Superintendent's Update
Newport Public Schools | May 13, 2026
Dear Newport Schools Parents, Families, and Staff,
Spring has sprung and we have approximately 6-weeks left until the end of the 2025-2026 school year! As I shared in last week’s newsletter, the final day of school for students will be Friday, June 26th. Please note that this will be a full school day.
While it’s understandable that students and families are looking forward to the summer ahead, the next 6-weeks are filled with core instructional time, final exams, final projects, graduation, and lots of fun end of year field trips. In short, we want everyone to stay focused and engaged so we can close out the school year strong!
A big shout out to our NACTC seniors who announced their post graduation plans at NACTC’s May 7th Signing Day Ceremony! From employment offers, to trade schools, to colleges and universities, our NACTC students are moving on to great things. (see more below)
Finally, at last night’s meeting, the Newport School Committee adopted our revised 2026-2027 school year calendar. Click HERE to review the calendar, with the first day of the next school year set for Wednesday, September 2. (Please note it is BEFORE Labor Day.)
Also at last night’s meeting, the Committee did approve the layoffs of 17 teachers to go into effect May 29th. As the members and I shared, by law, any and all layoffs must be approved by the Committee by June 1st . As it happens every year, once the school department has its final funding allocations, if possible, some of the teachers that have a layoff notice may be recalled and reinstated. As always, who receives a layoff notice is not based on evaluations, or even if a teacher has been a Teacher of the Year. The school department and school committee must lay off according to the teacher’s contract, and a state regulation states that a district must layoff teachers beginning from the least senior teacher with the certification for the position. In past years, many more teachers have received layoffs than what occurred last evening and fortunately for us many were called back. This year is especially challenging due to the ongoing financial challenges that the district is facing and has been throughout the past few years. This year's budget challenges have been very public and shared with the City and community since August of 2025. Each and every month an update is provided and discussed at our meetings.
Last night, it was great to see so many students, community members, and interested parties attending the meeting, and as everyone on the Committee stated, it would be wonderful to see everyone attending the City Council meetings for their decision on what they will be able or will allocate to the schools for next year. Remember our local funding comes from the City Council. Earlier in April, a 13% increase was shared with the City as a need, and we were advised we needed to bring that down to a 4% increase. As of now, the City does have 4% in its budget for the school department. To help everyone better understand the process, the presentation is being put in our newsletter again in case you missed it the first time. FY27 Budget Presentation
Have a great week of learning everyone and stay tuned for more updates.
Colleen Burns Jermain, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Our final event of the year will be our spring scone sale with a pick-up on Friday the 29th, the Friday after Memorial Day weekend. We know that several of you depend on this sale to fill your freezers before we go on hiatus. We also know that many of you have been frustrated by the lack of ginger scones lately, unfortunately the price of candied ginger has tripled in the last two months. We appreciate your understanding. We are making sure that we have them ready for you during this sale.
Email your orders to: seasidecafe@npsri.net. We will send you a confirmation email. Place your phone orders: (401) 236-2655. If we can't get to the phone please leave a message including your name, phone number and order. We will return your call to confirm your order. The deadline for orders will be Friday the 22nd, the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.
Newport Sings Summer Camp invites students entering grades 2–6 to discover their singing voices, express themselves through music, art, and movement, and collaborate together to perform for family and friends. Learn more and register here.
Click here to purchase tickets for Newport Little League’s fundraiser on May 14th at O’Brien’s Pub.
