LTE: Pawtucket Mayor Thanks All For Supporting School Upgrades

Letters to the editor of Pawtucket Patch may be submitted to mary.serreze@patch.com.

May 27, 2021
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien

To the Editor:

With so many changes over the past year and working to get back to the new normal in Pawtucket, I am happy that the collaboration between the City, City Council, and School Committee continues and many of the school projects have not been halted due to the pandemic. Over the past year, we have continued our dedication and commitment to updating, upgrading, and the upkeep of our schools with demolition and groundbreaking on the Winters Elementary School along with the many other projects that have happened and are slated to occur.

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In 2018 the voters allowed us to start this endeavor with a $220 million bond for school projects which has helped to complete upgrades in the Pawtucket School Annex, Potter-Burns Elementary and Nathanael Greene Elementary as well as other smaller projects such as Toilet Room updates to Early Child Education Classrooms, Shea High School, and Tolman High School. There have been numerous updates to safety materials in many of our schools and boiler projects completed at Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary, Fallon Memorial Elementary, Lyman B. Goff Middle School, Samuel Slater Middle School and Shea High School. All of these projects may not be the large-scale overhauls that are clearly visible, but each is extremely important. This does not happen without communication and each body of government having an active role in the process.

Since the Elizabeth Baldwin Elementary School renovations are on the horizon, and Pawtucket and the School Department have an unprecedented opportunity with the funding from the American Rescue Plan, I want to thank the City of Pawtucket, Pawtucket City Council, Pawtucket School Committee, all the students, teachers and residents for the continued support of school upgrades.

Now, with an estimated over $38 million from the American Rescue Plan per the Congressional Research Services for Pawtucket Public Schools investment, we have the unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on the momentum of these projects and propel our schools forward. In the recent Pawtucket community questionnaire, residents stated in an open-ended question that school improvements are one of their top priorities, and we continue to work to provide state-of-the-art facilities for our students and improve upon each student’s experience. These funds allow the schools to leverage the updates that have already been completed with other expenses and upgrades for our students.

Our students are the future of Pawtucket. Each and every school and district employee plays a part in the success of our students along with the facilities in which they teach.

Thank you to the families, teachers, administrators, and all of the other advocates who have worked hard to provide the best learning experience for Pawtucket’s youth.

Mayor Donald R. Grebien