Questions And Answers About August 4 Referendum

When: Tuesday, August 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall, 4540 South County Trail
Who: Anyone registered to vote in the town of Charlestown
What: Charlestown referendum on whether to allow the use of land in Charlestown for a new, unified elementary school for all students in Pre-K through Grade 5 from Hopkinton, Richmond, and Charlestown on the site of the current elementary school at 363 Carolina Back Road (Rt. 112)

The Chariho Regional School District (Chariho) is proposing building a new, unified elementary school for all children in Pre-K through Grade 5 and has selected the site of the current Charlestown Elementary School as the preferred site for the new unified school.

The Charlestown Town Council has presented a proposal to Chariho for the ground lease for the property and a license for Wicklund Field and will need to approve the lease/license documents, as will Chariho, the RI Department of Education, the RI Department of Environmental Management, and perhaps others.

On August 4, the town of Charlestown will hold a referendum for voters to decide whether, or not, they will allow their property to be used for the new unified school, will allow the demolition of the current elementary school, and will allow the new, unified elementary school to be constructed in its place.

The August referendum is not an approval of the bond for construction of a unified school; that vote will take place in November.

The August 4 referendum:

• is not about the need for new schools,
• is not about the cost of building new versus repairing old schools,
• is not about the amount of state funding,
• is not about the quality of education in large versus small schools.

The August 4 referendum in Charlestown and the district-wide referendum in November deal with different topics!

The August 4 referendum is strictly for Charlestown voters to decide if they want to give permission for the Chariho Regional School District to demolish the Charlestown Elementary School and construct one or two new buildings on that site, if the November referendum to fund a new school bond passes in a district-wide vote.

There are many questions about the August 4 referendum, and we have tried to find as many answers as we can. The answers below are taken mainly from information presented by Chariho at the Charlestown Town Council’s June 8, 2026, meeting; testimony given at the July 7, 2026, Public Hearing by the Charlestown Town Council and Chariho; and information printed in the “Pipeline” newsletter mailed to Charlestown voters.

Where is the current Charlestown Elementary School located and where is Wicklund Field?

• The current Charlestown Elementary School is located at 363 Carolina Back Road (Rt. 112). The property is on the corner of Carolina Back Road and Old Shannock Road, south of the railroad tracks and across Carolina Back Road from the Frances Carter Preserve owned by the Rhode Island chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
• Wicklund Field abuts the Charlestown Elementary School property to the south.

Map below shows the school parcel outlined in red, or you can view the area with Google maps.

How many students are there now and how many will there be in the proposed school?

• In 2031, it is estimated that there will be about 1,200 students attending the new school; of these, approximately 460 students will be in Pre-K through Grade 1, and about 740 will be students in Grades 2 through 5.
• UPDATE: The number of students reported to be enrolled at Charlestown Elementary School at the July 7 Public Hearing was not accurate. That number was reported at 450 and has now been reported to us at 373. According to the Chariho administration, the enrollment since September, 2025 was 373 students of which 111 were preschool.
• According to the Chariho website the current Charlestown Elementary School serves 263 students. According to testimony at the July 7 Public Hearing, about 450 students are in attendance at the school. Both of these numbers include some students from Richmond and Hopkinton as well as Charlestown. We don’t know which number is accurate and we will try to get the correct answer. See the updated number above.
• There are 227 elementary school children currently from Charlestown in the District system.
• There are 665 Charlestown students in the Chariho system from elementary through high school, a figure that includes students in charter schools and the Chariho Alternative Learning Academy (CALA).

How many buses and cars will travel to and from the school?

• There will be an estimated 25 large buses and 5 to 11 mini-buses, plus a changing number of cars each day from parents who choose to drive their children to school.
• There are long driveways and other circulation in the new design to try to keep as many cars and buses as possible on the school property and not backing up onto local roads.

What studies were done to determine the suitability of the site in Charlestown to accommodate a school population of 1,200 young children and staff?

• At the July 7 Public Hearing, it was reported that a traffic study had been performed and that it will be made public, if possible, but we have not yet found a link to it online.
• We don’t know of any other studies, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. We will be happy to link to any available studies; just leave a comment on this post, or email us at mail@charlestowncitizens.org to let us know where to find them.

What other sites were considered for the school?

• Criteria for a new school location included the requirement that parcels contain at least 20 to 35 acres of land.
• Over 60 parcels of land throughout the school district were explored as possible locations for the new school.
• The sales price of the parcels deemed suitable for the school ranged from $2 million to $5.5 million, but those prices were considered too high.
• The Richmond Elementary School and the Ashaway Elementary School parcels were considered as locations also. The parcel in Hopkinton is too small, and Richmond Elementary School’s “traffic situation was not ideal.”

How large is the Charlestown Elementary School parcel?

• Charlestown Elementary School parcel is 15.5 acres.
• The 6.1-acre Wicklund Field open space property that abuts the school parcel to the south will provide some parking and part of the wellhead protection area for the new school.

What could the combined school and Wicklund Field parcel look like if the School were to be built?

Who will own the land/buildings and who will be responsible for financing, construction, operations, and maintenance?

• The town of Charlestown will continue to own both the Charlestown Elementary School property and Wicklund Field.
• Chariho will receive a leasehold interest in the land and be treated as the owner of the buildings and improvements for the term of the ground lease.
• Chariho will construct and operate the school and will handle all routine and capital maintenance, utilities, unforeseen taxes or assessments, and day-to-day management.

How will the school be financed, what will the term of the ground lease be, and what will Chariho pay for the lease/license?

• Chariho expects to issue a 30-year bond to finance the school, with minimum Rhode Island Department of Education Housing Aid at a reimbursement rate of 61%.
• The ground lease will be approximately 50 years, that is, structured to extend beyond the length of anticipated the 30-year bond, and will not be able to be terminated or allowed to lapse while bond is outstanding.
• Charlestown will receive $1 per year, or a similar small amount, for the ground lease of the 15.5-acre Charlestown Elementary School property and partial use of the 6.1-acre Wicklund Field open space property.
• Should Chariho determine that the use of the buildings is no longer viable for school purposes, the buildings will be appraised to determine an agreed-upon value for the town of Charlestown to purchase the buildings.

How long would the two new school buildings take to build, and what happens to the Charlestown elementary school students in the interim?

• Each building will take about 2 years to construct, plus some time for site restoration. It is estimated that no more than 5 years will be needed to complete the entire campus.
• The new buildings will be built one at a time, so that current Charlestown Elementary School students will stay in the existing building while the first new building was constructed and then move to the first new building while the second was constructed. When both buildings were finished, all district-wide students in Pre-K to Grade 5 will occupy the Charlestown campus.

Will Charlestown still be able to use the School for meetings that have more than 100 people in attendance or for recreation programs that use the gymnasium(s)?

• People from all three towns will be able to use the gymnasium, movement space, cafeterias, and other rooms after school hours for recreation or meetings, with priority given for educational use. Charlestown will not have priority for use of the facility, but that is the current practice with the existing elementary school.

Wicklund Field is a town open space property that was purchased with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). What are the rules governing land acquired with money from LWCF?

• Funded property must be maintained and used exclusively for public outdoor recreation forever.
• Under Section 6(f) of the LWCF Act, land cannot be changed to another use (like buildings, roads, or non-recreation uses) without formal approval from the National Park Service.
• If a conversion of use is ever approved, the project sponsor must replace it with substitute land of equal or greater fair market value and equivalent recreational usefulness.
• Facilities must remain open and free of discrimination, providing fair access to all members of the public.
• Selling the land, building unapproved indoor facilities, allowing private or exclusive use, and permitting abutter encroachments are strictly banned.

What will happen to the current elementary schools and associated land in Richmond and Hopkinton if a new unified elementary school is built in Charlestown?

• The current Richmond and Hopkinton Elementary Schools and the land will be returned to their respective towns to use or dispose of as they like.
• Under Rhode Island General Laws § 45-53-10, towns are not mandated to convert unused schools specifically into affordable housing. Instead, they are required yearly to provide to the state a list of schools that are no longer being used as of July 1 of that year and those anticipated to become vacant within 6 months of July 1 for feasibility assessments.
• Municipalities maintain local control and may legally convert the buildings into community centers, recreation facilities, or other public uses.
• While not mandated, the state actively encourages the adaptive reuse of these buildings into housing units through the Repurposing of Vacant Schools for Affordable Housing Program. State agencies provide guidance and technical assistance if a town wishes to pursue a housing conversion.

What is the language of the August 4 ballot question?

“… shall the Town Council of the Town of Charlestown be authorized to act by resolution or ordinance to enter into a long‑term ground lease with the Chariho Regional School District for the construction, financing, and operation of an elementary school serving the Towns of Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton consisting of one or more buildings on a single campus on the site of the former Charlestown Elementary School, with the Chariho Regional School District responsible for demolishing the existing Charlestown Elementary School building and enter into a license agreement with the Chariho Regional School District for school use of Wicklund Field, a Town‑owned recreation area acquired or improved with Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grants, while the Town retains ownership and Wicklund Field remains dedicated to public outdoor recreation in compliance with LWCF requirements and in connection therewith, authorize the Town Council to adopt an ordinance providing for such ground lease and license arrangements?”

What will happen if the question is approved?
Approval of this question will:

• Authorize the Town Council to enter a long‑term ground lease under which the Chariho Regional School District will demolish the existing Charlestown Elementary School building and construct, finance, and operate a new elementary consisting of one or more buildings on a single campus school serving the Towns of Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton on that site;
• Authorize the Town Council to enter into a license agreement allowing the Chariho Regional School District to use Wicklund Field for school programs, while the Town keeps ownership and Wicklund Field continues to function as public outdoor recreation consistent with Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) rules; and
• 
Authorize the Town Council to adopt any ordinance necessary to provide for and implement the ground lease and Wicklund Field license arrangement described above.

Links to more information:

• Video of July 7 Public Hearing on lease of Elementary School land to Chariho
• Newsletter mailed to Charlestown voters
• Summary of proposal for use of Charlestown Elementary School site and Wicklund Field Site
• Information about Unified Elementary School: PreK – 5 for November referendum

Mail Ballot applications are available from the Town Clerk by phone at (401) 364-1200 or by email at arweinreich@charlestownri.gov