Middletown school leaders and town officials warn of tighter 2025–26 budget after state aid drop

Middletown school and town officials told the joint pre‑budget consultation Monday that the district faces a “lean year” for fiscal 2025–26 after the governor’s proposed budget revised down local school aid and federal pandemic grants wind down.

At a meeting required by Rhode Island General Law 16‑2‑21, Town Finance Director Mark (Patrick) and School Finance Director Patrick (surname not specified in transcript) presented revenue estimates that incorporated the governor’s recommended state budget and showed the school department projecting a $556,000 reduction in state education aid compared with the adopted 2024–25 budget. Finance staff said the falloff is driven largely by lower enrollment and the state’s share ratio in the education funding formula; RIDE (the Rhode Island Department of Education) continues to revise aid figures.

The revenue presentation listed a municipal estimated general fund of $88,364,614, down $519,000 (0.58%) from the current year. Town officials said municipal tax revenues are projected to increase overall by about $1.9 million (3.3%) because of growth in the tax base, but school revenues specifically are expected to decrease by roughly $5.3 million…