Burrillville school department requests roughly $38.5 million as town wrestles with enrollment and rising costs

BURRILLVILLE, R.I. — The Burrillville school department on May 22 asked the Town Council to approve a fiscal 2026 operating request of roughly $38.5 million, highlighting increased health and retirement costs, higher special‑education and out‑of‑district tuition expenses, and enrollment declines as the primary drivers of the increase.

Members of the town’s budget board and school staff presented details at a duly advertised public hearing held at the Burrillville Town Building. Mike Monroe, speaking for the budget board, summarized its review and said the overall school request was $38,508,568 (the school presentation later referenced $38,557,000). "The overall request is a budget of $38,508,568," Monroe said as he explained the numbers and the board’s recommendation.

The request exceeds the town’s available tax capacity under the municipality’s cap. Monroe said the board typically reserves some of the tax capacity for unforeseen needs but recommended allocating the full school share within the town’s available cap this year to meet projected costs.

Why it matters: school officials said fixed and statutory costs are growing faster than revenues the town controls. The presenters stressed that state aid and the funding formula do not cover many local expenses, including transportation, building maintenance and athletic programs, and that those nonformula costs total about $9.5 million — roughly 24.8% of the school budget as presented.

School officials described several cost increases and program changes. The district reported a jump in health‑insurance costs after preliminary projections; health premiums were originally projected at about a 4% increase but were later quoted as rising to approximately 10%. To offset part of that increase, the school department plans to use $150,000 from its undesignated fund balance in FY2026. Officials also cited retirement contribution rate increases that add several hundred thousand dollars to the budget.

Personnel and program changes were outlined. Presenters said the proposed operating budget reduces seven certified positions and three support positions compared with the prior year, and that the district moved six staff into the local budget and eight support staff into grant funds. The school reported reallocations among account codes (for example, some 1‑to‑1 aides moving to therapy/related services categories), which affected line‑item totals such as a roughly $329,000 increase shown for instructional paraprofessionals.

District officials described efforts to grow career and technical education (CTE). The presentation said the district currently tuitions in about 20 students for regional CTE programs and is projecting roughly 30 next year. The preschool program was described as an integrated pre‑K with two classrooms (AM and PM sessions), serving up to seven children with IEPs ages 3–5 and up to eight typical peers in those sessions.

Council and public discussion focused heavily on declining enrollment, homeschooling, and charter school competition. Several speakers — including school committee members and residents — said enrollment losses and student departures to charter schools and homeschooling are intensifying budget pressure because state funding follows students. One town official warned that restricting available surplus and restricted funds to cover recurring operating costs was unsustainable.

Town Manager Michael C. Wood commented on the larger fiscal picture, saying the town has limited room to raise taxes under the cap and that the state funding structure creates unpredictability for local budgets. "We don't have a money tree," Wood said, urging caution about treating restricted surplus as a recurring revenue source.

What was not decided: The council did not adopt the school budget at the hearing. The session included a routine motion to close the public comment period, which was approved; there was no roll‑call vote on the FY2026 school appropriation recorded in the transcript.

Other details: presenters said the district started the year with an undesignated fund balance of about $1.4 million and anticipates using roughly $535,000 (transcript: "5.35" interpreted as $535,000) for FY2026 items, leaving a projected undesignated balance near $863,000. Officials said high‑cost out‑of‑district tuition and special‑education placements account for a significant portion of budget pressure: the transcript cites out‑of‑district tuition and related costs totaling roughly $2.7 million in a referenced context and the $9.5 million nonformula expenses figure above.

What’s next: council members and school officials said final numbers depend on the legislature’s revenue figures and the state aid calculation; the budget process will continue with possible adjustments when those figures are finalized. Several councilors and school officials suggested conducting parent surveys and other outreach to better understand drivers of homeschooling and student departures, but the transcript does not record a formal council directive or vote to undertake such a survey.

Sources and attribution: the article uses remarks and figures stated at the Burrillville Town Council public hearing on May 22, 2025. Direct quotes are attributed only to speakers identified in the meeting transcript: Mike Monroe (budget board representative) and Michael C. Wood (town manager). Other figures and program descriptions are summarized from the school department presentation and public discussion at that hearing.