The East Side Public Education Coalition - a group of parents and residents on Providence's East Side - hopes to reopen Nathan Bishop Middle School, which closed a year ago following dropping student enrollment, by the fall of 2009.
The coalition has gained the support of Donnie Evans, superintendent of the Providence Public School District, in its bid to revive Nathan Bishop, which had been the only public middle school on the East Side. Now, it must present a concrete action plan to the Rhode Island Department of Education in order to receive funding to renovate or rebuild the school.
Thomas Schmeling, a member of the coalition, said Nathan Bishop was undergoing "a crisis" and failing to meet its academic goals before it closed. He said enrollments decreased because parents didn't want to send their kids to a school where "things were so out of control."
"It was a disaster," he said. "Students were roaming the halls and cursing at teachers."
A total of 59 Nathan Bishop graduates attended Hope High School for the 2003-2004 school year. But by the 2006-2007 school year, only 30 graduates attended Hope High, said school district spokeswoman Maria Tocco.
Sam Zurier, a member of a committee appointed by Evans to deal with Nathan Bishop, said he is optimistic that "a high-quality school will bring kids back."
Rich said the city has now hired an architect to determine whether the building needs renovation, rebuilding or a hybrid of both.
The design subcommittee of the Nathan Bishop committee has proposed a "non-exclusive academic program" with regular as well as advanced courses to cater to students with different needs and abilities, Schmeling said. Zurier said the new academic program would be "attractive" to parents who want advanced courses to be offered at the middle school level.
Students could also be drawn to the school because of its reduced size - the new school would have only 600 students compared to its former enrollment of 850.
Denise Carpenter, director of middle schools for the school district, said she has "no doubt" that the effort to reopen Nathan Bishop will be successful. A planning committee of parents, teachers and district office staff will be appointed to oversee "what goes on at Nathan Bishop," she said.
A new Nathan Bishop would require "a dedicated principal with vision, teaching staff, good management and advisories," said Harlan Rich, associate professor of medicine, also a member of the coalition.
Zurier said, before the school reopens, its building must be either renovated or entirely rebuilt. Renovation will cost $35 million, and rebuilding will require $23 million, not including demolition costs, Schmeling said.
Members of the coalition and officials from both the school district and the state Department of Education emphasized the importance of Brown's involvement with Nathan Bishop, if and when it reopens.
"We would definitely like Brown to be involved in both the academics and the administration of Nathan Bishop," Schmeling said.
Carpenter said she would like to have "members from Brown and other institutions" serve on the planning committee for Nathan Bishop when it reopens.
Elliot Krieger, a spokesman for the Department of Education, said schools like Nathan Bishop would welcome financial resources and "the expertise of faculty and students" from the University.
Lamont Gordon '93, director of education outreach, said though the University does not have any specific plans yet, it would "be open to (getting) more involved given that (Nathan Bishop) is on the East Side."
