School Department Spent $330K Less, Budget Accounting Errors Reveal

School officials announced that the school department had more than

During Tuesday morning's meeting with the Newport School Committee/Newport City Council Liaison Committee, Superintendent John Ambrogi announced that due to accounting errors from the school's former business administrator, hundreds of thousands of dollars had been booked incorrectly. Committee members also discussed Pell School updates and continued shared service talks. School Budget/Surplus During the meeting, Ambrogi said after an analysis of available funds, there were thousands of dollars that had been booked but not spent. The previous business administrator had booked $120,000 in supplies and technologies that the school committee believed had been allocated as expenditures, he said. Health care expenditures were also double booked…

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Council, School Committee Discuss Fate of Elementary School Buildings

The Newport School Committee/City Council Liaison Committee met on Wednesday to discuss several agenda items.

Members of the Newport School Committee and City Council Liaison Committee talked Pell School updates, shared services, and budgets during Wednesday’s meeting at City Hall. The first item on the agenda was the use of existing schools that will be closed as a result of the opening of the Claiborne D. Pell Elementary School in 2013. City Manager Jane Howington said the city has talked in concept about how to have the buildings opened again and the school and city departments should work together to try to get some planning done. “When we do an assessment, it may shed light on which buildings will be more marketable or have the highest revenue,” she said. Superintendent John Ambrogi said it was important to keep at least one building, “for a …

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5 Things To Know Today

Tuesday: TMS Beginning Ensembles Winter Concert & Historic District Comission

A look at what's happening in Newport today.

The Newport School Committee/Newport City Council Liaison Subcommittee will meet at 11:15 a.m. at City Hall to discuss and review the Pell School construction, budget, and schedule as well as a public viewing of the school design at the Newport Public Library, and other agenda items including the use of money from the sale of surplus buildings. Susan McLeod will present a Holiday Music Performance at the Edward King House at 1 p.m. Admission is $3 for members and $5 for non-members. The Historic District Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall and will review new applications from the residents of 7 King Street, 77 Thames Street, and 15 Atlantic Avenue amongst other agenda items. The Thompson Middle School Beginning Ensemble Chorus…

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5 Things To Know Today

Monday: Pell School Building Committee Meeting and Christmas at the Mansions

A look at what's happening in Newport today.

The Pell School Building Committee will meet at 4:30 p.m. at the Newport Area Career and Technical Center to discuss additional cost savings measures on construction. The Newport County AARP will meet at 1:30 p.m. at Fenner Hall to hear guest speaker Theresa Buzman Stokes speak about Newport’s cemeteries and black history. New members are welcome but should arrive fifteen minutes early with their AARP card. Attendees are asked to bring a canned good for the AARP Pantry Project. The Newport Public Library will host Bilingual Storytime (Spanish and English) with Dana Edward Ramey for children ages four and up at 3:30 p.m. Christmas at the Newport Mansions began this weekend, and if you prefer to avoid the crowds of summer this is a great …

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Pell Building Committee Reviews Potential Cuts to Construction Budget

The committee reviewed the 43 line items passed to them by the Newport School Committee.

The Pell Building Committee met in the Newport Area Career and Technical Center Tuesday night to go over a categorized list of possible cuts and simplifications to the construction of the Pell Elementary School. The building committee and the Newport School Committee are working together with architects from HMFH and other cost estimators to pare down unnecessary costs ever since construction bids came in approximately $4 million over budget. Each one of the 43 line items were newly categorized as likely, potential, or unlikely cuts with an estimated cost savings for each. Total savings if all Level 1 “likely” cuts were implemented came to approximately $2.7 million. School Committee Chairman Patrick Kelley said the goal for the …

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