South Kingstown School Committee opens FY27 budget season, flags enrollment and staffing shifts
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Summary
At a Dec. meeting the South Kingstown School Committee reviewed FY27 budget priorities, noting enrollment of 2,175 and a 3.9% staffing reduction that outpaced a 1.8% enrollment decline; members asked staff to align enrollment baselines and prepare fiscal scenarios for the town joint meeting.
The South Kingstown School Committee on Dec. 25 opened the fiscal‑year 2027 budget process with a presentation from Superintendent Michael Pedraza and staff that highlighted enrollment trends, staffing reductions and corrected state aid figures.
Superintendent Pedraza told the committee the district’s current pre‑K–12 enrollment is 2,175 and described a “41‑student” difference between some projections and current reports, saying the district will align its slides to a consistent baseline. He emphasized that district actuals (October 1 counts) should be used for budgeting rather than relying solely on NESDEC projections, a point several committee members pressed during a lengthy Q&A.
The presentation showed that while enrollment declined roughly 1.8% year‑to‑year, staffing fell about 3.9% over the same period. Pedraza outlined how staffing reductions and prior budget choices have left limited one‑time options: "We cut 15 positions and still didn't get to the level funding number," he said, arguing there is little room for further cuts without harming programs.
Finance presenter Mrs. Proctor reviewed revenue and expenditure figures for FY26 as presented in the packet, noting the town appropriation remained unchanged and listing total FY26 revenues as $68,000,002.05 (unaudited figures) and budgeted expenditures of $67,752,069. She explained the difference as a planned use of fund balance to cover capital projects that were not completed in FY25 and must be reappropriated in FY26.
Committee members repeatedly asked staff to make data pulls consistent (October 1 actuals, December updates or NESDEC) so the public and town council can readily understand the trends. "If the committee is comfortable with that, I'll stick with the NESDEC numbers," Pedraza said, but members recommended relying on verified local actuals when making budget decisions.
The committee voted to accept the superintendent’s report by voice vote earlier in the meeting. No formal FY27 budget ask was adopted at this session; staff said the presentation served as a kickoff and that a draft budget will be shared in advance of the joint meeting with the Town Council.
What’s next: staff will align enrollment figures to a single, clear baseline (committee requested October 1 actuals where possible), produce staffing‑to‑enrollment comparison slides (percent change), and prepare detailed revenue/expenditure summaries ahead of the joint Town Council meeting later this week.