Tiverton school officials present FY26 budget request as enrollment declines, officials warn of layoffs

TIVERTON, R.I. — School administrators presented the Tiverton Town Council with a FY26 operations budget request that asks the town to increase its appropriation by 3.55% from FY25, saying the district faces declining enrollment, rising costs and a projected deficit for the current year.

Doctor Sanchioni, a school official, told the council that “for the past 20 years, student enrollment in our schools has been steadily declining,” and cited lower birth rates and limited affordable housing as primary drivers. School presenters said the decline has reduced state aid and contributed to the district’s fiscal pressure.

The budget packet officials delivered requests $1,195,167 more from the town than FY25 — a 3.55% increase on the town appropriation, the presenters said. “The request is for 3.55% increase on the town appropriation from FY '25 or 1 point $1,195,167,” a school presenter said during the review.

Why it matters: School leaders told the council the district must reduce staffing and consolidate buildings to match a smaller student population. They said the proposal includes the closure of Fort Barton School and consolidation of most elementary operations into remaining school buildings. The presenters said Fort Barton would host an 18–22 transition program for special-needs students and could eventually be decommissioned as a school and returned to the town if enrollment trends continue.

Key details

- Staffing and enrollment: School officials said the FY26 budget reflects a net reduction of about 22.6 full-time-equivalent positions (FTEs). They reported total FTEs falling from 257.1 in FY24 to 218.5 in FY26 under the proposed budget. School presenters said the district has already issued layoff notices tied to enrollment deadlines and that rehiring decisions may follow later depending on final funding.

- Projected deficit: Presenters said the district’s “latest and greatest” projected deficit for the current year is about $750,000.

- Funding sources and offsets: The packet shows expected increases in state aid are fluid and that gaming revenue is included in other revenue (FY25 gaming revenue about $286,000; FY26 request roughly $313,000). Officials warned that state and federal funding remain uncertain and that reductions would force further cuts.

- Mandated and rising costs: Officials emphasized growth in special education, transportation and employee benefits. They said special education has grown to roughly 22% of the student population and noted Medicaid reimbursements help but do not cover total costs. Employee benefits were shown rising year over year; presenters said employee benefits in total were up about 12.26%.

- Capital requests: The school presenters included a capital request of $312,065 to cover multi-year purchases such as textbooks, Chromebooks and staff laptops, special-education equipment and other classroom technology.

Council questions and concerns

Councilors pressed for detail on class sizes, staffing changes and timelines. Councilor Janek and others questioned the math behind staffing shifts as Fort Barton closes and fourth-grade sections consolidate; presenters said fourth-grade sections will drop from six to five, eliminating one fourth-grade teacher while other consolidations and support-staff reductions account for further FTE decreases.

Kindergarten enrollment figures drew close attention. Presenters said enrollment “as we sit here today” is about 80 students; a councilor noted a different number, saying it was 58 “as of yesterday,” highlighting year-to-year and in-season variability that complicates staffing decisions.

Grounds and custodial staffing also drew repeated concern. Councilors and staff discussed the decision to remove two custodial positions tied to the Fort Barton closure and asked how grounds maintenance, athletic fields and curb appeal would be preserved with fewer custodians. Presenters said some work has been covered by public works and that they are exploring larger joint contracts for grounds and field maintenance.

Transportation and tuition

School officials said transportation changes — including bringing some services in-house statewide and entering a new vendor arrangement for certain routes — are expected to produce savings. Officials reported bringing some routes to First Student produced immediate savings and said broader statewide changes could yield additional savings in 2–4 years.

The presenters said the district sends about 55 students to other districts (ninth to eleventh graders) and pays roughly $15,500 per out-of-district student this year; they estimated about 16–18 students might be sent next year.

Layoff timing and next steps

Presenters reminded the council of statutory and contractual deadlines for layoff notices: support-staff notices fall before the end of school (May 30), and teacher notices are issued by June 1. They urged the council to provide a funding decision at the May 12 meeting — or to hold a May 13 contingency meeting if needed — to reduce uncertainty and avoid issuing final layoffs that could later be rescinded.

Quotes

- “Because of these enrollment declines and the associated loss of state aid, we were forced to look at the capacity of our school buildings very closely,” Doctor Sanchioni said.

- “The latest and greatest is right around 750,000,” a school presenter said when asked the district’s projected deficit for the current year.

- “We have a reduction of 22.6 FTEs,” a presenter said while describing the proposed FY26 staffing plan.

What’s next

Council members asked the presenters for more detailed line-item breakdowns (five‑year FTE trends, grant offsets and who was laid off and rehired in recent years). Presenters said they would provide additional documentation and that councilors could vote on appropriations at a forthcoming meeting. The presenters asked for an affirmative or near-affirmative funding indication at the council’s May 12 meeting or at a May 13 follow-up so the district could finalize personnel decisions.

Ending

School officials said they had cut discretionary spending across departments and emphasized personnel comprises about 95% of the budget; they reiterated that further cuts would come from staffing if additional revenue is not forthcoming. Councilors signaled continued scrutiny of line items, capital versus operating classification of purchases, and the timing of any final appropriations.