South Kingstown school leaders, community respond to equity audit; committee advances multiple budget and personnel actions

School administrators on Wednesday presented a high-level response to an equity audit conducted for the South Kingstown School District, describing the report as a detailed gap analysis that calls for long-term, systemwide changes to better serve students in historically underserved subgroups.

Superintendent Michael Pedraza summarized the audit and the steps the district took to provide data and stakeholder input to consultants West Wind Education Policy and partner Edmetric. He said the audit used disaggregated state academic data, survey results, interviews and focus groups to identify strengths and areas for growth, then mapped recommendations across instructional and system domains.

The audit, Pedraza said, finds important district assets — including “relative academic achievement on state assessments” and strong relationships between staff and students — while also highlighting persistent gaps among subgroups including students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities and English learners. "Leaving this report on a shelf is not an option," he said, urging a sustained, collaborative approach that pairs professional learning with strategic prioritization.

Why it matters

School leaders and community members told the committee the audit is a call to action with implications for staffing, professional development and district priorities. The consultants’ recommendations — which include sustained professional learning time, better data protocols and alignment of curriculum and supports — are intended to shape the district’s forthcoming strategic plan and future budget priorities.

What administrators said

Pedraza and leaders from the offices of teaching and learning and student services described the audit’s process and early impressions. Mr. Seager (Office of Teaching and Learning) emphasized the need to sustain high expectations and to expand professional learning focused on rigorous, research-based instruction, data use, and student belonging. Dr. Carson (Office of Student Services) said the audit underscores long-standing challenges in special education: graduation, attendance and achievement gaps for students with disabilities, and family perceptions that the special-education process can feel opaque or fragmented.

Both offices described steps already under way: school improvement teams will review findings, a professional development committee has begun crosswalking the audit to next year’s learning calendar and instructional coordinators will be positioned to support implementation. Pedraza noted two social worker retirements that will be acknowledged in coming personnel reports and reiterated the district’s aim to preserve operations while responding to audit recommendations.

Community reaction

Public commenters urged that the audit lead quickly to action. Kate Brewster, director of the Johnnycake Center for Hope, thanked the committee for commissioning the audit and said community organizations stand ready to help implement strategies that “deepen connections between district staff and families who often feel left out and left behind.” Diane Kern, a University of Rhode Island professor partnering with the district, described URI as an available local partner. Several parents and community members urged the committee to preserve mental-health positions and to use the audit to guide concrete changes.

Data highlights raised in public comment

Community member Daryl Beasley presented state attendance data he said shows South Kingstown with a comparatively large seven-year average of chronic absenteeism and a reported 22,200 unexcused absences for the district last year; he stressed that chronic absence was concentrated among the same four subgroups named in the audit. Pedraza and staff said more precise district analyses of disaggregated data are needed and that the audit’s recommendations encourage such triangulation.

Next steps described by district leaders

Administrators said the district will hold community forums to share the audit broadly, that school improvement teams will begin building action plans, and that the professional development committee will use the audit as a needs assessment to guide next year’s work. Pedraza cautioned the committee and public that implementation will require time, prioritization of adult learning time, and choices about what to stop doing to make space for new work.

Votes at a glance

During the same meeting the committee took formal actions on several operational and budget items. The transcript records committee approval or passage of the following motions; the meeting minutes should be checked for official vote tallies and individual member votes.

- Approve consent agenda — motion made and seconded; chair announced motion passes. - Accept superintendent’s report — motion made and seconded; chair announced motion passes. - Approve recommended layoffs and nonrenewals for fiscal year 2026 due to fiscal exigency — motion made and seconded; chair announced motion passes. (Superintendent’s presentation said these positions were those assumed in the adopted budget and that future recall is possible if funding changes.) - Approve nonrenewal of 1-year-only positions — motion made and seconded; chair announced motion passes. - Approve FY2025 budget amendment to reallocate unspent out-of-district tuition funds to the West Kingston Elementary parking-lot CIP project — motion made and seconded; chair announced motion passes. The administration said the amended budget would keep the general fund bottom line unchanged and that the town’s housing-aid reimbursement would be sought under the state program. - Approve FY2026 CIP revision to move two projects (Peace Dale fire alarm and lavatory fixtures at Matunuck/West Kingston) to a future year and add HVAC replacements at West Kingston and Broad Rock — motion made and seconded; chair announced motion passes. - Approve new policy allowing therapy dogs in district schools (third read, with owner/handler waiver requirement) — motion made and seconded; chair announced motion passes.

All recorded votes in the transcript were announced by the chair as passing; the committee did not read detailed roll-call tallies in the portions of the transcript provided.

Context and constraints

Several committee members and administrators noted the audit’s recommendations may require funding and time that the district currently lacks. Multiple speakers urged bringing the audit to the town and town council as part of budget conversations, and several committee members said the audit should remain a recurring agenda item to ensure sustained attention. Superintendent Pedraza and other administrators said the district will use the audit as a gap analysis to inform the strategic plan and that implementation will require choices about reallocating adult time and staff resources.

Relevant operational updates included a superintendent report on a facilities-director search (the district said it had 15 applicants and is exploring an interim appointment), a brief enrollment update indicating relative stability, and notice of two social worker retirements that administrators said they plan to fill.

Ending

Committee members and administrators repeatedly described the audit as both an affirmation of existing strengths and a clear statement of where the district must change to meet the needs of all students. Leaders said the audit will guide the district’s strategic planning and professional learning, but that implementation will require sustained focus, community engagement and, in some cases, additional funding.