Rhode Island lawmakers are failing to allocate adequate funding for school construction projects, according to state education leaders.
A repayment program that reimburses municipalities for construction costs is on hold for the third consecutive year leaving school districts trying to figure out how to cover projects for which they had already planned, according to Rhode Island Public Radio.
"I think there’s a concern, because if they had plans on when to replace facilities, what they’re facing right now is if they had to do that, they can’t get reimbursed from the state for that,” said Tim Duffy of the Rhode Island Association of School Committees, in an interview with RIPR.
Rhode Island’s department of education estimates $1.8 billion of construction is necessary in school districts across the state, RIPR reported.
