1. The Thompson Middle School Crisis & District Oversight

• The Platform of Transparency: Cullen was elected to the School Committee on a platform of bringing fresh energy, rigorous questioning, and balancing what she termed an "imbalance in decision-making" between the administration and the committee.

• The 5th-Grade Pivot: How does she view the committee’s recent reversal keeping the 5th grade at Thompson Middle School? This situation highlights her broader campaign push for a more integrated, proactive strategic planning process rather than reactionary shuffling of student populations.

• The Facility Reality: As a fourth-generation Newporter whose son attended Thompson, Cullen has a deep personal connection to the district's footprint. With the Rhode Island School Building Authority signaling that a new middle school is the ultimate long-term necessity, what is her realistic timeline for addressing TMS’s structural future?

2. The Regionalization Roadblock & Economic Realities

• The Cost of Going it Alone: Cullen has consistently advocated for getting the School Committee and the City Council on the exact same page financially. With regionalization dead in the water for the November 2026 cycle and the joint advisory commission (AIAC) stalled, how does Newport shoulder the independent bond burdens of the new Rogers High School while staring down a future middle school build?

• An Integrated Vision for Aquidneck Island: Cullen has long championed unconventional, localized approaches to education—specifically integrating STEAM initiatives with Newport’s local architecture, maritime assets, and the Blue Economy. How can the district implement these forward-thinking vocational pathways (like reviving marine tech) if it remains siloed from Middletown and constrained by duplicate administrative costs?

3. Committee vs. Administration Friction: School Access & Safety

• The "Fundamental Disagreement" over Security: Cullen recently brought internal administrative tension into the public eye following a sharp disagreement at an April meeting regarding security protocols at the new Rogers High School.

• The Core Issue: Cullen characterized a secondary entrance layout as a design flaw and argued that School Committee members face "artificial barriers" when trying to perform on-site oversight, noting she was met with a chilly reception by staff despite having an appointment. She proposed badges/technology for committee members to ease access.

• The Pushback: The proposal drew significant pushback from Chair James Dring and other members over liability, safety protocols, and proper channels (with assertions that all visits should clear the Superintendent's office first).

• Oversight vs. Boundary Lines: Cullen points directly to the independent safety report issued by former State Police Col. Steven O’Donnell, arguing that improved communication and coordination are required to fix long-ignored systemic failures. This clash underscores her broader critique that the committee's oversight of the superintendent has been lax for years.

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Providence School Board President Ty'relle Stephens joins Dan Yorke to discuss the highly anticipated return of Providence Public Schools to local control.

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Guest: Lynne Tungett, Publisher & Editor, Newport This Week

1. The Status of Thompson Middle School (TMS)

• The Background: Broad community and administrative discussions have surrounded the structural and academic future of Thompson Middle School.

• The 5th-Grade Pivot: The Newport School Committee recently reversed a controversial January decision to move 5th graders back to Pell Elementary School. The reversal keeps the 5th grade at Thompson for the 2026–2027 academic year, highlightening deep structural, enrollment, and behavioral debates over how to utilize the district's footprints.

• The Long-Term Capital Question: Rhode Island School Building Authority officials have previously noted that while significant TMS renovations occurred roughly 20 years ago, a completely new middle school will eventually be needed.

2. The Tie-In to Newport-Middletown Regionalization

• The Failed 2022 Merger: In November 2022, Middletown voters overwhelmingly approved a unified school district proposal, but the measure failed because Newport voters rejected it by a narrow margin of roughly 400 votes.

• The Cost of Disunity: Had regionalization passed, the state's School Building Authority would have reimbursed up to 80% of construction costs for a new middle school. Without a unified district, Newport faces a steep financial climb for future capital improvements while bearing the independent bond burden of the new Rogers High School project.

• Stalled Progress in 2026: Despite the formation of a joint advisory commission (the AIAC) earlier this year to restart conversations, the committee has sat dormant and missed critical formatting deadlines. Both Newport and Middletown are currently moving forward with independent school budgets for the upcoming year, making a regionalization question on the November 2026 ballot highly unlikely.

• Leadership Limbo: The lack of structural clarity on regionalization continues to impact day-to-day operations, including Newport's decision to hire an interim superintendent rather than a permanent replacement ahead of Supt. Colleen Burns Jermain's retirement in June.

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