Newport, Middletown Consider Combining School Districts

NEWPORT, RI — Next-door neighbors Middletown and Newport could combine classrooms be become a single, unified school district. The opportunity could allow the communities to receive up to 80 percent reimbursement from the state for new school construction, Newport city officials said.

The idea to form a unified school district came out of recent discussions with the Rhode Island Department of Education. The proposal could save both communities money by combining administrative offices, but keep the existing structures of schools, athletics and extracurriculars. The regional approach would save taxpayers in the long term, Newport officials said, while offering students more class options.

The talks are still preliminary and will not affect the ongoing Rogers High School replacement project or Middletown’s School Building Committee.

"Further investigation is still necessary to better measure the extent of the benefits that could be realized by both communities," Newport officials said in a statement.

Any formal plans to combine districts would need to be approved by both school committees, and potentially voters.