Strong Schools. A Stronger Newport.
Newport should be a great place to visit. And an even better place to live.
Tourism is part of what makes Newport famous, but our community cannot thrive on tourism alone. As the pressures of overtourism grow, we need to invest in the people who make Newport a community year-round: our families, our educators, our students, and the local businesses that depend on them.
Strong public schools are essential to Newport’s future.
Great schools help attract and retain working families, support local employers, and build a more diverse, stable, year-round economy. They give every child a stronger foundation and help ensure Newport remains a place where families can put down roots, not just a destination for visitors.
If we want Newport to preserve its heart and soul, we must make public education a priority.
A Practical Plan for Stronger Schools
The School Committee has three core responsibilities: policy, budget, and accountability. I’ll focus on all three, working collaboratively and listening to our community.
POLICY | Put students first.
Listen to families, students, educators, and staff to develop policies that address real needs and improve the school experience.
BUDGET | Invest in our future.
Work with the City Council to secure consistent, predictable funding that supports students, educators, and strong school programs.
ACCOUNTABILITY | Set goals and show results.
Establish clear, realistic goals, measure progress, and communicate openly so families and taxpayers know how our schools are doing.
Every Student Deserves a Voice
The best decisions happen when the people most affected have a seat at the table. Students must be seen, heard, and valued. Families and educators deserve to be genuine partners in shaping our schools.
Strong schools don’t just educate our children. They strengthen our whole community.
Let’s build a future where every Newport student can thrive, working families can put down roots, and Newport keeps the heart and soul that make it home.
Diversity is Our Strength
Newport has always drawn strength from its many voices, though that history includes hard truths. As a colonial port, Newport welcomed people of many faiths, and it was also a hub of the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans helped build the city, and their descendants have shaped Newport's culture, faith communities, and civic life ever since. Today, Newport welcomes all families, Navy households, college students, immigrant communities, seasonal workers, and newcomers. The exchange of different experiences and ideas is part of what makes Newport resilient, creative, and connected to the wider world.
Nowhere does this matter more than in our schools.
When students learn alongside classmates from different cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds, they build empathy, sharpen their critical thinking, and gain the skills to collaborate across differences, the very skills tomorrow's workplaces and communities demand. Bilingual students bring linguistic gifts that enrich every classroom. Families with diverse traditions and perspectives bring new energy to school events and community partnerships. And when educators reflect and respect the full range of students they serve, every child is more likely to feel seen, supported, and ready to learn.
By embracing diversity as an asset rather than a challenge, Newport can build schools where every student thrives and where our community's future is as bright and varied as its past.
What is the Role of the School Committee?
In RI the school committee acts as the board of directors. We govern, we do not manage. We govern through our three main roles of policy, budget and superintendent accountability. We work as one and give clear doable goals, write policy and ensure our budget reflects our values as a district.