EAST PROVIDENCE — The East Providence School Committee appears on track to find a new superintendent by its stated deadline of Thanksgiving week. At its most recent meeting held Tuesday night, Oct. 27, the Committee announced it planned to hold public interviews of the final candidates in two weeks.
The candidates were culled from the latest round of interviews held earlier in the week, according to Committee Chairman Charlie Tsonos. Some 22 people applied for the position initially.
It’s likely two candidates will be presented to the community at the Committee’s Tuesday, Nov. 10, meeting. The docket for that’s night session, according to Ward 3 Committee member Nate Cahoon, will be geared solely towards the prospects, one of whom will be hired to replace the retiring Kim Mercer. Mrs. Mercer’s last scheduled day on the job is December 30.
On a similar note, the Committee Tuesday requested Mrs. Mercer revise the job description to be posted for the School Department Facilities Manager vacancy. William Reynolds resigned the job late last summer after only a few months in the role. School Department Security Director Tony Feola has been handling both position, the Facilities portion on an interim basis.
As for Facilities, during his regular update, Mr. Feola told the Committee the improvements at Riverside Middle School are moving ahead as scheduled. The installation of new railings is “90 percent” done. Also, the laying of asphalt in the rear of the building is nearing completion.
At Martin Middle School, Mr. Feola said three of the four boilers damaged by a water leak in late August have been repaired or replaced and are operational. Parts for the fourth boiler are still on order. Also at Martin, new exit doors have been installed in the rear of the building at the gymnasium, chorus and storage areas as have those for the “house” sections.
In addition, some 140 plus communication devices have been provided to administrators and teachers in buildings throughout the district, while 12 new security cameras have been installed at East Providence High School.
Mr. Feola updated the Committee on the purchase of new blinds throughout the district. Some $12,000 has been allocated in the Fiscal Year 2015-16 budget. Mr. Feola said he’s received 27 work orders from several schools and at least 30 more alone from the high school. Because of the cost of the shades, anywhere from $200-$250 apiece, the blinds will be installed on a need basis. Mr. Feola explained the relatively high cost of the shades is based on quality, the size and the need to meet fire safety specifications.
The purchase of blinds, he added, goes hand in hand with the district’s plan to upgrade fire suppression systems in its buildings. Schools with more modern sprinklers do not need to have shades that meet the most stringent fire code standards.
On the topic of sprinklers, Ward 2 Committee member Tony Ferreira urged Mr. Feola to ask fire officials if newly developed PVC (plastic) systems can be used instead of the standard steel pipe format. Mr. Ferreira said PVC “costs pennies on the dollar” in comparison, and would be a more cost effective approach.
During an update on technology, City IT Director Kelly Ahrens told the Committee the district is in line to receive an additional $174,000 from a state program, which will allow for the gyms and auditoriums in every school building to be wireless capable. Previously, East Providence received some $500,000 from the state as part of the initiative.
Ms. Ahrens told the Committee that at the behest of teachers, the district is moving away from the “Skyward” program and back to “TIEnet” for its Special Education IEP process. Ms. Ahrens said Skyward was “not well received” by the faculty and called TIEnet a “more intuitive” program.
Another note of interest, Ms. Ahrens said she is going ahead with a plan to replace the four personal computers and another PC for teachers in each classroom throughout the district with six Google Chromebooks for the pupils and a laptop for instructors.
Ms. Ahrens noted the updated technology continues on a path set by the district back in 2009, which included the installation of Smartboards in all K-5 classrooms. The director noted the upgraded tech “shows tremendous commitment and you should be proud of that.”
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