South Kingstown schools ask council for $809,830 to close FY26 gap after $1.59M cuts

South Kingstown’s school administration told a joint Town Council–School Committee budget work session on March 13 that it needs an additional $809,830 from the town in FY2026 to preserve current programming after $1.59 million in internal reductions.

The school department’s chief financial officer, Ryan Kilpatrick, said recreating this school year under next year’s estimated costs would require an additional $2.4 million, and that the district reduced about $1.6 million in expenses to lower the gap. “So in order to recreate this school year next year, it would cost us an additional $2,400,000,” Kilpatrick said.

The superintendent summarized the district’s request to the council: “We are respectfully requesting approximately $800,000 in additional funding to maintain the high quality education our community values and deserves,” Superintendent Pedraza said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the schools face a combination of declining enrollment, higher out‑of‑district tuition and the expiration of one‑time federal pandemic funds (ESSER III). The district projects a remaining shortfall of about $809,830 after internal cuts of roughly $1,590,000, and it is asking the council for a $500,000 increase in the property‑tax transfer plus a $309,830 reclassification of certain “shared services” (school resource officers, crossing guards, field maintenance, tax software and a portion of IT support) onto the town’s budget line.

What the budget would do and what it would cut: the FY2026 proposal aims to “recreate” this year’s programs but only after those internal reductions. The $1,590,000 in reductions include $1,490,000 from staffing (2 administrative positions, 11 NEA bargaining unit members, 5 support professionals and 1 custodial/maintenance position) and about $98,000 from equipment, software, supplies and professional development. The district’s proposed staffing level for FY26 is 368.1 FTE, a 4.4% decrease from FY25, reflecting a net reduction of 16.8 positions.

Operational and revenue drivers: Kilpatrick told the joint meeting the district expects a roughly $197,000 drop in state formula and high‑cost special‑education aid based on current guidance and anticipates a decline in federal grant carryover as pandemic ESSER funds expire. The district’s out‑of‑district tuition expense rose from about $6.3 million this year to a budgeted amount just north of $7.0 million next year because local share and tuition rates are increasing even if the headcount stays flat. The district used NESDEC projections for pre‑K and kindergarten and rolled other grades forward for enrollment estimates.

Fund balance and capital: the schools presented an anticipated ending FY25 fund balance of $2,897,671 and said if the town funds the $500,000 and assumes the $309,830 shared services, the projected end‑of‑FY26 fund balance would fall to about $993,068. The district plans to appropriate $1,095,000 of fund balance for next year’s capital program (total capital budget: $1,142,215), funded primarily by fund balance and a small federal grant component. School and council staff explained that state reimbursement for approved school building projects typically arrives after project completion and can offset debt service in later years.

Program impacts and priorities: administration said the proposed budget preserves contractual class sizes and the district’s Basic Education Program (B.E.P.) compliance but would reduce or eliminate some curricular and administrative supports, limit ability to reduce class sizes at targeted schools, reduce supervision and extra‑curricular elective capacity, and eliminate most elementary/middle summer enrichment (the district said high‑school credit‑recovery and federally required ESY remain funded). District officials estimated total summer programming last year at about $200,000 and said ESSER III had been covering much of that work in prior years.

Shared services proposal: the administration proposed moving roughly $309,000 of costs (school resource officers paid 50/50 with the police department, crossing guards, field maintenance for athletic fields, tax appraisal/collection software and a share of IT manager time) from the school’s operating statement to town accounts. School and town staff said this is a long‑standing apportionment methodology that spreads certain municipal costs across town and school ledgers; council members questioned whether shifting the line item simply reassigns the cost rather than reduces net spending unless offset by town savings.

Public comment and politics: a large group of residents and educators spoke during public comment, nearly uniformly urging the council to grant the requested funds and warning of harm to students if programs and staff are cut. Brian Nelson, co‑president of NEA South Kingstown, told the panel: “The superintendent’s proposed budget is not excessive. It is reasonable, and reflects the real needs of our district.” Speakers emphasized equity concerns, the effects of COVID‑era learning loss, and the risk that families will send students to charter and private schools if programming declines.

Open questions and risks: the district highlighted several fiscal uncertainties beyond local control: final state budget action in June could change state aid amounts; federal grant levels are not finalized and ESSER III has expired; out‑of‑district tuition and transportation vendor costs could rise (the current transportation contract expires next year and the vendor signaled potential 12–15% price increases on rebid). The Government Finance Officers Association’s guidance on reserve policy also figured in the discussion; the district’s current policy target of 1–2% of the operating budget (roughly $600,000–$1.2 million) was noted alongside the GFOA’s recommendation that reserves be tied to risk profile rather than a flat percentage.

Next steps: no formal appropriation was made at the session. The council has a preliminary budget vote scheduled for March 17; the administration and school committee said they will continue to refine estimates and answer council questions about shared services, the composition of reductions and capital‑reimbursement timing.

Context note: district leaders said South Kingstown has seen long‑term enrollment declines (district presentation cited an average decline of about 4.2% per year across a multiyear span) and rising out‑of‑district enrollments in recent years. Officials and several council members discussed longer‑term options — including expanded regional collaboration with nearby districts — but emphasized that any such step would require separate study and agreement by other jurisdictions.