Portsmouth council provisionally approves $39.4 million school appropriation after budget presentation

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. — The Portsmouth Town Council provisionally approved a $39,407,902 town appropriation for the Portsmouth School Department for fiscal year 2026 after a presentation by district leaders on April 29.

Superintendent Dr. Kenworthy led the school departmentpresentation and said the appropriation is part of a total school department budget of $48,232,127 and total requested expenditures of $46,203,127. "I can assure you that this is a fiscally responsible budget and that $39,407,902 is needed from the town in order to support our District's FY26 budget and our 5 star journey," Dr. Kenworthy said during the presentation.

The school leaders framed the request as an investment in educational quality and town property values. Finance director Chris DiOro summarized key numbers: overall expenditures are budgeted to rise 3.4% to $46,203,127; employee compensation is up about $495,000 (1.9%); benefits are rising about 5.4% (roughly $498,000), driven chiefly by higher health premiums and increased pension contributions; and other purchased services are up about $479,000 largely because of transportation and out-of-district special-education tuition costs. DiOro told the council total local revenues are projected to grow 3.8% and the governor's recommended state aid for Portsmouth is $3,590,725, subject to final action by the General Assembly.

The district said it reduced staffing by 2.4 full-time equivalents in the proposed budget, in addition to 7.2 FTEs reduced in the prior yearfor a two-year net reduction of 9.6 positions. Deputy Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Viveiros described growth in the districtcareer and technical education (CTE) program: Portsmouth expects 77 out-of-district CTE students in 2025-26 and projects $1,232,000 in CTE tuition revenue that helps offset local budget pressures.

Superintendent Kenworthy and DiOro also referenced emergency work already funded, including the Portsmouth High School roof, for which the council previously approved use of $572,000 in impact fees and $890,000 from town fund balance.

A member of the public, Emily Skian, a Portsmouth School Committee member who spoke as a resident, challenged the council to consider raising local contributions to schools. "Portsmouth needs to increase its local contributions to schools to keep up with the rising cost of education and ensure local revenue is fairly distributed," Skian said, citing a Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) analysis she presented.

Kenworthy noted a separate state-level legal development: the Rhode Island Department of Education and the state attorney general have joined a multistate lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education that, according to the superintendent, could affect about $116 million in federal funds statewide; Portsmouth receives a little over $2 million that flows through the state from that federal funding stream.

The council voted 7-0 to provisionally accept the local appropriation of $39,407,902 and later voted 7-0 to provisionally approve the school departmenttotal budget of $48,232,127. Council members did not change line items in the presentation during the meeting; the votes were recorded as provisional approvals pending the usual budget adoption steps.

Why it matters: The school appropriation is the largest single line in Portsmouth's municipal spending; the town appropriation requested for FY26 represents roughly 55% of the town's overall proposed operating budget, according to presenters. The school administration said the request aims to preserve educational programs and to cover rising mandatory costs for health care, transportation and special-education placements while continuing to pursue revenue from CTE tuition and other outside sources.

Whathappens next: The provisional council approvals allow the administration and school department to continue through the municipal budget schedule; state aid and federal funding outcomes could still change before final town adoption. The presentation and the council action set the FY26 school appropriation and put the council on record supporting the school committee-approved request.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to provisionally accept the town appropriation of $39,407,902 for the Portsmouth School Department for FY26: passed 7-0. - Motion to provisionally approve the Portsmouth School Department's total FY26 budget of $48,232,127: passed 7-0.

(Details on motion wording and mover/second were not specified in the public transcript.)