PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — Pawtucket voters will get the chance to weigh in on whether the city should build a new high school at the former McCoy Stadium site.
The Rhode Island General Assembly granted the city permission to ask voters whether it should borrow $330 million to construct a new high school.
The bond question will be on the ballot this November. If approved, it would be the city’s first new school in more than 80 years.
“Pawtucket hasn’t built a new high school since 1938,” Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said. “We can and must do better for our students, and that means investing in a beautiful new high school campus that will be the pride of our community.”
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The new school, which would include a fully-integrated career and technical center, would be built on the property that used to house McCoy Stadium. The proposed 482,000 square-foot high school campus would consolidate Shea and Tolman High Schools into one building for 2,500 students, according to the city.
Grebien said he’s confident that voters will approve the investment, especially since the state plans to reimburse more than 80% of construction costs.
Sen. Sandra Cano, one of the bill’s sponsors, encouraged voters to approve the funding.
“Investing in our schools and future generations of Pawtucket students is one of the most important things that we can do for our city,” Sen. Sandra Cano said.
The bond money would also be used to fund improvements to other school facilities across the city.