Woonsocket Superintendent Recommends Closing Fifth Avenue School

Superintendent Giovanna Donoyan introduced an updated budget plan to the Budget Commission Thursday that would close .

The new plan also shaves about $297,000 off the school department budget expenses from the $66.2 million budget presented July 17, Donoyan said.

Commission member Dina Dutremble asked how closing the school would happen. "Where are these kids going when we close this school?" Dutremble said.

"That's a very valid question, Dina", Donoyan said. She did not answer it, however. Donoyan said the first part of her plan will be to notify teachers and families. After the meeting, she said she would present her plan for closing the school during the public hearing scheduled for Wednesday afternoon before the next School Committee meeting.

Commission member City Council President John Ward said he had not seen Donoyan's plan either, but he thought teachers would likely be re-assigned to other vacancies in the district. Clerks and custodians, though, would probably be out of a job if Fifth Avenue closes.

Committee member Anita McGuire-Forcier, who was attending the meeting, said the superintendent's intent to close Fifth Avenue was a surprise to her. Donoyan had not mentioned the plan at the last School Committee meeting, she said.

When asked why she was proposing the closing, "We have to control our costs," Donoyan said. She said closing Fifth Avenue was part of a list of possible plans she suggested in April.

According to a packet Donoyan gave the Budget Commission, closing Fifth Avenue School would save the school department $936 in utility services, $14,185 in fuel oil, $9,913 in electricity, $854 in library software and $631 in maintenance supplies.

An elimination of a social worker at Fifth Avenue and the addition of three behavior specialists to the department's staff would also save the district $145,240. Eliminating a clerk at Fifth Avenue would save the district $21,909 and the elimination of a custodian would save $20,223.

Closing Fifth Avenue would also save the district $159,719 in medical coverage.

"At this time I still have many questions," McGuire-Forcier said. First, she said, she wonders about the transportation costs to move Fifth Avenue students to other schools, and what impact that will have on the budget relative to the savings from closing Fifth Avenue.

In the Budget Commission's packet, transportation costs were reduced by $66,187 to $2,090,545, though that was not noted as a result of closing Fifth Avenue.

Also, she said, if Fifth Avenue School is closed and the district wants to bring back all-day kindergarten sometime in the future, will there be room to do so without Fifth Avenue School?

McGuire-Forcier also said she was surprised that the Budget Commission learned of Donoyan's recommendation to close Fifth Avenue before the School Committee. She said Donoyan should have introduced the plan and the numbers to back it to the Committee before now.

The Budget Commission scheduled a public hearing on the school budget for Wednesday, before the School Department's 6 p.m. meeting. A specific time has not been set, but will be posted by Friday.

A second public hearing, this one on the School Department request to RIDE for a state takeover of the department, is scheduled for the Budget Commission's Aug. 16 meeting.

The Budget Commission convened into executive session to discuss union negotiation strategies at 4:30 p.m., and then met again for a joint session with the Woonsocket City Council at about 5:40 p.m.