Smithfield Council approves FY2026 budget after heated school budget hearing

The Smithfield Town Council on June 16 approved the town's fiscal year 2026 appropriation and tax levy after a public hearing that focused on the school department's funding needs and several hours of testimony from teachers, school officials and residents.

School officials told the council that level funding or deep cuts would force staff reductions and weaken growing career and technical education programs. "The school department can't afford any cuts from the manager and budget board's recommendations," Richard Antelli, chairman of the Smithfield School Committee, told the council during the hearing. He and Superintendent Don Bart and school finance director Melissa Devine urged restoring funding for staff, special-education reserves and capital needed for new programs.

Antelli and Superintendent Don Bart outlined specifics: the district entered the year with roughly $2.3 million in fund balance but has reserved roughly $500,000 for unexpected special-education placements, transportation and utility spikes; auditors recommend a reserve equal to 3 to 6 percent of operating budget, and the district currently sits near 2.6 percent. Bart warned that cutting the manager's proposed 2 percent increase to 1 percent or to level funding would force layoffs and program eliminations. "Below that, we're gonna be in a position that, it's unenviable," Bart said, naming potential cuts to an assistant principal post and an upcoming biomedical CTE teacher if funding is reduced.

Residents, teachers and parents urged the council to avoid level funding. "Level funding in a time of rising costs is, in reality, a cut," said Diane Ditry, an educator with more than 28 years in the district. Jane Zangari Ramos, a longtime Smithfield teacher and resident, described program losses over the years and said smaller, steady increases are necessary to prevent further erosion of school services. Several speakers described the essential role of aides, nurses, interventionists and CTE staff; speech-language pathologist Jacqueline Brush Frazier stressed the need for costly augmentative and alternative communication devices for nonverbal students.

Council discussion and amendment

Council members debated revenue offsets and specific line items. Tom Hodgkins, a resident and frequent participant in budget discussions, pressed the council on how capital reimbursements and project budgets were being recorded and urged clearer accounting for housing-aid reimbursements tied to recent school projects.

Council member (motion author) moved a consolidated amendment to the manager's budget that the council adopted by voice vote. The amendment, which the council read into the record, included multiple changes: add $25,000 in capital funds to the senior center for building repairs and storage; fund Greenville and East Smithfield libraries at FY2024-25 levels; increase projected building-permit revenue by $350,000 tied to phase 1 of a private development (organogenesis); increase impact-fee revenue by $100,000 to fund park field maintenance; reduce the council-proposed school increase from $550,000 to $275,000 while acknowledging a separately announced $183,154 in additional state school aid from the House Finance Committee; add $275,000 to fire department capital as the first of four payments for a new pumper to be funded by rescue-billing revenue; and add $195,312 in general state aid to the operating budget. The amendment was seconded and approved; the council then voted to approve the full appropriation and tax-levy resolution as amended.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to adopt listed FY2026 amendments (detailed above): moved (not specified), seconded (not specified), adopted by voice vote. (See council minutes for recorded mover/second.) - Motion to approve passage of the appropriation and tax-levy resolution for FY2026 as amended: moved by Councilwoman Bovis; seconded; approved by voice vote. The council announced "aye" votes and declared the motion carried.

Why it matters

Smithfield school leaders said the adopted changes preserve some district momentum'notably means to begin a biomedical CTE and to avoid immediate staff cuts'but also leave narrower margins for unanticipated special-education and transportation costs. School finance director Melissa Devine explained that transportation and outplacement costs fluctuate daily and can drive big year-to-year changes: a single additional special-education tuition or added bus route can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

What comes next

Council and school leaders agreed to schedule a joint workshop to clarify outstanding questions about project financing, housing-aid reimbursements and the condition and funding of capital projects. Council members also said they will continue to monitor state aid updates and school enrollment changes that affect the final budgeted figures.

— Reporting from the June 16, 2025 Smithfield Town Council meeting. All direct quotes are attributed to speakers as recorded in the public hearing and meeting transcript.