Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers, parents urge council for sustained school funding as public comments call for a budget forecasting committee
Summary
Residents, parents and teachers told the East Greenwich Town Council that the schools face a funding crisis and asked the council to form a budget forecasting committee and engage state lawmakers to restore lost aid.
Several residents, teachers and parents used the meeting's public-comment period to press the council for sustained school funding and to ask for stronger long-term planning.
Speakers and arguments Donna McPhee, a resident, praised the council's proposed 4% funding increase for the schools but warned two years of near-term increases cannot erase what she described as "20 years of systematic underfunding." McPhee said the district faces overcrowded classrooms, aging buildings and comparatively low teacher pay. She told the council a projected state reduction of $842,000 in appropriated aid this year has created a "state of emergency" for the schools and urged a collaborative planning process involving the town council, school committee, finance directors and other stakeholders.
Erin Logue, a teacher and resident, asked for a collaborative spirit between elected officials and school staff to find balanced, long-term solutions. Several public speakers asked the council to create a budget forecasting committee made up of town and school representatives to avoid repeated emergency fixes and improve long-range planning.
Council and staff responses Town leaders acknowledged the concerns and described the municipal budget calendar and constraints that shaped the school's current budget submission. Town Manager Andy Nada and councilors explained that schools present budgets at an earlier deadline to allow the town manager to compile a full municipal budget, which the council must adopt by June 15. Councilors noted the state aid formula and the loss of anticipated PAYGO reimbursements were complicating factors, and they described larger capital timing issues tied to a proposed $150 million bond for school construction and changes in state reimbursements.
Council members also encouraged public participation in the state process: one councilor noted a House Finance Committee hearing on House Bill 5749, which aims to restore some state education funding, and urged residents to submit testimony or attend the hearing. Staff described the town's ongoing coordination with the League of Cities and Towns and said officials would keep communicating with state representatives.
Takeaway Speakers called for sustained, collaborative planning across town and school leadership, and the council responded with procedural context and an appeal for public engagement at the state level. The council acknowledged the issues are not resolvable in a single year and described additional planning steps and hearings that residents can attend or supplement with written testimony.
