Glocester public hearing spotlights school budget shortfalls, levy cap limits council support

Glocester — The Glocester Town Council held a public hearing April 21 on the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, where school officials and residents warned the elementary schools face a multi-year structural deficit driven by a loss of state aid, unfunded mandates and reduced fund balance.

Budget Board Chair Maureen McNamara told the hearing the town budget process was difficult and that the session was for information only. "The hearing is being held for informational purposes only," McNamara said, noting "there will be no motions, no amendments, and no votes taken tonight." She also introduced an overview by David Carnivale of the town’s budget materials.

The core dispute centered on the school department’s proposed appropriation. The transcript shows the school committee submitted a proposed school appropriation of $8,709,825 for fiscal 2026, an increase of $1,242,217 over the prior appropriation. McNamara and Carnivale told the council that the town’s ability to increase the levy is limited by state rules to 4 percent in a year — which the presentation quantified as about $1,038,000 — constraining how much additional revenue the town can provide to schools.

School business manager Beth Keeling described a long-term loss of state aid as a root cause and outlined steps the schools had taken to reduce costs. "The story of our elementary school's mess began 15 years ago when the state legislature recalculated the funding formula for Rhode Island schools," Keeling said. She said the district had used a mix of operational changes — redrawing bus routes, changing health plans and other savings measures — to cope. Keeling added the elementary schools recorded a $357,495 deficit for fiscal 2024, the second consecutive annual deficit recorded in the audit materials presented at the hearing.

Keeling and other school officials warned that cutting teacher assistants would likely increase expensive out‑of‑district placements. "The teachers are not the cause of this problem and certainly the TAs aren't either," Keeling said. She told the council that out‑of‑district placements can cost between $70,000 and $90,000 per pupil, with transportation costs of about $34,000 per student, and cited a recent single residential placement that cost $93,000.

Residents and local advocates urged the council to find additional one‑time or ongoing support. Amy Ferreira, who spoke during public comment, explained that several line items labeled as large increases reflected restoration of lines that had been omitted in prior years rather than new ongoing spending. Other speakers — including Walter Steer and Brian Couch — pressed for stricter earlier oversight of school expenditures and for adherence to the town charter’s procedures when deficits occur.

Budget board materials presented at the hearing showed an unassigned fund balance of approximately $5,168,470 as of June 30, 2024, dropping to about $4,950,000 in the current fiscal presentation (about 14.3 percent of operating expenses in the presentation), compared with the town charter’s target of 12 percent. During discussion, staff calculated that the town’s projected fund balance exceeded the charter minimum by about $728,007.

The hearing included references to pending state legislation discussed by school officials and advocates. One bill cited in testimony was House Bill 5399, which a speaker said had been "held for further study;" speakers also mentioned House Bill 5377 in the same context. School leaders said the Rhode Island Superintendents Association and local delegations are pursuing changes to how transportation and out‑of‑district special‑education costs are handled, but they cautioned changes move slowly.

The council did not take any vote on the budget at the April 21 hearing. The council agenda and public statements indicated the council planned to adopt a final town budget on May 5, which would go to a town referendum May 20. Councilors and staff repeatedly emphasized the hearing was for public information and that the final choices about appropriations and any use of fund balance would be communicated before the referendum.

Ending: The hearing closed without motions on the budget and the council adjourned after a period of public comment. The town’s next formal budget action is the council’s adoption on May 5, followed by the May 20 referendum that will determine whether voters approve the final budgets and any proposed use of fund balance or levy changes.