combined.
That building would be constructed on the same property as the Alan Shawn Feinstein Middle School, which is on Foster Drive near Knotty Oak Road.
“The site is large enough to hold a campus of two buildings,” Cowart explained.
The town’s other two elementary schools, Washington Oak and Western Coventry, would be left alone.
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Cowart said traffic patterns will be upgraded both in and around the schools to increase access to the campus.
The goal of the project is to maximize incentives and increase the town’s reimbursement level from the state, according to the superintendent.
“This strategy allows Coventry to do a large number of projects, impacting every school, while trying to minimize the burden to taxpayers,” he explained.
Cowart said the project is in its early stages, adding that the town is still looking for feedback from the administration, teachers, parents and students.
“Coventry has many needs across all our schools and we hope that this will be the first step in a multi-year plan to update the learning environment for our students,” Cowart said.
