In this week???s video address, Governor Raimondo discusses the urgent need for Rhode Island to make a generational investment in fixing its school buildings.
Nearly half of our public schools were built in the 1950s and 60s, and a new report shows more than $600 million in repairs is needed just to make our schools safe, and more than $2 billion is needed to make our schools technologically current.
??Governor Raimondo is committed to fixing our schools, and is launching a statewide process to gather feedback from parents, teachers, students, school leaders and local communities before writing a school infrastructure plan to be included in next year???s budget.
Watch Governor Raimondo???s weekly video address here, and read the full transcript below.
Any Mom or Dad will tell you that parents ought to work hard to give our kids the best and brightest futures possible. And as state leaders, we have the same responsibility. Since I???ve taken office, we???ve made record investments in K-12 education. We???ve tripled the number of Pre-K classrooms and expanded all-day kindergarten in every district. Later this year, we???ll be the first state in America to offer computer science in every grade, in every district across the state.
??But it???s time to face some hard facts. Our school buildings are getting a failing grade. Across our state, in literally every single district, there are schools that need immediate repairs just to be brought to the standard of warm, safe, and dry. Now this didn???t happen overnight. It took years of neglect for it to get this bad. One of the first things I did as Governor was lift the freeze on school construction, increase funding for high-priority projects, and improve the planning and approval process. And since 2015, we???ve allocated $215 million dollars for school projects and communities all across the state.
It???s a start, but we need to do more. Let???s come together and make a once-in-a-generation investment in our school infrastructure. This week I appointed a group to work with stakeholders across the state to produce a recommended action plan that addresses this state-wide challenge.
Every generation of Rhode Islanders has worked hard and made sacrifices so the next generation has more opportunity than the one before. But most of our school buildings haven???t been improved in decades. That was before broadband, before Wi-Fi, and before Rhode Island made a commitment to STEM. It???s not fair to our kids. They can???t compete if they???re stuck in the same kinds of classrooms that we had.??
But the problems are even more basic and far more urgent than computer upgrades and access to broadband. There are schools in every single district???suburban, urban, and rural???that have deteriorated to such an extent that roofs are leaking, heating systems don???t work, and fire alarms are broken. Kids and teachers are missing valuable days in the classroom because of infections from mold and exposure to other hazardous materials. It???s not acceptable and we can???t pass the buck to future leaders.??
??We have a responsibility. We need to act now before the problem gets even worse and too expensive to fix. Our school buildings are getting a failing grade and we can???t afford to fail our kids. It???s time to fix our schools. It???s a statewide problem and it???s going to require a new, statewide approach and I hope you???ll help.??
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