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Middletown Pulls Plug on Newport School Regionalization Talks
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Newport Buzz
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — The latest push to merge Middletown and Newport schools is dead.
The Middletown Town Council voted 5-0 Monday night to end regionalization talks with Newport, with town leaders pointing to Middletown’s strong school system and Newport’s financial uncertainty as reasons to walk away.
“Newport really wanted to get this on the ballot, and my colleagues pushed back and said, ‘We’re not ready.'”
That left the district scrambling to adopt a state-mandated recovery plan with layoffs, school consolidation and other painful cuts.
The latest proposal failed in 2022 when Middletown voters approved the plan, which included three new schools with 80% state reimbursement, but Newport voters rejected it by fewer than 400 votes.