Jamestown Weighs Sending High Schoolers To EG Instead Of NK

East Greenwich Superintendent Victor Mecurio reported that Jamestown had approached East Greenwich about the possibility of sending its high school students to . Jamestown Superintendent Marcia Lukon confimed that, but said Jamestown students would continue to attend for the 2012-13 school year.

Jamestown does not have a high school of its own, so they have to send their high school students off island. For more than 10 years, they’ve sent students to North Kingstown High School. The 10-year agreement between Jamestown and North Kingstown expires this year, so Jamestown is exploring its options.

“Jamestown will continue to review data, programs, achievement levels and course offerings on an ongoing basis throughout the school year,” said Jamestown Superintendent Marcia Lukon.   

North Kingstown receives approximately $2 million in tuition a year from Jamestown to educate the nearly 200 students attending the high school.

Jamestown pays North Kingstown $10,103 for each general education student, $36,575.08 for each special education student and $49,991 for each English as a Second Language student. The amount Jamestown pays, how that fee is determined, and how the School Committee spends the funds has sparked questions and rancor from the public and at least one NK School Committee member.

Mercurio said that Lukon and other Jamestown officials want to visit EGHS to further review the possibility of a switch, but there’s no date for a visit.

If Jamestown students were shifted to East Greenwich one grade at a time, starting with the freshman class, “it would bring in about 50 to 60 freshman students the first year with each year building in numbers to include all grade levels,” said Mercurio.  

Mercurio said he thought this would be a positive experience for East Greenwich schools.  

“Whenever you have a larger number of students attending a school, it brings in more opportunities for the other students,” he said.   

Currently East Greenwich High School has about 750 students, which would grow to close to 1,000 with a possible full transition of Jamestown students.

“1,000 students is a nice size school,” Mercurio said. He said that the School Committee knows about the possibility of Jamestown students coming into the district, and that the move would need to be a good fit for both districts.

“We need to look at space in the school, but overall I think the move would have a positive affect on our students,” said EGHS Principal Michael Podraza.

Originally Mercurio said students could start as early as next fall, but Jamestown recently decided to send next year’s freshman class to North Kingstown High School.  This will make 2013-2014 the first possible school year for Jamestown students transitioning into a new school district.

“Given the possible effects of increased pension costs on our own school department and those with high schools that are possible options for our students in the future, we will continue to send our Jamestown ninth graders to North Kingstown for the coming school year while we determine the financial impacts,” said Lukon.