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Coventry School Committee adopts FY2026 budget as town projects $52 million local appropriation
Summary
The School Committee approved a FY2026 budget that aligns with the town manager’s projection of a $52 million local appropriation; Superintendent Cowart stressed maintenance-of-effort requirements and cited Medicaid reimbursement and deficit-reduction funding.
The Coventry School Committee voted 6-0 on Feb. 27 to approve the district’s fiscal year 2026 budget, a package the superintendent said aligns the district request with the town manager’s projected $52,000,000 local appropriation.
Superintendent Cowart framed the vote around Rhode Island’s maintenance-of-effort law (Rhode Island General Laws §16-7-23), which requires municipalities to contribute at least as much to their schools as the previous fiscal year. Cowart told the committee that local appropriations provide the stable base the district needs because state and federal funds can vary: ‘‘The law is monitored by Rhode Island Department of Ed. ... Communities must contribute at least as much to their schools as they did the previous fiscal year,’’ she said.
Why it matters: The approved budget pairs revenue assumptions (local appropriation $52 million, state aid per the governor’s budget, tuition and an increase in Medicaid reimbursement) with a set of expense adjustments that Cowart said bring the proposed spending and revenue into balance. Cowart told members the district expects Medicaid reimbursement to reach about $1 million in FY2026 and that revenue includes a $140,000 deficit-reduction allocation from the town.
Budget and revenue highlights presented to the committee included: - Local appropriation: the town manager’s projection of $52,000,000 for FY2026 (2.44% increase over prior year in the district presentation). - State aid: the district’s budget reflected the governor’s proposal and an estimated 4.91% increase shown in the presentation. - Medicaid reimbursement: Cowart said the district expects Medicaid revenue to exceed $1 million in FY2026, up from about $800,000 in FY2025. - Grants and tuition: the presentation included tuition and other non-tax revenues rising in staff estimates.
Cowart warned committee members that federal ESSER funds and other one-time pandemic-era dollars had temporarily boosted revenue in prior years and that those resources have largely ended. She said that when federal funding dropped in prior years, the town’s local contribution did not always rise enough to compensate, creating what she described as a ‘‘funding cliff’’ and underscored the importance of maintaining the local base.
Committee members asked about staffing impacts and whether the FY2026 numbers would require layoffs. Cowart replied that the district’s plan relies primarily on attrition and enrollment-driven adjustments; she said the district expects fewer than 10 positions to change but that those are largely attrition-based and still under review.
The committee approved the FY2026 budget 6-0 and scheduled continued oversight as the town and district complete audits and the legal/financial processes ahead of the May appropriations cycle.
