Pawtucket has roughly $13 million to $16 million in capital reserve that could fund school repairs at up to 84% state reimbursement, but a state deadline of September 15 and an approval expiring in December mean decisions come fast. Work started after January 1 without new state approval would be paid entirely by local taxpayers.
Pawtucket school officials were told at their August 26 meeting that the district may finally have real money for building repairs — between roughly $13 million and $16 million in capital reserve, potentially $50 million to $80 million of work over time — but that spending any of it on the city’s aging middle school could be risky until the committee decides whether that building has a future.
The warning came during a presentation on school housing aid and a proposed capital revolving fund, according to the Pawtucket School Committee’s published meeting recording. The chair introduced the presenter as Dr. Coderre of the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE).
How the money works
School housing aid is a reimbursement program: the district pays for a project, finishes it, and the state sends back a share. Pawtucket’s rate is 79.1%, the RIDE official said, rising to as much as 84.1% with a school safety and security bonus. The rate is locked in for five years once a project application is approved…