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3-part proposal on Chariho contruction nears approval

01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Three bills authorizing the Chariho Regional School District to hold a referendum on a $25-million construction plan are expected to become law without the governor’s signature, said his spokeswoman, Amy Kempe.

The bills — each question required its own enabling legislation — had been submitted to the governor on June 27, according the General Assembly’s Web site.

District officials have said they intend to hold a referendum in November –– coinciding with the presidential election –– on a three-part building proposal to eliminate portable classrooms and bring the district’s main campus up to code.

The three member towns — Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton — would split the costs equally, which would require an amendment to the Chariho Act, which calls for building costs to be apportioned based on enrollment.

Chariho voters last approved a construction plan in 1986, when it became a K-12 district.

Hopkinton rejected a similar building proposal last November.

(Under the Chariho Act, voters in all three towns must approve construction proposals.)

This time around, the $25-million building plan –– the price tag was reduced to account for work that is being completed under the district’s capital plan –– splits the project into three questions, as originally requested by Hopkinton.

Under the proposal, voters would be asked to approve $17.8 million for construction and upgrades at the high school and the Switch Road campus, $4.4 million to build a permanent RYSE School (Reaching Youths through Support and Education, an alternative learning program), and $2.7 million for upgrades at the middle school.

The Hopkinton Town Council has objected to the latest proposal, saying it would not support a “re-vote” until “progress is made toward establishing a uniform school tax rate.”

Hopkinton had asked the governor to veto the bills.