Warwick school leaders outline budget shortfall, cite special-education costs and unfunded mandates

Acting Superintendent William McCaffrey and members of the Warwick School Department presented the drivers of the district—s budget shortfall at a special Warwick City Council meeting called to review school finances.

McCaffrey told the council the school budget has been built around a deficit-reduction plan the Rhode Island auditor general required. "Our budget is driven by the auditor general's — he required us to submit a deficit reduction plan," McCaffrey said, and the district has met with the auditor general and the city finance office while preparing the current proposal.

The school administration and school committee said multiple factors are increasing costs: tuition for out-of-district special-education placements, contractual salary and benefit increases, health-care costs, utilities, pandemic-era ESSER accounting distortions and requirements from state education regulators. The district reported it has $14,000,000 in active grants and a newly strengthened finance office that has already identified and recorded roughly $2,890,000 in budget cuts for fiscal 2025.

Why it matters: Warwick Public Schools serves about 8,000 students who enter buildings daily and the district says it is financially responsible for roughly 8,300–8,400 students when accounting for out-of-district placements and other tuition obligations. School officials warned the council that without the planned local funding increase and adherence to the auditor-general—s plan the district expects continuing deficits through the budget cycle.

Key numbers and program details presented

- Special education: Using October 1 enrollment figures, the district…